Divided Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
(Editorial) May 10, 2012 - 12:00am

Benjamin Netanyahu’s abandonment of his early election and the revelation of a new coalition government have once again highlighted the need for the various Palestinian factions to form a cohesive front, and soon.

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Model West Bank City Loses a Crime Fighter
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - May 9, 2012 - 12:00am

JENIN, West Bank — Relaxing in their rooftop salon one recent night, Amal Qadoura headed to fetch ice cream for herself and her husband when the shooting began. First, she recalled, two bullets were fired at one side of the glass-enclosed porch, followed by a barrage from a hilltop on the other side.

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Abbas, Fayyad agree on new PA cabinet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - May 7, 2012 - 12:00am

A new Palestinian Authority cabinet is expected to be announced within the next 48 hours, sources in Ramallah said Monday evening. They said that the new cabinet will be headed by current Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The sources said that Nabil Qassis, the former president of Bir Zeit University in the West Bank, will replace Fayyad as finance minister. The new cabinet will be formed in accordance with an agreement recently reached between Fayyad and PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

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Arab Spring Spurs Palestinian Journalists to Test Free Speech Limits
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - May 6, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Yousef Shayeb, 37, a Palestinian journalist from Ramallah, published an article in a Jordanian newspaper this year charging officials at the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Paris with corruption and espionage. In an interview here last week, he said that he had imagined people might thank him for his exposé.

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Is a Palestinian revolt against Mahmoud Abbas brewing?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Telegraph
by Adrian Blomfield - (Analysis) May 4, 2012 - 12:00am

It was meant to be a day of catharsis and rejoicing, marking the fulfilment of a visionary government strategy to end years of debilitating political cleavage and create a formidable platform to challenge Israel's occupation. But instead of going to the polls as they were promised this Friday, Palestinians are remaining at home, betrayed once again by bickering leaders whose quarrels have contributed to an increasingly dangerous sense of malaise across the West Bank and Gaza.

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The road to Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Ahmad Majdoubeh - (Opinion) May 3, 2012 - 12:00am

I, like many who sympathise with the Palestinians during these particularly hard times, was extremely disappointed and saddened by the Islamists’ condemnation of the visit to Al Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem by the grand mufti of Egypt a couple of weeks ago. This condemnation is yet another evidence of Islamists’ shortsightedness and negative vision.

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PA Communications Minister to Resign
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 27, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority communications minister intends to resign from Salam Fayyad's government, according to sources in Ramallah. Fayyad was expected to accept Mashour Abu Daka's resignation Thursday, the sources said. A Palestinian Authority spokesman could not confirm Fayyad's position. In his letter of resignation, seen by Ma'an, the minister said Fayyad's government had already resigned. He called the decision personal and "necessary to put an end to the waiting." The minister said it had been "a great privilege" to serve in the cabinet.

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Palestinian Government Cracks down on Critics
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
April 27, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — The government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has moved to silence critics, raising new concerns about freedom of expression in the West Bank. Abbas' communications minister, Mashour Abu Daqa, said late Thursday that the attorney general's office ordered several websites shut down over the past six months. The sites belong to an Abbas rival, former Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan.

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PalTel: No choice in Web censorship orders
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by George Hale - April 26, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The largest telecommunications company in the occupied territories has no choice but to enforce orders issued by the Palestinian Authority, its chief executive said Wednesday. Ammar Aker says PalTel conducts its operations in compliance with regulatory and legal instructions, but has no further involvement in decisions imposed by the government. "Our role is to implement those orders and instructions and not to enter into such matters that the company cannot deal with or accept to be part of," Aker said in an emailed statement.

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US concerned by Palestinian Web blocking
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 25, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The United States said Wednesday it was concerned by efforts to restrict Palestinian access to information on the Internet and would raise the issue with the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority recently began blocking access to as many as eight opposition news websites, according to Palestinian officials who oppose the decision.

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