The three letters on Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Osama Al-Sharif - (Opinion) April 11, 2012 - 12:00am

Three missives that sum up the predicament of Palestinians under occupation came under the limelight in the past few days. The first was sent by imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti to the Palestinian people and their leadership on the eve of Land Day, which marks the killing of six Arabs in 1976 and protests Israel’s land grab policies. In his open letter Barghouti, who was arrested in 2002 and is serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail, called on Palestinians to launch widespread popular resistance against Israeli occupation.

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Ashrawi 'concerned by assaults on free expression'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 9, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Senior PLO official Hanan Ashrawi expressed concern on Sunday about recent assaults on free speech. "Freedom of expression and access to information is enshrined in the basic principles of the Palestinian Basic Law ... it is unacceptable to detain journalists, bloggers or Palestinian activists," the official, who is also head of the PLO Department of Culture and Media, said in a statement.

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Abbas Urged to Investigate Land Day Violence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 6, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Palestinian civil society and activists on Wednesday urged President Mahmoud Abbas to investigate attacks on demonstrators during a rally to mark Land Day. A coalition of NGOs and civil society leaders called on the president to form an "independent and transparent" committee to investigate an attack on MP Mustafa Barghouti, who was injured at a demonstration at Qalandiya checkpoint near Ramallah on March 30.

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Palestinian PM Begins Initial Contacts for New Gov’t Reshuffle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 6, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Salam Fayyad, premier of the Palestinian caretaker government in the West Bank, has begun initial contacts to reshuffle his cabinet in a bid to treat an internal deficiency, an official source said Friday. The source in Fayyad's government, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that Fayyad has finally agreed with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to reshuffle the government, without setting up a specific date.

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Concession on 1967 borders is last-ditch effort
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) April 6, 2012 - 12:00am

Desperate times call for desperate measures, as the old saying goes. And with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resolutely stamping out hopes of a negotiated two-state solution, these are indeed desperate times for the fractured Palestinian leadership.

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Fuel arrives in Gaza to ease power crisis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
April 4, 2012 - 12:00am

Fuel has started arriving in the Gaza Strip as a result of a deal between the territory's Hamas-led government and the rival Palestinian Authority. Raid Futuh, co-ordinator of the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, said tankers of Israeli diesel had begun arriving on Wednesday. He said 430,000 litres of fuel for Gaza's sole power plant were expected. Gaza has been affected by severe power cuts for months, and the plant closed 10 days ago because of a lack of fuel.

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Palestinian Delegation to Deliver Letter to Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 4, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A delegation of Palestinian officials will deliver a letter from President Mahmoud Abbas to Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu next week, a presidential adviser said. Nimr Hammad said PA Prime Minster Salam Fayyad, PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo and negotiator Saeb Erekat will head the delegation, Hammad told the official Voice of Palestine radio. In the letter, Abbas will outline the PLO's position on the peace process and remind the Israeli government of previous accords and international agreements, Hammad said.

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A Middle East Twofer
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Thomas L. Friedman - (Opinion) April 4, 2012 - 12:00am

There is so much going on in the Middle East today, it’s impossible to capture it all with one opinion. So here are two for the price of one.

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Woman jailed for Abbas insult 'in isolation'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 4, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The condition of a woman arrested over her critical writings about President Mahmoud Abbas is deteriorating in isolation, a member of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said Tuesday. Ismat Abdul Khaliq was seen by doctors late Tuesday before being returned to her cell, said Nihad Abu Ghosh, a member of the syndicate. He said the prosecution is refusing to let her see visitors.

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Hunger strikers score a victory for Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) April 3, 2012 - 12:00am

From Israel's Ramla prison south of Tel Aviv, Hana Shalabi moved on Sunday to the relative freedom of Gaza. Her negotiated release came, not by coincidence, after a 44-day hunger strike. The case provides a new example of how effectively Palestinians can use the moral high ground.

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