The Arab Spring: Good or bad for the Palestinian cause?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Dawoud Abu Lebdeh - (Opinion) March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Many Palestinians are now wondering what effect this past year’s developments in the Arab world will have on their own struggle for independence.

»

PNA Urges Int’l Pressure on Israel to Save Economy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Thursday called on the international community to pile pressure on Israel to prevent measures blocking the implementation of Palestinian development projects. The call came as the World Bank issued a report warning that a severe fiscal crisis engulfing the PNA will deepen if the recent decline in donor assistance continues. It also warned that this situation "jeopardize gains" made in recent years in building strong institutions.

»

The theories of resisting occupation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Bilal Hassan - (Opinion) March 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Two theories are prevalent regarding the current Palestinian situation under the Israeli occupation: The first is the predominant traditional theory that advocates armed struggle in order to resist the occupation, whereas a contrasting second theory has been adopted by the President of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, who champions a form of peaceful, popular resistance.

»

Islamic Jihad Holds Victory Rally in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Elior Levy - March 13, 2012 - 12:00am

Thousands of Islamic Jihad sympathizers participated in the group's victory rally celebrating the end of the current round of violence against Israel on Tuesday. The rally was attended by senior Islamic Jihad officials while the group's secretary-general, Ramadan Shallah, sent a video message from Damascus.

»

Political disunity of Palestinians is a critical failure
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) March 11, 2012 - 1:00am

When it comes to Palestinian politics, every step forward seems inevitably followed by two steps back. On Friday, a day after Hamas had rejected the idea that it would at any point strike Israel on behalf of Iran, Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed 12 and wounded a dozen others. Hamas once again finds itself on the defensive, both from Israel and from factions within the Occupied Territory.

»

Zahhar: Fatah’s Cooperation With Israel Stalling Unity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 9, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar on Thursday said Fatah's cooperation with Israel was stalling national reconciliation. Hamas does not recognize Israel while Fatah, which leads the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, coordinates with Israel under agreements signed in the 1990s. Zahhar, speaking at a conference on the Arab Spring in Gaza City, said Fatah's security coordination had delayed the implementation of an agreement signed by the rival factions last May.

»

Hamas Security Forces Attack Journalists in Gaza City
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 9, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Hamas security forces attacked three journalists covering a mass wedding in Gaza City on Thursday, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said Friday. Security forces beat the reporters in a nearby playground, it said. The journalists were covering a mass wedding of 500 couples, funded by a charitable organization and in coordination with Hamas. Local media identified the journalists as Muhammad Masharawi, a reporter for Sky News, and Adnan al-Barsh of the BBC. Another journalist, Amer Abu Omar, was assaulted in the incident, witnesses said.

»

Israel Investigates Killing of a Palestinian in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
March 9, 2012 - 1:00am

Zakariya Abu Eram, who was 17, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian town of Yatta, south of Hebron. The Israeli military said he was accompanying a man who stabbed a soldier with a knife. Local witnesses said he was an onlooker and not involved in the attack. An 18-year-old Palestinian was also injured. It is understood that Israeli soldiers were in Yatta to arrest a former prisoner, Khaled Makhamreh.

»

Palestinian Elections Delayed by Hamas-Fatah Bickering
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - March 9, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH // Palestinians will not hold presidential and parliamentary elections in May because of disagreements between the two main political factions, a Palestinian elections official said this week. The gridlocked Hamas-Fatah reconciliation has made it impossible for the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC) to hold elections on May 4, the date originally set by the groups, said the Ramallah-based organisation's chief electoral officer, Hisham Kuhail.

»

PA Steps Up Security Measures at Joseph’s Tomb
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel News
by Akiva Novick - March 8, 2012 - 1:00am

The Palestinian Authority has stepped up its fight against Breslov Hassidim's attempts to access Joseph's Tomb in Nablus without permission, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday. Breslovers often try to enter the compound at night, sans authorization or coordination with the IDF and the Palestinian security forces. Such past incidents have caused clashes between the hassidim and Palestinian troops, with one tragic clash ending in the death of Breslover Ben-Yosef Livnat.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017