Foreign funds for Hamas hit by Syria unrest-diplomats
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Nidal al-Mughrabi - August 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Iran has cut back or even stopped its funding of Hamas after the Islamist movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, failed to show public support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, diplomats said Sunday. Hamas has denied that it is in financial crisis but says it faces liquidity problems stemming from inconsistent revenues from tax collection in the Gaza Strip and foreign aid.

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Palestinian PM denies U.S. threat to cut aid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
August 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Sunday denied reports that Washington has threatened to cut financial aid if the Palestinians insisted to seek recognition at the United Nations. A statement by Fayyad's office said the Palestinian premier and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed the fiscal crisis the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) were suffering from and that donor nations should meet their financial commitments to the PNA.

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Palestinians only lose with violence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) August 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Thursday’s raid on Israel, by a Palestinian splinter group taking advantage of Egypt’s current inability to police the Sinai Peninsula, was a setback for the cause of Palestinian statehood. The attackers moved south from Gaza to the region of Eilat on the Red Sea by way of Sinai, which has seen increased violence from militant groups since the collapse of the old regime in Egypt. In the Israeli pursuit of the gunmen, five Egyptian border guards were killed. Eight Israelis died in the raids, and seven attackers. Egypt, in protest, planned to recall its ambassador to Israel.

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Israeli light rail finally rolls in Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
August 19, 2011 - 12:00am

The Jerusalem municipality says a long-awaited light rail system is beginning operation after years of delays, inconvenient archaeological finds and political haggling. The train took its first passengers early Friday. The project has been a decade and an estimated $1.4 billion in the making. The unique complexities of Jerusalem repeatedly delayed the project. The discovery of graves drew pressure from Orthodox Jews and forced route adjustments. Archaeologists preparing the ground uncovered ancient bathhouses and a 6th-century monastery.

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The Israeli protest is indifferent to the Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yisrael Harel - (Opinion) August 19, 2011 - 12:00am

Until Barack Obama entered the White House, Abu Mazen (PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas) was obliged, under pressure from the United States and the Quartet, to negotiate with Israel. But his goal was never to reach agreement. This was graphically illustrated in late 2008 by his refusal to accept the most generous set of principles ever proposed by an Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert.

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Palestinians Strike to Seek Historic Agreement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Jillian Kestler-D'Amours - August 19, 2011 - 12:00am

Nestled between rolling hills just outside of Jerusalem, a dozen Palestinian workers have escaped the scorching summer heat in the shade of a makeshift tent, where they anxiously wait to sign what would be the first collective bargaining agreement between Palestinian workers and an Israeli employer.

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Palestinians talk of protest, little sign of action
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet
(Analysis) August 18, 2011 - 12:00am

Calls for Palestinian protests to back a diplomatic push for statehood at the United Nations next month have put Israel on guard; the peace process in deep crisis, some see a violent September, inspired by the Arab Spring. Yet to many, a sustained Intifada, or uprising, appears unlikely, at least for now. To ordinary Palestinians, the significance of U.N. manouvres in New York is hard to fathom, their leaders in the West Bank are wary of violence with Israel and their national movement remains weakened by a deep schism.

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Rights group: Hamas ban on study abroad students 'illegal'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 18, 2011 - 12:00am

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights denounced Wednesday the decision by Hamas to ban Gaza scholarship students from studying in the United States. "PCHR believes that this decision contradicts basic human rights standards, especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," a statement said. The rights group said that the students were banned from traveling for "social and cultural reasons" by the Ministry of Education in the Gaza Strip.

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Cairo talks between Israel, Hamas deadlock
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Elior Levy - August 18, 2011 - 12:00am

A senior Egyptian source said Thursday that the third round of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, meant to facilitate a prisoner exchange deal which would secure the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, have deadlocked. The source, quoted by the London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Hayat, said both sides were "digging in their heels," and that as of Thursday, no date has been set to renew the talks. "Each party is interested in getting the best deal they can. We are still far from the point of saying that the talks have matured into a deal," the source said.

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Former Palestinian power broker fighting for political survival
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - August 18, 2011 - 12:00am

Some view him as a ruthless opportunist, others a convenient scapegoat for his superiors. But one thing is certain: Mohammed Dahlan, once considered the charismatic odds-on-favourite to succeed Yasser Arafat as leader of the Palestinians, is fighting for his political life.

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