Palestinian official condemns Canadian FM's response of suing Israel at ICC
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 7, 2013 - 1:00am

A senior Palestinian official on Thursday condemned remarks by Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird to cut aid if the Palestinians take Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC). "We do not know why Canada is showing all this hostility against us," said Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian peace negotiator. "Those who fear international courts must force Israel to stop its crimes," he said. On Sunday, Baird threatened that there will be consequences in the Canadian-Palestinian relations if a complaint that was filed by Palestinians goes to the ICC.

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Holland to label settlement goods?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Attila Somfalvi - March 7, 2013 - 1:00am

The Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday that it has obtained unofficial information regarding a Dutch directive instructing retail chains in Holland to state the origin of products from settlements.

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Abbas Offers Condolences to Venezuela over Chavez's Death
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Palestine News Network
March 7, 2013 - 1:00am

On Wednesday 7th March, President Mahmoud Abbas mourned the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and offered his condolences to the Venezuelan people and government on behalf of the Palestinians, Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported. Abbas said, in a statement, that the Palestinians had lost a friend who passionately defended their right to freedom.

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Israel denies entry to pro-Palestinian American Jew
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - March 7, 2013 - 1:00am

A Jewish-American pro-Palestinian activist who is married to an Israeli woman was not allowed to enter the country with his pregnant wife. An Israeli court rejected his petition to cancel the order against his entry Tuesday, and he is expected to be put on a plane back to the United States Wednesday night. Adam Shapiro, 41, and his wife Huwaida Arraf, 37, are among the founders of the International Solidarity Movement and have worked on behalf of the Palestinian cause for over a decade. Arraf has both American and Israeli citizenship.

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Sweden upgrades Palestinian diplomatic status
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
March 7, 2013 - 1:00am

Sweden on Wednesday became the ninth European country to upgrade the status of a Palestinian representative office to that of an embassy. Parliament voted by an overwhelming majority to ratify a June 28 agreement between Sweden and Palestine on upgrading the Palestinian Authority’s mission here. The agreement gives the Palestinian Authority’s representation in Sweden “the same privileges, immunities, exemptions and privileges as embassies and their representatives.”

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Why Barack Obama Must Go to Rabin Square
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Liam Hoare - (Opinion) March 7, 2013 - 1:00am

When President Obama’s itinerary for his upcoming Israel trip was leaked to the press, it appeared to be noticeably safe. It is true that Obama will make a number of important gestures during the visit, chief among them laying wreathes in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem, as well as on the graves of Theodor Herzl and Yitzhak Rabin. But over the course of his 48-hour stay, Obama will remain mostly in Jerusalem, leaving only to have coffee with Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and to visit an Iron Dome battery.

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The (Very) Quiet Peace Talks Between Israel and Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New Republic
by Efraim Halevy - (Opinion) March 6, 2013 - 1:00am

The recent news out of the Middle East has been grim. But, if there's an atmosphere of pessimism in the international press, that's because the real story hasn't been earning any attention—intentionally so. We can all read about Hamas's daily maligning of Israel, and its promises to put an end to Jewish sovereignty in the Holy Land, just as we can read about Israeli officials continuing to demand that Hamas recognize the right of Israel (including Jerusalem) to exist, knowing full well that no devout Muslim has ever done so, or can ever do so.

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AIPAC is an awe-inspiring organization, but the right-wing tilt is in its DNA
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chemi Shalev - (Opinion) March 6, 2013 - 1:00am

Regardless of one’s political convictions - whether you believe Israel is warmonger or peace seeker, aggressor or defender, victim or victimizer, hero or villain, sinner or saint – the Annual AIPAC Policy Conference is a sight to be seen, a pageant to behold, a formidable spectacle that cannot be ignored.

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Erdogan Wins Palestinian Hearts and Minds
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Adnan Abu Amer - (Opinion) March 6, 2013 - 1:00am

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan didn't need to declare a connection between Zionism and racism to gain popularity among Palestinians.

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Hamas's ban on women running Gaza marathon is a missed opportunity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Nabila Ramdani - March 6, 2013 - 1:00am

Anyone who takes part in a long-distance run knows there will be plenty of problems to overcome, but the Gaza marathon was always going to be in an endurance class of its own. When I registered for this year's race, my concerns were certainly less about my personal training schedule than about global conflict. The length of the blighted Palestinian territory is slightly shorter than the 26 miles and 385 yards required for an official marathon course, making its densely packed population particularly vulnerable to military action by its neighbour Israel.

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