Israel's eased blockade 'still crippling' Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News
by Jon Donnison - November 29, 2010 - 1:00am

That is the verdict of a new report by aid agencies and rights groups working inside the Palestinian territory. A ban on most exports from Gaza is "crippling" the economy, they say. The report, "Dashed Hopes: Continuation of the Gaza Blockade", was compiled by 21 different groups, including Oxfam, Amnesty and Save the Children. "Only a fraction of the aid needed has made it to the civilians trapped in Gaza by the blockade," said Jeremy Hobbs, Director of Oxfam International.

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Leaked cable: Israel consulted PA prior to Gaza war
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by Jared Malsin - November 28, 2010 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israel approached the PA and Egypt about potentially assuming control of the Gaza Strip following a theoretical "defeat" of Hamas before Israel's winter war on Gaza, a leaked US diplomatic cable revealed Sunday. Made public by The New York Times, the document is a report on a conversation between US Senator Bob Casey, Representative Gary Ackerman, and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak from June 2009.

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Blair: Israel must do more to ease Gaza blockade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Karin Laub - November 28, 2010 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH, WEST BANK — Israel needs to do more to ease its blockade of Gaza and allow exports from the Hamas-ruled territory, international Mideast envoy Tony Blair said in an interview Sunday, after meeting with the Israeli prime minister. The former British prime minister told the Associated Press that he hopes to see progress soon, noting that exports are crucial for reviving Gaza's battered economy. "There has been significant change in Gaza, but not nearly as much as we need," he said.

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Israeli fire wounds four Gazans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
November 28, 2010 - 1:00am

GAZA, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army on Sunday shot and wounded four Palestinians who were digging for gravel in northern Gaza Strip, a medical official said. Adham Abu Selmia of the medical services said that the four workers were moderately injured. A spokesman of the Israeli army said that the four approached the security fence that separates Israel and Gaza. The shooting took place near Erez crossing point and the Israeli authorities shut the passengers' gate briefly.

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The enemy within: life under Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald MacIntyre - November 28, 2010 - 1:00am

He seemed to come from nowhere, walking at a fast pace across the junction where we were parked in the heart of the crowded refugee camp. Alerted to the registration number of our taxi, he opened a back door and slipped into the rear seat. "Let's get out of here," he said. "There are eyes everywhere."

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IDF generals, not just soldiers, must answer questions on human shields
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - November 24, 2010 - 1:00am

The Givati Brigade soldiers who were tried and convicted of risking the life of a non-combatant Palestinian child are entitled to feel like victims. But why shouldn't they feel patriotic pride? Their conviction essentially handed the post of chief of staff to Yoav Galant and bestowed legal immunity on political figures, in particular Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak.

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Gaza boy used as human shield: I'll always remember
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by Jared Malsin - November 23, 2010 - 1:00am

Majid Rabah, 11, says he will always remember the "black day" that Israeli soldiers ordered him to open bags they thought were rigged with explosives. "Every moment I remember what happened," he said in his home in Gaza City's Tel Al-Hawwa neighborhood Tuesday. An Israeli military court gave a suspended sentence and a demotion Sunday to the two soldiers who used Majid as a human shield, in a ruling he and his family said did not do justice to the trauma.

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Gaza’s blockade silences women voice
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Lakhdar Brahimi, Mary Robinson - (Analysis) November 23, 2010 - 1:00am

We have just visited Gaza Strip where we met many courageous people trying to live relatively normal lives despite the crippling effects of the illegal Israeli blockade. The blockade was imposed to punish the Hamas-led government, but it is women and children who are paying the highest price. In our conversations with a range of women, we learned that despite the apparent “easing” of restrictions by Israel and Egypt, important socio-economic indicators such as poverty, malnutrition, unemployment and family violence are getting worse.

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PNA slams Israel for "soft" verdict on soldiers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
November 21, 2010 - 1:00am

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Sunday slammed Israel for handing down "soft" sentences against two soldiers accused of using a child as a human shield during the Gaza war. "Israel deliberately go easy with its soldiers who commit international law's violations against the Palestinian civilians," said Ghassan Al-Khatib, spokesman for the PNA. The two soldiers forced a nine-year-old boy to open a bag believed to have contained bombs. The incident happened during Israel's ground operation in January 2009 which followed a week of intensive airstrikes on Gaza.

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Israeli troops demoted over Gaza 'human shield' boy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News
November 21, 2010 - 1:00am

Two Israeli soldiers convicted of using a Palestinian child as a human shield during an offensive in Gaza in 2009 have received suspended sentences and been demoted. The soldiers had forced the nine-year-old boy to open suspected booby-trapped bags at gunpoint. It occurred during Israel's three-week conflict with Hamas, which rules Gaza. It was reportedly the first such conviction in Israel, where the use of civilians as human shields is banned. An Israeli army spokeswoman said the pair will be on probation for two years, AFP news agency reported.

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