Palestine's Peaceful Struggle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Nation
by Mohammed Khatib - (Opinion) September 11, 2009 - 12:00am

A few weeks ago, in the dead of night, dozens of Israeli soldiers with painted faces burst violently into my home. If only they had knocked, I would have opened the door. They arrested me. My wife, Lamia, was left alone with our four children. My youngest, 3-year-old Khaled, woke up to the image of Israeli soldiers with painted faces who were taking his father away. He has not stopped crying since. A few nights ago he woke up in terror, sobbing: "Daddy, why did you let the soldiers take me?" That's the way our children sleep--in a constant state of fear.

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Israeli soldiers raid West Bank towns, seizing five Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

Israeli forces raided several Palestinians communities and seized five people in the West Bank on Wednesday night, Palestinian and Israeli sources said. In the Jenin area in the northern West Bank, Israeli forces detained three young men. According to Palestinian security sources, Israeli forces raided several houses in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin and seized Aybak Allam Abu Ali, 20. In neighboring Birqin village, Israeli soldiers detained Muhammad Basem Khalouf, 19, during a raid on his house, the security sources said.

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Outcry over violence in Israel ignoring occupation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - September 2, 2009 - 12:00am

The most amazing thing about the wave of murders in recent weeks has been the collective Israeli stupefaction at the discovery of violence in our midst. Once again we have displayed our talent for excluding from the discourse the daily violence inherent in our continued domination over the Palestinians and their land.

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IDF cuts down West Bank raids for fear U.S. diplomats will see
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Anshel Pfeffer - September 1, 2009 - 12:00am

The Israel Defense Forces has canceled a number of planned arrest operations in the West Bank fearing soldiers will be seen by American diplomats touring the territories. IDF officers serving with their units in the West Bank said they were instructed by brigade commanders in recent weeks to call off the planned arrests of wanted men inside Palestinian towns, because of these diplomats' presence.

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Israel weighs confiscation of more Palestinian land
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - July 21, 2009 - 12:00am

The government is considering confiscating privately-owned Palestinian land near the West Bank settlement of Ofra, contrary to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pledge during his Bar-Ilan speech not to take such actions. This announcement was made by the state prosecutor, in response to a High Court petition filed by a resident of the West Bank town Ein Yabrud and the human rights association Yesh Din. The parties were seeking the demolition of a sewage treatment plant built illegally on the town's land by the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council.

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Israel phone firm's West Bank wall gag fails to amuse
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Allyn Fisher-Ilan - July 12, 2009 - 12:00am

A television advert for an Israeli cellphone firm showing soldiers playing soccer over the West Bank barrier has sparked cries of bad taste and prompted Arab lawmakers on Sunday to demand it be taken off air. The jaunty commercial for Israel's biggest mobile phone company Cellcom makes light of Palestinian suffering and shows how far Israelis fail to understand their neighbors, critics said. The company stood by the ad, however.

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Israel Removes West Bank Checkpoints
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Matthew Kalman - July 10, 2009 - 12:00am

Israeli officials say they have removed more than 140 security obstacles in the West Bank over the past year, enabling Palestinians to move more freely between towns and helping to boost the local economy. But the United Nations says that more than 600 checkpoints, roadblocks, gates and earth mounds still remain, blocking off short-cuts and causing long delays. Permanent checkpoints have been removed from Qalqilyah, Jericho, Nablus and Ramallah, reducing travel times throughout the northern West Bank and speeding up the movement of food and other goods.

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Israel to extend hours of key Jordan crossing
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
July 8, 2009 - 12:00am

Israel on Wednesday said it would increase the operating hours of the key Allenby border crossing with Jordan in a move aimed at boosting the Palestinian economy. At a cabinet committee charged with improving the West Bank economy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the extension of hours of operation of Allenby for the transport of goods, his office said in a statement. "Until now the crossing was open until eight in the evening," a spokesman for the prime minister said. "It will now be open until midnight, with the option to extend operations to 24 hours according to need."

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Israeli troops wound four Palestinians in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
July 2, 2009 - 12:00am

Israeli soldiers shot and wounded four Palestinian youths on Wednesday while firing at protesters throwing stones at Israeli civilian vehicles, an Israeli military spokesman and medics said. Two of the wounded were in serious condition in an Israeli hospital, and two others were listed as moderate in a Palestinian hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus, an Israeli military source and Palestinian medical officials said. A Palestinian official said all those who were shot were boys younger than 16. The Israeli spokesman had no details on their identities.

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Israel army to curtail operations in four West Bank cities
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Adam Entous - June 25, 2009 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said on Thursday it would curtail its military activities in four West Bank cities to help a U.S.-backed move to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The announcement, that will give Palestinian security forces a free hand to operate in the cities, coincided with efforts by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ease tensions with U.S. President Barack Obama over stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians.

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