Palestinians mark Naksa Day
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 5, 2012 - 12:00am

Hundreds of Palestinians on Tuesday rallied in Gaza City to mark the anniversary of a 1967 Mideast war in which Israel defeated five Arab armies and seized the occupied territories. Palestinians mark the Naksa, or 1967 setback, each year on June 5 with large rallies across the occupied territories. Israel seized the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in the war.

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A Saturday of terror for Palestinians in the shadow of the settlers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - (Opinion) June 5, 2012 - 12:00am

It's a strange state of affairs when the Israeli army is the lesser evil.


Palestinian Banks Reach 'The Red Line'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Calcalist
by Danny Rubenstein - June 5, 2012 - 12:00am

The Palestine Monetary Authority Governor, Dr Jihad Al Wazir, warns against escalation of the financial crisis plaguing the Palestinian Authority. In an interview with the Israeli daily business newspaper Calcalist, Al Wazir says that the regional and global situation portends further deterioration. He cautions that "the financial crisis the Palestinian government is experiencing may worsen even further if Arab States fail to transfer the promised [aid] funds.

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Optimism reigns in most notorious refugee camp
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Mirella Hodeib, Mohammed Zaatari - June 4, 2012 - 12:00am

A peculiar, indiscernible smell reigns in the Middle East’s most notorious Palestinian refugee camp: the odor of deep sorrow mixed with devastating poverty. But the residents of Ain al-Hilweh are known for a rare kind of optimism and a smile that never abandons their faces. Wearing the typical Palestinian outfit, a linen abaya and the legendary keffiyeh on the head, Hajj Abu Mahmoud laments the camp’s deplorable situation, which he blames on the dominant factions. “The situation in Lebanon now is no better,” he adds.

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Palestinian Authority cracks down in West Bank town
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Noah Browning, Ali Sawafta - June 4, 2012 - 12:00am

In the narrow streets of the Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin and the scruffy villages beyond, masked special forces bundle suspects into civilian cars with grim regularity, whisking them away to faraway Jericho prison. The near-nightly crackle of gunfire, sometimes from drive-by shootings against police stations, has accompanied a crime wave in the northern city of Jenin, once a hub of militants and suicide attackers who struck into nearby Israel.

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The future Jewish citizens of Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) June 4, 2012 - 12:00am

There are three possible solutions for dealing with the issue of settlers in a genuine peace agreement with the Palestinians. Option 1: settlers wishing to do so can be repatriated to the State of Israel proper – within the “green line” borders. Option 2: settlers wishing to remain in Judea or Samaria rather than returning to the borders inside of the “green line” can remain or resettle in those areas that will be annexed to the State of Israel by agreement with the Palestinians.

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Palestinian Athlete Heads to the Olympics, Makes History
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'ariv
by Yossi Eli, Rimon Margia - June 4, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian sports just made history: 28-year-old Maher Abu Ramila from Jerusalem’s Old City, met the Olympic qualifications and earned a trip to compete in the 2012 London Olympic games next month. Thus he has become the first Palestinian athlete to compete in the games on his own merit, and not as a “solidarity gesture” — awarded by the Olympic committee as a mark of identification.

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Where did the PA’s money go?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Barry Rubin - (Opinion) June 3, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad says that his regime is short of funds. And meanwhile a reader asks me: “Can you please explain to me why 20 years after Oslo and billions in dollars in foreign aid, the Palestinian Authority still has not built modern hospitals? Or rather, why do the donor countries pour money down the PA drain without expecting even some face-saving results?” Good question. Short answer: Swiss bank accounts.

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IDF investigation finds settler youth tied up, beat injured Palestinian
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
June 3, 2012 - 12:00am

Jewish youth from the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar tied up and beat a Palestinian man shot by the settlement's emergency response team, an Israeli military investigation found.  The weapons of the emergency response team were confiscated by the military after the incident, according to reports.

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Abbas committee declares largest Palestinian workers union illegal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 31, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A committee set up by President Mahmoud Abbas has found the union of public sector employees has no legal standing, six years after it first started representing government workers. The committee report, of which Ma'an obtained a copy, concludes: "There is no legal body or organized legal framework for the so-called 'public sector workers union'."

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