The Nakba is alive for both Jews and Arabs
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Salman Masalha - (Opinion) May 31, 2012 - 12:00am

Let's set aside for a moment the discourse about human rights and the debate about natural rights, because no salvation will come from them. Moreover, they will never lead to a solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On the contrary, they pour oil on the flames and encourage people to continue wallowing in the mud.

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Palestinians to ask UN to recognize West Bank village as World Heritage site
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - May 30, 2012 - 12:00am

The Palestinian Authority is expected to ask UNESCO on Wednesday to recognize the West Bank village of Batir as a World Heritage site and prevent the construction of the separation fence there. Haaretz has obtained a copy of the request, which seeks to preserve the village's ancient agricultural terraces.


The Right-Wing Israeli Case That the Arab Spring Is Good for Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic
by Zvika Krieger - (Opinion) May 30, 2012 - 12:00am

The conventional wisdom, both here in Israel and abroad, is that the popular movements sweeping across the Arab world are bad news for Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently described the Arab Spring as an "Islamic, anti-Western, anti-liberal, anti-Israeli, and anti-democratic wave," saying that "Israel is facing a period of instability and uncertainty in the region. This is certainly not the time to listen to those who say follow your heart."

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Violence, poverty besets Palestinians in Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Jihan Abdalla - May 30, 2012 - 12:00am

LOD, Israel (Reuters) -- "My friend is on the floor, dying, 11 holes in his body, and I only have 10 fingers," raps Tamer Nafar. "Don't close your eyes, blink if you can hear me." Nafar isn't rapping about violence and crime in urban America, but murders, drugs, guns and gang warfare in his own slum inside Israel.

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Israeli court sentences Palestinian protest leader
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Rawhi Razim - May 29, 2012 - 12:00am

OFER MILITARY BASE, West Bank — An Israeli military court Tuesday sentenced a Palestinian protest leader to 13 months in jail, time he already served for urging youths to throw rocks at Israeli soldiers. Bassem al-Tamimi, 45, walked free because he already spent that much time in jail while awaiting trial. The activist led weekly marches in his West Bank village of Nabi Saleh for years to protest Jewish settlers seizing a nearby well for their own use, mirroring other protests in Palestinian villages.

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PA ministry approves new Tawjihi exam system
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 27, 2012 - 12:00am

The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education has approved a new high school exam system, an official told Ma'an on Friday. Basri Salih, undersecretary for planning and development, said that a simplified system for "Tawjihi" exams has been developed after months of consultations and discussions. The new system was prepared by a commission headed by Salih and submitted to the PA education ministry on April 28. As part of the changes, tenth and eleventh graders will be tested on 12 subjects over a two year period.

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Palestinian Attitudes Toward Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Michael Sharnoff - (Blog) May 24, 2012 - 12:00am

As the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East enter into their second year, how have these unprecedented events impacted Palestinian attitudes toward Israel? Will Palestinians be emboldened to mimic these revolts and collectively decide to embark on another intifada? Will they continue to pursue unilateral efforts to declare statehood in the United Nations? Or will they use a diplomatic approach and reach a negotiated settlement with Israel?

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How the Palestinian Boycotts Can Work
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Ilan Baruch - (Opinion) May 24, 2012 - 12:00am

About a year ago I left the foreign ministry after 36 years of diplomatic work. I left for political reasons: I felt that I could no longer faithfully represent a government striving to achieve political ends that I viewed as unrealistic and immoral, a government intent on abandoning the goal of ending the occupation by coming to an arrangement based on “two states for two nations.”

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Freed Palestinians find Gaza exile a challenge
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
by Sakher Abu El Oun - May 22, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — "Gaza is a big prison, but some prisons are better than others," admits Nihad Abu Kishk, a former detainee from the West Bank who was exiled by Israel to the Gaza Strip. "I feel uprooted and it is difficult to adapt," says the 34-year-old who was sentenced to life in an Israeli prison but freed and sent to Gaza under terms of a prisoner swap deal with Israel late last year.

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Hamas-Run Schools Set Out to Teach ‘the Language of the Enemy’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - May 22, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA — There are few electives in the Hamas-run high schools here. Students can study health and the environment, or they can learn French. And, starting this fall at some schools, they will be able to sign up for a new course called Know Your Enemy.

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