Erekat: Israel must choose - peace or settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - June 22, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel must choose between peace and settlements and release Palestinian prisoners, Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat was quoted Thursday as saying.

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Shimon Peres says: Two states for two peoples
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Los Angeles Times
by Shimon Peres - (Opinion) June 20, 2012 - 12:00am

The Middle East is ailing. The malady stems from pervasive violence, shortages of food, water and educational opportunities, discrimination against women and — the most virulent cause of all — the absence of freedom. There can be no peace without freedom. Economic growth is impossible without integration in the free global economy. Tragically, this simple logic eludes us in the Middle East.

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Palestine nominates birthplace of Jesus in controversial UNESCO World Heritage bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Colum Lynch - (Opinion) June 19, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestine, recognized last October as the 195th member state by the U.N. Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), recently launched its first initiative as a full-fledged government in the Paris-based agency, nominating the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem and a traditional pilgrimage route to be listed as an endangered site on the World Heritage List.

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Palestine nominates birthplace of Jesus in controversial UNESCO World Heritage bid
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In Foreign Policy - June 19, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestine, recognized last October as the 195th member state by the U.N. Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), recently launched its first initiative as a full-fledged government in the Paris-based agency, nominating the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem and a traditional pilgrimage route to be listed as an endangered site on the World Heritage List.

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Can the Palestinian Tech-Industry Catch Up to Its Neighbors?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Calcalist
by Danny Rubenstein - (Opinion) June 19, 2012 - 12:00am

The name of the Arab portal “Maktoob” is well-known in Palestinian high-tech centers in Ramallah. Two Jordanian entrepreneurs, both from families of Palestinian origin, sold Maktoob two years ago to search engine giant Yahoo for $150 million. Maktoob is the biggest portal in the Arab world. It sees some 17 million surfers every month, and it includes news, computerized services, telecommunications and various technologies.

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Vice premier Ya'alon revealed Netanyahu's true intentions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) June 18, 2012 - 12:00am

If the recent remarks by Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon had been made by MK Aryeh Eldad of National Union or MK Miri Regev of Likud's lunatic wing, we might be able to take a deep breath and hope for the best. But when Ya'alon proposes to Ari Shavit, as he did in Haaretz Magazine over the weekend, that we live another hundred years by the carrot and the stick, our hearts skip a beat.

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Palestinians See Positive Boost From Putin’s Upcoming Visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Arieh O'Sullivan - June 14, 2012 - 12:00am

The Palestinians are hoping for a boost to their diplomatic stature when they host Russian President Vladimir Putin later this month. At a time when the attempts to restart peace negotiations with the Israelis have floundered as each side accuses the other of intransigence, the Palestinians see Putin’s visit as a solid message of support.

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Palestinians' bid for full UN recognition "decisive" despite U.S. threats
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
(Interview) June 13, 2012 - 12:00am

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Tuesday in an interview with Xinhua that the Palestinian bid for the United Nations' full recognition of an independent Palestinian state is "decisive" despite threats and warnings from the United States.

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Israel seeks to block listing church in 'Palestine'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Tovah Lazaroff - June 13, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel is working to block a bid by the Palestinian Authority to register the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem under the country of Palestine, when the World Heritage Committee meets in Russia from June 24 to July 6. Earlier this month the committee announced that the church, as well as the nearby pilgrimage route, is among 36 sites which it plans to debate during that meeting. The debate marks the first time that the committee has considered registering a World Heritage site under Palestine.

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Palestinian inhibition in the walled city of Bethlehem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Leila Sansour - (Opinion) June 12, 2012 - 12:00am

It is 45 years since Israel invaded the West Bank, including my hometown of Bethlehem; practically the whole of my lifetime. I have not known my city under any state except Israeli occupation. A year ago, looking at a photo album of an old friend and neighbor, I became acutely aware of how alien his experience of Middle Eastern geography was to me. In the mid-Fifties, he would spend Saturday nights jitterbugging at the Everest, a restaurant coolly positioned on top of the highest hill in Bethlehem, and, at dawn, would drive to Beirut to continue the party.

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