Palestinians rescue 2 Israelis who accidentally enter West Bank village
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

The Palestinian security organizations have removed two Israeli citizens who accidentally entered the village of Dura, west of Hebron. The two were handed over to the Israel Police through the Civil Administration. The Israel Defense Forces stresses that Israelis are not allowed to enter Area A, and should refrain from entering Area B, which is considered dangerous. (Hanan Greenberg)


Israeli air strike on Gaza tunnels wounds three
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

GAZA, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Israeli warplanes attacked two smuggling tunnels along the Gaza Strip border with Egypt on Wednesday, wounding three tunnellers, Palestinian medical sources and the Israeli army said.   An Israeli army spokeswoman said the attack came in response to a rocket fired by Gaza militants into southern Israel late on Tuesday. It landed in an open field causing no casualties, the army said.

»

Restricted: Visas Good for West Bank Only
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - October 10, 2009 - 12:00am

Omar Rahman was on his way from America to a friend’s wedding in Jerusalem. The 25-year-old journalist, born and raised in Washington to parents of Palestinian descent, had visited the West Bank and Israel many times before, and although he was used to the four-hour wait at the border crossing, he had never encountered any problems. But last July, when Rahman went through the Allenby Bridge border crossing between Jordan and the Israeli-controlled West Bank, the Israeli officer put a new stamp on Rahman’s American passport, restricting his visit to only the West Bank.

»

Hamas Finds Gaza Tunnels’ $500 Million Loss Worse Than Madoff
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg
by Jonathan Ferziger - October 7, 2009 - 12:00am

Oct. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Investment opportunities are rare in the Gaza Strip. So when Nabila Ghabin saw one last year, she pawned her car and jewelry and put $12,000 into a network of tunnels that brought in supplies smuggled from Egypt. She was one of about 4,000 Gazans who gave cash to middlemen and tunnel operators in 2008 as Israel blocked the overland passage of goods. Then Israeli warplanes bombed the tunnels before and during the Dec. 27 to Jan. 18 Gaza offensive and the investments collapsed.

»

Israel restricting Arab Americans' travel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Barbara Ferguson - October 6, 2009 - 12:00am

Arab Americans have reported difficulties in travel since Israel instituted a new entry visa policy early this spring that restricts them from entering Israel from the West Bank. The new passport stamp, issued by the Israelis at entry points, such as the Allenby Bridge border crossing between Jordan and the Israeli-controlled West Bank, says: "Palestinian Authority Only." According to the new policy, those entering with the stated intention to visit the West Bank are being prohibited from crossing the "Green Line" into Israel.

»

Two die in smuggling tunnels after airstrike
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
September 30, 2009 - 12:00am

Two Palestinians died as a result of a gas leak inside a smuggling tunnel along Gaza’s border with Egypt in the city of Rafah, medics said on Wednesday. Medicals at Abu Yousef An-Najjar Hospital in Rafah said Muhammad Jalal Abu Sef, 45, and Riziq Al-Masri, 28, were dead when they arrived. Thirteen others were injured as a result of the gas leak, which occurred after Israeli warplanes bombed the tunnels. It was not immediately clear if the gas leak was a direct result of the airstrikes.

»

For Palestinian Refugees, Dream of Returning Home Remains
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Voice of America
by Sonja Pace - September 30, 2009 - 12:00am

Two states side by side, two homelands for two peoples - those are the broadly accepted tenets for an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a cornerstone for peace in the Middle East. Many hurdles lie ahead, not least of which is the claim to land. For Palestinians, that means the right of return for more than four million people - those who fled or were driven from their homes at Israel's founding in 1948 and their descendants.

»

Israel blocks rights groups from advocating for Gazans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - September 24, 2009 - 12:00am

While the Israeli army's crossings into Gaza have gone into near-lockdown mode since Hamas wrested control of the coastal strip more than two years ago, Israeli human rights organizations have regularly stepped in to intervene, with some success. That is, until last week. On Sunday, a group of the most active human rights groups here were informed that the government-run body that controls access to and from Gaza will no longer deal with them.

»

Israeli troops kill Jerusalem man near settlement checkpoint
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
September 22, 2009 - 12:00am

Israeli troops shot and killed a Jerusalem resident at the Betar Illit-area military checkpoint west of Bethlehem on Tuesday morning. The Palestinian, identified as 27-year-old Walid Rabi At-Tawil, allegedly refused to stop his car after being ordered to do so by Israeli forces manning the post. In a statement, the Israeli military said At-Tawil "ignored calls to undergo the required security checks, accelerated towards the soldiers and drove through the crossing." It said soldiers chased after the vehicle, which they said they found it at a nearby gas station.

»

IDF to raze 100 roadblocks across West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Anshel Pfeffer - September 16, 2009 - 12:00am

The Israel Defense Forces began razing about 100 "dirt mound" roadblocks from the entrances to Palestinian villages across the West Bank on Wednesday, as part of an ongoing effort to improve life for Palestinians. The roadblocks had been erected at the start of the second intifada, as Israel was struggling to defend itself against a wave of Palestinian suicide terror attacks.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017