February 2nd

WEST BANK: Palestinians not allowed to show solidarity with Egyptians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Maher Abukhater - (Blog) February 1, 2011 - 1:00am

For the mainstream Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and its archrival the Islamist Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since June 2007, the turmoil in Egypt is a source of concern. In the West Bank, the pro-West Palestinian Authority refused to give permission for Palestinians wishing to hold protests in support of the Egyptian uprising.

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Dilemma of pro-Israel groups: To talk Egypt or not
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - February 1, 2011 - 1:00am

As Egypt convulses, pro-Israel groups and U.S. Congress members are seized by the ancient maternal dilemma: If you have nothing nice to say, should you say anything at all? The question of whether to stake a claim in the protests against 30 years of President Hosni Mubarak’s autocracy is a key one for the pro-Israel lobby and pro-Israel lawmakers because of the role they have played in making Egypt one of the greatest beneficiaries of U.S. aid.

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The Real 'Palestine Papers' Scandal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal
by Michael Weiss - (Editorial) February 1, 2011 - 1:00am

Last week Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera and Britain's Guardian newspaper released a tranche of 1,600 documents that appear to consist of Palestinian negotiators' emails and meeting minutes covering the past 10 years of manic-depressive Arab-Israeli peace negotiations.

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Guyana recognises Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Caribbean News Now!
by Ray Chickrie - January 14, 2011 - 1:00am

Guyana has declared official recognition of a Palestinian State within the 1967 borders. In a news release, the Foreign Ministry said, “It is Guyana's hope that the increasing recognition of the state of Palestine will contribute to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the creation of lasting peace and stability in the region.” Guyana since 1975 has been a member of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and in the 1970s severed diplomat ties with Israel.

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Israel, Alone Again?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Yossi Klein Halevi - (Editorial) February 1, 2011 - 1:00am

ISRAELIS want to rejoice over the outbreak of protests in Egypt’s city squares. They want to believe that this is the Arab world’s 1989 moment. Perhaps, they say, the poisonous reflex of blaming the Jewish state for the Middle East’s ills will be replaced by an honest self-assessment.

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B.E., Before Egypt. A.E., After Egypt.
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Thomas L. Friedman - (Editorial) February 1, 2011 - 1:00am

I’m meeting a retired Israeli general at a Tel Aviv hotel. As I take my seat, he begins the conversation with: “Well, everything we thought for the last 30 years is no longer relevant.”

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February 1st

Ziad Asali applauds the Arab citizen standing up for his dignity and says that as Egypt goes, so will most of the rest of the Arab world. The New York Times hosts a debate on Pres. Mubarak’s role in the peace process. Palestinian groups and media are largely silent on events in Egypt. Roger Cohen says the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is no longer an excuse for lack of Arab reform. Israel approves the first military deployment in Sinai since 1979. Israelis wonder if the US position on Egypt is a warning to Israel. The PA accuses Hamas of selling donated medicine, and says Israel’s destruction of water resources must stop. The PA says it will hold local elections as soon as possible. Two rockets fired from Gaza land in Israel. Palestinian citizens of Israel use dance in quest for tolerance. Israel denies sending riot control equipment to Egypt. Janan Abdu says her husband and other Palestinian prisoners are being abused by Israel. The Chronicle of Higher Education profiles Sari Nusseibeh.

The Arab Citizen Stands Up for His Dignity
In Print by Ziad Asali - The Huffington Post (Blog) - February 1, 2011 - 1:00am

The Arab youth have lost their fear, and marched in defiance of their leadership in search of bread, freedom and dignity. They have forged new political realities that are fraught with possibilities and promise as well as dangers and peril. One thing is clear-the status quo has come to an end. Arab unity, long proclaimed dead and buried, has reemerged in a political contagion which is spreading among the Arabs whose regimes (with the exception of the Gulf) are twisting in the winds.

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The Arab citizen stands up for his dignity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Ziad Asali - (Blog) February 1, 2011 - 1:00am

The Arab youth have lost their fear, and marched in defiance of their leadership in search of bread, freedom and dignity. They have forged new political realities that are fraught with possibilities and promise as well as dangers and peril. One thing is clear-the status quo has come to an end. Arab unity, long proclaimed dead and buried, has re-emerged in a political contagion which is spreading among the Arabs whose regimes (with the exception of the Gulf) are twisting in the winds.

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PA: Israeli destruction of water resources must stop
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 1, 2011 - 1:00am

Israel has "intensified its campaign of targeting Palestinian water cisterns for destruction," Minister of the Palestinian Water Authority Shaddad Attili said Tuesday, condemning the acts. Speaking on the 10th anniversary of the Israeli-Palestinian Joint Water Committee's 'Declaration for Keeping the Water Infrastructure out of the Cycle of Violence,' Attili accused Israel of using water to target Palestinian communities in vulnerable areas and force their departure.

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