August 16th

PLO official accuses Syria of crimes against humanity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet August 16, 2011 - 12:00am An assault by Syrian security forces on a Palestinian refugee camp in the coastal city of Latakia amounts to a crime against humanity, a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organisation said. "The shelling is taking place using gunships and tanks on houses built from tin, on people who have no place to run to or even a shelter to hide in," Yasser Abed Rabbo, the PLO secretary general, told Reuters. "This is a crime against humanity." » Read more

Outrage after Palestinian camp attacked in Syria ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 16, 2011 - 12:00am Syrian forces killed three people on Monday a day after gunboats pounded Latakia, forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee a refugee camp in the port city, activists and a UN agency said. The Palestinians condemned Syria over the violence as the UN Relief and Works Agency reported that more than 5,000 refugees had fled Ramel camp in southern Latakia under fire and demanded immediate access to the site. » Read more

Medics: 1 killed, 7 injured as Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 16, 2011 - 12:00am One man was killed and seven others injured as Israeli warplanes struck targets in the central and southern Gaza Strip early Tuesday, Palestinian medical sources and the Israeli army said. Adham Abu Selmiya, spokesman for the Hamas-run emergency services in the Gaza Strip, said the strikes had killed one Palestinian and wounded seven. Several people were injured as Israeli forces fired at a group of people in the Az-Zaitoun neighborhood in Gaza City, Palestinian medical sources said. All of the victims were evacuated to Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. » Read more

Israelis protest costly housing – but not cost of settlements. Why? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - August 12, 2011 - 12:00am Israel yesterday announced new homes in East Jerusalem to ease a housing shortage. But critics argue that the cost of building in contested territory is partially to blame for Israel's economic woes. The Israeli government, facing unprecedented public protests over the soaring cost of housing, yesterday announced it is advancing plans for thousands of new homes in contested East Jerusalem. » Read more

A Recess Destination With Bipartisan Support: Israel and the West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times August 15, 2011 - 12:00am Looking for your member of Congress? Try Jerusalem. More than 80 members of the House are visiting Israel this month as guests of the American Israel Education Foundation, a charity affiliated with the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee. It is the largest number of members of Congress ever to make the trip during a single recess, according to the organizers. The numbers reflect both the size of the freshman Congressional class, which accounts for 47 of the visitors, and the enduring efforts of Israel to court its most friendly ally, the United States Congress. » Read more

Syria orders thousands into stadium in Latakia crackdown ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Borzou Daragahi, Roula Hajjar - August 16, 2011 - 12:00am Syrian security forces seize IDs and cellphones from those gathered at the soccer arena, activists say. Five people are killed, and the U.N. is worried about Palestinian refugees in the area. Syrian security forces cracking down on opposition strongholds in Latakia herded thousands of people into a stadium and took away their identification cards and cellphones, activists said Monday. » Read more

August 15th

Palestinian minister referred to attorney general ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua August 14, 2011 - 12:00am A Palestinian minister was referred to the attorney general Sunday for questioning on corruption charges, a source said. The source, an official at the Palestinian National Authority's anti-corruption commission, said that the consumer protection society filed a suit against Minister of Economy, Hassan Abu Lebda, accusing him of corruption, mismanagement and receiving bribery. This is the first time that a Palestinian minister is referred to prosecution while he is still in office. » Read more

Hamas criticises Fatah over election plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet by Nidal al-Mughrabi - August 14, 2011 - 12:00am Hamas on Sunday accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement of violating a reconciliation agreement by opening voter registration for local elections due to be held in October in the occupied West Bank. Islamist Hamas, which seized the Gaza Strip in a 2007 civil war with Fatah, has described the planned ballot as illegitimate. Fatah is the dominant party in the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank. » Read more

Palestinians gather to call for Assad departure ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 15, 2011 - 12:00am Hundreds of Palestinians streamed into the streets of Ramallah on Sunday evening to demand Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad stand down. The mass demonstration in support of the Syrian people came hours after news broke of Syrian military shelling the port city of Latakia, killing 26. Human rights groups said Palestinians living in a refugee camp in the district of Ramel were among the dead. » Read more

ATFP Urges US Government to Help Curb Proposed Israeli Settlement Expansions Press Release - Contact Information: Ghaith al-Omari - August 15, 2011 - 12:00am Read more