NEWS: Syrian government forces kill at least 25 Palestinian refugees, as PFLP-GC leader Jibril flees the Yarmouk camp outside Damascus. Pres. Abbas calls on waring factions in Syria to avoid attacking Palestinian refugees. PM Fayyad urges Palestinians to boycott Israeli goods in protest of Israel's withholding of Palestinian tax revenues. FM Lieberman resignes after being charged with "breach of trust" and other criminal indictments. Palestinian issues are playing almost no role in the unfolding Israeli election. Two Palestinian journalists working for Reuters are beaten and abused by Israeli soldiers. A Palestinian film wins two awards at the Dubai film festival. Israel allows a small shipment of agricultural products to be exported from Gaza. The Emir of Qatar may visit the occupied West Bank and meet with Abbas soon. Abbas sends condolences to Pres. Obama on the massacre at a school in Connecticut. Israeli occupation forces kill a Palestinian man in southern Gaza. Hamas resumes a public presence in the West Bank. A Palestinian official criticizes the Middle East Quartet and its representative Tony Blair as "useless." COMMENTARY: Qantara interviews Sari Nusseibeh. Aner Shalev says a vote for PM Netanyahu amounts to a vote for Hamas. Chris McGreal says the new potential for Palestinian action on Israeli settlement activity at the ICC could help re-start peace talks. The Forward looks at a new theatrical production by Miriam Said and Vanessa Redgrave. Nermeen Murad says it may be time to start looking more carefully at a potential confederation between Jordan and Palestine. Omar Wehbeh looks at the security plight of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

Palestinians in Lebanon Camps Victims of Corrupt Security
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
(Opinion) December 11, 2012 - 1:00am


 


Confederation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Nermeen Murad - (Opinion) December 16, 2012 - 1:00am


 


The World That Mariam Said Loved
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
(Theater Review) December 15, 2012 - 1:00am


  Imagine that, instead of a Middle East ruled by tyrants, riddled with militants and ruined by war, the region was a model of cosmopolitan tolerance and sophistication, where people of all creeds and faiths live in harmony.


International criminal court is a lever for Palestinians on Israeli settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Chris McGreal - (Opinion) December 15, 2012 - 1:00am


 


If you vote Bibi, you vote Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Aner Shalev - (Opinion) December 16, 2012 - 1:00am


  Benjamin Netanyahu needs Hamas. He needs Hamas desperately. If there were no Hamas, Netanyahu would have to invent it. He desperately needs a strong Hamas in order to avoid a peace process, and he is doing everything he can to strengthen Hamas. Even his military actions, which appear to hurt Hamas, actually serve its long-term interests.


A Virtual State Called Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from
by Sari Nusselbeh - (Interview) December 17, 2012 - 1:00am


 


'Useless, useless, useless': the Palestinian verdict on Tony Blair
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Matthew Kalman - December 16, 2012 - 1:00am


  Palestinian officials say Tony Blair shouldn't take it personally, but he should pack up his desk at the Office of the Quartet Representative in Jerusalem and go home. They say his job, and the body he represents, are "useless, useless, useless".


West Bank welcomes Hamas back with excitement - and apprehension
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - December 14, 2012 - 1:00am


 


Witnesses: Palestinian shot by forces near Gaza border
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
December 16, 2012 - 1:00am


A Palestinian man was shot in the chest by Israeli forces near the Gaza border on Sunday, witnesses said. An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was not aware of the incident, which took place near al-Qarara town in south Gaza. Locals told Ma'an a man in his 20s suffered a bullet wound after Israeli forces opened fire near the al-Sureij gate on the border. Israeli troops have fired several times across the border since a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas went into effect in November.



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