August 9th

Occupation, Not 'Culture,' Holds Back Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Sari Bashi - (Opinion) August 9, 2012 - 12:00am As a Jew of Iraqi descent living in Israel, I was taught to take prideful note of the role that my ethnic group played in building the country. ”You see that bridge?” my uncle would ask me as we watched footage of a Tel Aviv sports event. “An Iraqi Jew built it.” And when the TV switched to a commercial for an appliance company, my uncle, who left Baghdad in 1943 at the age of 16, would say: “The owner of that company is Iraqi. Do you see how he built it from nothing?” » Read more

Nearly sisters: Arab and Israeli women's common challenges ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Khaled Diab - (Opinion) August 9, 2012 - 12:00am A photo of a presumed Israeli soldier exercising her right to bare arms – and legs and midriff – with a machine gun slung casually over her shoulder has gone viral. » Read more

Torture under occupation: Destiny or a surmountable obstacle? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Louis Frankentaler - (Opinion) August 6, 2012 - 12:00am It remains clear to even the most forgiving observer of Israeli behavior that the occupation involves the routine violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law including torture and ill treatment. » Read more

U.S. pushing Palestinians to delay U.N. bid until after elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star August 9, 2012 - 12:00am Washington is pressing the Palestinian leadership to delay a fresh bid to seek upgraded U.N. status until after the U.S. elections, a senior Palestinian official said Wednesday. “There are pressures from the United States and some Arab parties to delay the voting until after the United States presidential elections, due in November,” Palestinian Liberation Organization Executive Committee member Saleh Raafat told Voice of Palestine radio. » Read more

Hamas rejects holding parliamentary elections in West Bank only ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua August 8, 2012 - 12:00am Islamic Hamas movement on Wednesday rejected a proposal of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to hold the Palestinian legislative council elections in the West Bank only. Salah al-Bardaweel, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza, told Xinhua that any elections that are not held in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip "would devote to internal division and is against our national interests." » Read more

EU: We expect Israel to cancel demolition orders for Palestinian villages in Area C of West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - August 9, 2012 - 12:00am The European Union is searching for new ways to express its opposition to Israeli policy in Area C of the West Bank, regions under Israeli security and civil control. The EU's fundamental stance, opposing the non-development of the area for Palestinians, was underscored in conclusions forged by the EU's foreign affairs council during a meeting on May 14. Since that meeting, EU officials have discussed ways of translating this position into policy action. » Read more

Fayyad raps Israeli plan to evict Palestinian shepherds ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Jihan Abdalla - August 9, 2012 - 12:00am An Israeli plan to evict 12 shepherd communities in the occupied West Bank to make way for army training zones was condemned by the Palestinian Authority premier on Wednesday as a move to depopulate Palestinian areas. Israel has designated the area south of the city of Hebron as a closed military zone and asked for Supreme Court approval to move the residents to the nearby village of Yatta, where the Israeli Defense Ministry claims many of them have permanent homes. » Read more

Official: bullet hits Palestinian premier's office ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - August 8, 2012 - 12:00am A Palestinian government official says shots have been fired at the office of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. No one was hurt. The official says Fayyad was not in his office at sundown Wednesday when at least one bullet hit a building in his government compound. The official says guards told him they heard several shots being fired in the air. It was not clear whether the shots were fired by gunmen on foot or in a car. The assailants escaped. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the incident with reporters. » Read more

Official: bullet hits Palestinian premier's office ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - August 8, 2012 - 12:00am A Palestinian government official says shots have been fired at the office of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. No one was hurt. The official says Fayyad was not in his office at sundown Wednesday when at least one bullet hit a building in his government compound. The official says guards told him they heard several shots being fired in the air. It was not clear whether the shots were fired by gunmen on foot or in a car. The assailants escaped. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the incident with reporters. » Read more

Swiss lab wants guarantee in Arafat inquiry ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Noah Browning - August 9, 2012 - 12:00am A Swiss laboratory will help investigate the unexplained 2004 death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat only if it receives guarantees its findings will not be used for political purposes, a spokesman for the lab said on Wednesday. A committee looking into the Palestinian president's death has asked the Swiss Radiophysics Institute, which found traces of a deadly polonium isotope on Arafat's clothing provided by his widow for a recent Al Jazeera television documentary, to examine his remains. » Read more