Egypt's holy war against Sinai jihadists leaves many questions unanswered
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - (Opinion) September 4, 2012 - 12:00am


In contrast to the sloppy-looking Egyptian soldiers we saw here three weeks ago, the troops we encountered on Monday of last week at a fortified position close to the Kerem Shalom crossing seemed to be from a different unit. They wore helmets and protective vests and held their Kalashnikov rifles at the ready. They bore no resemblance to the Egyptian border police who were here until a few days after the August 5 attack on an Egyptian outpost which left 17 of their troops dead.


When It Pays to Talk to Terrorists
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Paul Thomas Chamberlin - (Opinion) September 3, 2012 - 12:00am


Tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Munich massacre in which Palestinian militants killed 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team. For many Westerners, the incident was the most chilling example of international terrorism before 9/11.


Palestinian Refugees From Syria Face Harsh Conditions in Jordan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Hayat
by Tamer Samadi - September 3, 2012 - 12:00am


High-level Jordanian official sources expressed their concern to Al-Hayat over the massive displacement of Palestinian refugees from Syria. In parallel, Jordanian relief sources revealed that some 200 Palestinian refugees with Syrian identification documents have fled the isolated camp in the border town of al-Ramtha in northern Jordan.


Egyptian Jihadist Leader Claims Palestinians Behind Rafah Attack
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Masry Al-Youm
by Ahmad Abou Darah, Ayman Abou Zeid, Mohamad Behrawi - September 3, 2012 - 12:00am


A high-ranking military source revealed to Al-Masry Al-Youm that the investigation of Jihadist leader Hamada Abou Shita, who was arrested in the Sinai on Friday evening (August 30), has led to the discovery of important details concerning the identity of the perpetrators of the terrorist attack in Rafah in early August.


Arafat's widow has unclear motives
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - August 30, 2012 - 12:00am


After her husband, the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, died in 2004 in a Paris military hospital, she refused to allow outside examination of his medical records or permit an autopsy. Her refusal compounded the mystery surrounding Arafat's death and fuelled rumours of stonewalling, Israeli plots and cover-ups.


Israel accused of pillaging Dead Sea resources in occupied territory
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - September 2, 2012 - 12:00am


Israel is "pillaging" the natural resources of the Dead Sea which lie in occupied Palestinian territory in violation of international law, a report which singles out the cosmetics firm Ahava for criticism. According to the Palestinian human rights organisation al-Haq, the "appropriation and exploitation of Palestinian land and natural resources in the occupied Dead Sea area by Israeli settlers and companies … meet the requirements of the crime of pillage".


New Internet Censorship in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Omar Ghraieb - September 3, 2012 - 12:00am


Many Gazans have long lamented that there’s not much to do in the Gaza Strip. There are no movie theaters, pool halls or bowling alleys -- all of which are seen as “un-Islamic.” And it’s not getting any better. In fact, now, curbs are being extended further – to the Internet. The Islamist Hamas movement that rules Gaza issued a new law this week that forces Gaza’s ten main internet providers to block all access to any websites with pornographic content.


Palestinians, settlers forced to share Ras al-Amud home
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Noam Dvir - September 3, 2012 - 12:00am


Israeli settlers began moving into part of a home in east Jerusalem on Sunday, as police officers enforced a court order requiring the Palestinian family living there to vacate part of it.


Witnesses: Palestinian camp in Syria shelled, killing 2
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
September 4, 2012 - 12:00am


Two Palestinian refugees were reported killed and a third seriously injured in Al-Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria on Monday morning, according to witness accounts. Palestinians in the camp said a barrage of shells hit a home in the al-Hajar al-Aswad neighborhood of al-Yarmouk, in Damascus. The casualties were identified as Fadi al-Thahir and his wife Rawaa Muhammad Saadi, refugees who originally come from Tiberias. The couple’s four-year-old son was also seriously injured, according to al-Yarmouk News, a Facebook page reporting on events in the camp.


New divorce legislation passed in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
September 4, 2012 - 12:00am


Women who have not had sex with their husbands will be able to ask for a divorce under new legislation that came into effect on Monday, the head of Islamic courts in the Palestinian Authority said. Sheikh Yousef Ideis announced the implementation of the "bold" new law at a meeting with supreme court judges and the deputy governor of Nablus.



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