February 1st, 2011

Israel Denies Sending Egypt Riot Equipment
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
January 31, 2011 - 1:00am

Israel has denied an Al Jazeera report that Egypt had requested Israel to send riot-dispersal gear and that two airplanes had landed in Cairo with the equipment. Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Monday denied both that Egypt had made the request and that Israel had sent the equipment. Some 250,000 protesters gathered Monday in Tahrir Square in Cairo as Egypt entered its seventh day of protests against the government of President Hosni Mubarak.

»

Israel's human rights abuses in the name of security
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Janan Abdu - January 31, 2011 - 1:00am

"Israeli security" is the sacred cow of the Israeli street and ruling establishment. Practically all the manifestations of Israeli racism directed at the state's Palestinian citizens, as well as those living under occupation in the West Bank and Gaza, fall within this elastic slogan. In the name of this slogan, too, Israeli human rights organisations working to expose the practices of the state and army have recently had restrictions placed upon them.

»

Exit the Israel Alibi
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Roger Cohen - (Editorial) January 31, 2011 - 1:00am

One way to measure the immense distance traveled by Arabs over the past month is to note the one big subject they are not talking about: Israel. For too long, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the great diversion, exploited by feckless Arab autocrats to distract impoverished populations. None of these Arab leaders ever bothered to visit the West Bank. That did not stop them embracing the justice of the Palestinian cause even as they trampled on justice at home. Now, Arabs are thinking about their own injustices. With great courage, they are saying “Enough!”

»

Maverick Sari Nusseibeh proposes an interim route to peace in the Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Chronicle of Higher Education
by Haim Watzman - January 30, 2011 - 1:00am

Sari Nusseibeh's socks match these days, he's clean-shaven, and he's a university president rather than an anarchist student or faculty union leader. But his hair, though a bit shorter and a lot grayer than it was in the 1970s and 80s, is still unkempt. Despite his establishment perch and his foothold in East Jerusalem, his head is still in the clouds. It might be the distance between his extremities that makes him the most politically incorrect political activist in Palestinian politics.

»

Palestinian Adversaries Unite, for Now, on Egypt
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Fares Akram, Isabel Kershner - January 31, 2011 - 1:00am

The Hamas rulers of Gaza and the rival Palestinian Authority leadership of the West Bank rarely see eye-to-eye on anything. But with mass protests rocking Egypt, across Gaza’s southern border, the Palestinian adversaries have united in maintaining a cautious silence, hedging their bets given the unpredictability of the outcome and clearly concerned about a possible spread of popular unrest to their areas.

»

Mubarak's Role and Mideast Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
(Opinion) February 1, 2011 - 1:00am

The uprising in Egypt has created turmoil for Israeli and Palestinian leaders, who have their own complicated relationships with the Mubarak regime. For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, President Hosni Mubarak has been his strongest ally in the region. At the same time, Mr. Mubarak has been a firm ally of the Palestinian Authority and a staunch supporter of the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Egypt has also tried to broker reconciliation talks (so far, unsuccessfully) between Fatah, the party governing the West Bank, and Hamas, which controls Gaza.

»

January 31st

Israel expresses anxiety about developments in Egypt. The Gaza-Egypt border is sealed indefinitely, and Gazans worry about a vital lifeline. A senior Fatah official says Pres. Abbas is seriously considering holding elections. A Palestinian citizen of Israel is sentenced to nine years in prison for spying for Hezbollah. A Turkish action film is likely to increase tensions with Israel. Palestinians clash with occupation forces following the funeral of a Palestinian. Four settlers have been arrested on suspicion of involvement. Amira Hass says Egypt notwithstanding, Palestinians have lost their faith in uprisings. Cyprus reportedly recognizes Palestine in its 1967 borders. Herb Keinon says unrest in Egypt will only reinforce PM Netanyahu's core positions on security. The Obama administration may veto a possible UN resolution on Israeli settlement built.

Egypt or not, Palestinians have lost their faith in rising up
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - January 31, 2011 - 1:00am

Over the shelves of lettuce and broccoli (product of Israel ), and the honey, eggs, parsley and coriander (product of Palestine ), the demonstrators on television are no longer the same. The TV set in the vegetable shop in Ramallah is situated opposite the cashier, and the live broadcasts from the streets of Tunis two weeks ago, and from Egypt and Jordan this past week, drew more ratings than the soap operas and religious sermons customers often see playing there.

»

Report: Cyprus recognizes Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
January 31, 2011 - 1:00am

Palestinian news agency claims Abbas received letter from President Christofias saying his country hopes for 'peaceful solution ensuring independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.' Cyprus: Our position hasn't changed since 1988, it coincides with EU's stance Cyprus has recognized a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, Ramallah-based news agency WAFA reported Sunday.

»

Mourners, Israel troops clash after WBank funeral
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
January 29, 2011 - 1:00am

Palestinian mourners clashed with Israeli troops who used tear gas and rubber-coated bullets after the funeral of a youth in the West Bank on Saturday, Palestinian witnesses and the army said. The mourners hurled rocks at soldiers after the funeral of Youssef Fakhri-Khlil, 17, who died of his wounds after being shot by Jewish settlers in the West Bank on Friday. An army spokeswoman said troops responded with "riot dispersal means".

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017