January 19th, 2011

1 killed as Israeli troops raid Gaza Strip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 19, 2011 - 1:00am

Israeli forces killed one Palestinian and injured two others on Tuesday in the northern Gaza Strip. Medics and witnesses said the three men were civilians, and that soldiers in an Israeli military post launched five shells towards the mainly agricultural area. Gaza medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya identified the slain as Amjad Sami Az-Za’aneen, 20, and said two others were moderately injured and transported to the Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for treatment. An Israeli military spokeswoman said forces opened fire at a group of men who were handling a detonation device.

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Arab League praises PA's diplomatic efforts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 19, 2011 - 1:00am

Arab League chief Amr Mussa on Tuesday praised the Palestinian Authority's diplomatic efforts to secure international recognition of a Palestinian state. PA Foreign Affairs Minister Riad Al-Malki updated Arab foreign ministers on diplomatic developments in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh, where leaders gathered ahead of an Arab League summit on Wednesday. Foreign ministers praised Palestinian diplomatic achievements, and promised to support President Mahmoud Abbas' political strategy.

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ISRAEL: Israeli citizen suspected of involvement in Bosnia war crimes arrested
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Batsheva Sobelman - January 18, 2011 - 1:00am

An Israeli citizen was arrested Tuesday in connection with a 1995 massacre in Bosnia, and Israel’s Justice Ministry launched extradition proceedings against him. A Sarajevo court issued a warrant for Alexandar Cvetkovic's arrest in April, stating that he was wanted for genocide and crimes against humanity. In August, Bosnia-Herzegovina filed a formal request to Israel for his extradition to stand trial at a war-crimes tribunal.

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Medvedev Visits West Bank, Lifting Palestinian Spirits
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - January 18, 2011 - 1:00am

President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia met on Tuesday with the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank oasis town of Jericho and reaffirmed his country’s support for a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem. Palestinian leaders hailed the visit as historic, noting that this was the first time such a high-profile international figure had gone to Palestinian territory independently of a visit to Israel.

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January 18th

DM Barak shakes up Israeli politics by leaving the Labor Party but stays in the government, and visit soldiers in Nablus. Upheavals in Tunisia spur Palestinian officials to issue reassurances about the Palestinian economy. Russia confirms its commitment to an independent Palestinian state. Israeli authorities approve 122 new settler housing units in occupied East Jerusalem. Palestinians are expected to submit a Security Council resolution condemning settlements this week. A Hamas operative dies in a tunnel collapse. Uriel Reichman says if Israel does not come up with a peace strategy of it own, the US or UN will act alone. Carlo Strenger says the Israeli right has caused the country’s international isolation. PM Netanyahu says he is determined to go forward with peace talks. Israeli women are harassed by the Israeli authorities for consistent outreach to the Palestinians. John Ging leaves his position as head of UNRWA. Tony Karon says Russian immigrants have pushed Israeli politics to the aggressive nationalist right.

Israel finds no rebuttal to Russian immigrant rhetoric
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Tony Karon - January 18, 2011 - 1:00am

Snap quiz: Which was the first country to recognise Israel at the United Nations? No, not the United States, nor any other western country. It was, in fact, the Soviet Union.

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UN director in Gaza quits for new post
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - January 17, 2011 - 1:00am

John Ging, the high-profile director of the UN relief agency in Gaza, is to quit his current post to take up a senior UN job in New York. Ging, 45, who has worked in Gaza since 2006, has been an enthusiastic and effective advocate for the rights of the Gazan population and a vocal critic of Israeli government policy. He has been the target of assassination attempts and death threats in Gaza, and Islamist opponents have attacked projects he has promoted.

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Israel's 'disobedient women' questioned over illegal trips for Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - January 18, 2011 - 1:00am

In a small village between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, I joined a remarkable group of women and children for lunch last weekend, a noisy and cheerful crowd enjoying plates of chicken, fish, rice and salad. All of them were breaking the law. The party consisted of around 20 mostly middle-aged Israeli women, slightly fewer and younger Palestinian women and a handful of the latter's children.

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Russia reaffirms recognition of Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
January 18, 2011 - 1:00am

The Russian president, on a rare visit to the West Bank, has reaffirmed Moscow's recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Dmitry Medvedev said Russia had recognised the state in 1988 and his country's position remained unchanged. The Russian premier's visit seeks to revive a collapsed peace process. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is seeking the country's support for a tougher stance towards Jewish settlements at the UN Security Council.

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Peace process under threat as Barak goes to war with his party
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Catrina Stewart - January 18, 2011 - 1:00am

Israel's defence minister, Ehud Barak, abruptly quit as leader of the Labour Party yesterday, plunging the party into disarray and casting a shadow over prospects for peace. The announcement prompted the resignation of three Labour ministers from the government, robbing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hawkish coalition of its more moderate voices. Mr Netanyahu is left with a slender majority to govern, but he is now potentially more vulnerable to pressure from the far-right members of his coalition.

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