July 13th, 2012

Arafat sister: Don't exhume late leader's body
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 13, 2012 - 12:00am

A sister of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is not among those, including his widow, calling for the Palestinian Authority to exhume the body in the wake new questions about his death. "Leave him to rest in his soil,” Khadija Arafat said Thursday, saying she has been overwhelmed with media inquiries following an Al Jazeera investigation that raised the possibility Arafat was poisoned.

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New Arafat medical file released in death probe
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Karin Laub - July 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Medical files released for the first time Thursday portray Yasser Arafat as a robust 75-year-old whose sudden health crisis, a month before his mysterious 2004 death, was initially blamed on viral gastroenteritis. The treatment notes by Arafat's Arab doctors who cared for him at his West Bank compound before he was airlifted to France are part of a renewed push to find out what killed the Palestinian leader.

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Israel's richest rabbis become savvy businessmen
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Daniel Estrin - July 13, 2012 - 12:00am

One summer night, on the outskirts of a sleepy desert town, a who's who of Israel's elite gathered for an annual feast to honor a rabbi whose gaze is said to pierce the soul. He's Rabbi Yaacov Israel Ifargan. But he is better known as, simply, the X-ray.

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Service to Israel Tugs at Identity of Arab Citizens
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - July 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Three young Palestinian women sat on the floor at a summer camp this week surrounded by Legos and 3-year-olds. As the toddlers played, the women taught them the color of each block, repeating the words in Arabic, azrak for blue or akhdar for green.

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July 12th

NEWS: Israel bombs Gaza, killing one Palestinian militant. Former PM Olmert says he's not interested in rejoining political life. Palestinian officials say they're still deciding what to do about the late Pres. Arafat's body, and Arafat's nephew says he believes he was poisoned with polonium by Israel. Israel deploys its latest rocket interceptor. The US House of Representatives holds a hearing on corruption in the PA. Pres. Abbas will reportedly meet Pres. Morsy next week. Israel protests what it says is UNESCO support for a Hamas-affiliated university implicated in violence. Israel's blockade is taking a toll on mental health in Gaza. New advertisements in New York commuter train stations depict growing Israeli control over Palestinian lands. Palestinian authorities continue their crackdown against journalists. Israel's growing naval profile might antagonize Turkey. The PA says it has received only $466 million out of $1.2 billion pledged by donors. COMMENTARY: Trudy Rubin says Israel should be wary of the recommendations. Jonathan Rosen says there is no chance PM Netanyahu will endorse the recommendations of the Levy Committee. Barak Ravid asks if Olmert is going to return to Israeli politics. Ely Karmon says Al Jazeera's conspiracy theory about polonium poisoning of Arafat seems more aimed at the current PA leadership than Israel. Douglas Bloomfield says Mitt Romney's positions on Israel and the Palestinians seem to be available to the highest bidder. Michael Herzog proposes a transition process for Syria. Sophia Jones says Palestinian women are trying to find new business opportunities. Raphael Magarik contrasts Israel's Levy and Sasson reports.

Palestinians in cash crunch, say donors came through with $466 million of $1.2 billion pledged
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
July 11, 2012 - 12:00am

The Palestinian finance minister says his self-rule government is facing its worst financial crisis in years because donor countries have paid only $466 million of $1.2 billion promised this year. The Palestinian Authority, which administers 38 percent of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, depends on foreign funding, in part because of Israeli restrictions and a bloated public payroll.

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Growing Israeli Naval Presence Likely to Upset Turkey Even More
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Milliyet
July 11, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel is preparing to increase its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean to protect its natural gas exploration activities, which have been a source of tension between Israel and Turkey. According to a plan approved by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the chief of staff, Gen. Benny Gantz, Israel will buy four new combat vessels for its navy, assign more troops [to the area] and deploy unmanned aerial vehicles for patrols in the region.

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A Tale of Two Reports
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Raphael Magarik - (Analysis) July 11, 2012 - 12:00am

I’ll say this for the Levy report: It filled my inbox. After the Israeli blue-ribbon commission, headed by former Israeli Supreme Court Justice Edmund Levy, concluded that “Israelis have the legal right to settle in Judea and Samaria,” the usual suspects leapt into action. J Street wants me to “Urge US Opposition to Israeli Settlement Report,” Americans for Peace Now wonders whether it is “1984” in Israel.

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Palestinian women battle to break into business
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Sophia Jones - (Opinion) July 12, 2012 - 12:00am

However, the deeply traditional, male-dominated society that is prevalent across much of the Arab world, coupled with bureaucratic restraints unique to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, pose particular challenges for women seeking to get ahead. “Many women in the West Bank want to do things, but they can’t. Our culture is generally more of a man’s culture. Women are trying to do things, but in small steps,” said Shyrine Ziadeh, a 24-year-old Birzeit University graduate.

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Palestinian Authority Escalates Crackdown on Journalists
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Lena Odgaard - July 11, 2012 - 12:00am

Earlier this month, Palestinian police beat several journalists as they covered a non-violent protest in Ramallah, according to news reports. This incident is just the latest in a series of cases over the past six months where Palestinian journalists have experienced a significant crackdown on attempts to criticize Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority. The judiciary is reinterpreting laws dating back to the 1960s that criminalized defamation of officials as the basis for arrests, intimidation of journalists and blocking web sites.

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