April 28th

Palestinian village welcomes Israeli shoppers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Mohammed Assadi - April 28, 2009 - 12:00am


Linoy, a five-year-old Israeli girl, happily nibbled some chocolate as she accompanied her parents on a shopping spree on a busy street with storefront signs written in Hebrew. Nabi Elyas, a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank catering to the Israeli consumer, has raised hopes on both sides of a divide that peaceful co-existence is possible. Just a short drive from central Israel, the community of 1,500 residents is profiting from an influx of Jewish shoppers drawn by cheap prices and still kept out of the main Palestinian cities by Israeli security regulations.


‘All roads lead to Jerusalem'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
April 28, 2009 - 12:00am


His Majesty King Abdullah once again called for American leadership in bringing about serious negotiations to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the two-state solution. In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press”, aired Sunday at the conclusion of his visit to the US, King Abdullah said that, historically, both sides have always come to the negotiating table with an excuse not to go the last mile.


PA: Olmert received an offer, then bombed Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - April 28, 2009 - 12:00am


Palestinian Authority representatives accused former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of blocking the peace process between Israel and the PA, despite the latter's claims that he had put an offer to the Palestinians on the table that was too good to refuse. According to chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, and as reported by the Palestinian journal al-Ayyam, not only had the prime minister avoided responding to an excellent peace offer, but shortly afterward had bombed Gaza.


PM aide: Netanyahu's Mideast policy likely by time of U.S. visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gidi Weitz - April 28, 2009 - 12:00am


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's review of Israel's policy on the Middle East is expected to be completed by the time he visits the United States next month, an aide to the premier said Tuesday. Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Haaretz on Monday that he believes Netanyahu will present the U.S. administration a diplomatic plan in line with the principle of "two states for two nations" during his upcoming visit to Washington.


Sick Gazans victims of Hamas-Fatah power struggle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
April 28, 2009 - 12:00am


Hundreds of Palestinian patients have been trapped in the Gaza Strip, unable to travel abroad for crucial treatment for cancer and other diseases, because of political infighting between Gaza's Hamas rulers and their Palestinian rivals. Eight Gazans who were waiting to travel abroad have died since the crisis began in March, when the dispute shut down a medical referral committee that helps sick residents find treatment outside of Gaza, according to the World Health Organization.


Israel worried over US move on PA gov't
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Hilary Leila Krieger, Haviv Rettig - April 28, 2009 - 12:00am


Senior Israeli officials said Monday they were "concerned" at the prospect that the US may approve funding for a Palestinian Authority government that includes Hamas. The concern arose after it became known that the Obama administration had asked Congress for minor changes in US law that would allow the continued provision of funds to the PA even if Hamas officials became part of a Palestinian unity government. The Jerusalem Post has learned from a highly placed source that Israeli officials are very troubled by the possibility of US funds going to a government that includes Hamas.


Settler injures West Bank youth
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
April 27, 2009 - 12:00am


A Palestinian teenager has been shot and seriously injured by a Jewish settler in the northern West Bank. Palestinian officials said the boy had been working on his family's land near Madama when he was shot by settlers. There are no reports of any arrests. The incident took place near the Yitzhar settlement. The boy was later taken to hospital in Nablus. An Israeli police spokesman said a settler had opened fire after coming under attack by stone-throwers. The settler was due to be questioned by police, the spokesman told AFP news agency.


Israel built, planned 9,000 homes on war-won land
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Karin Laub - April 27, 2009 - 12:00am


Israel's previous government built or issued bids for some 9,000 homes for Israelis in Jerusalem and the West Bank, despite its promise to pursue a peace deal with the Palestinians, settlement monitors said Monday, summarizing Ehud Olmert's three years as prime minister. The Israeli watchdog groups Peace Now and Ir Amim urged President Barack Obama to step in quickly and pressure Israel's new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to halt further settlement expansion, particularly in the areas of Jerusalem the Palestinians want for their future capital.


Encountering peace: Education for peace - who will stand up to the challenge? Part II
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - April 27, 2009 - 12:00am


A peace process occurs between nations transferring them from a state of war between enemies to a state of peace between partners. A successful peace process requires a shift of attitudes in a cross section of the society and must be built between the peoples. This lengthy process also requires formal education that should take place through the educational system.


Palestinian theatre offers youths a breath of freedom
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
April 28, 2009 - 12:00am


Bisam Astiti takes her role very seriously -- the theatre is one of the few places where the 13-year-old living in the stranglehold of Israeli occupation can feel free. "Acting helps me be stronger and to free myself from worries," says the doe-eyed Palestinian teenager, her long black hair pulled back in a ponytail. "Before, I had elocution problems, I spoke too fast. But now I've learned to listen and be more patient," she says in between rehearsing her lines for an upcoming production of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin".



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