'Egypt trying to convince Abbas to resume peace talks with Israel'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz October 28, 2010 - 12:00am Egypt's top diplomat and the head of its intelligence branch were in Ramallah on Thursday in an effort to persuade Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to resume direct negotiations with Israel. The Palestinian Authority has refused to continue its direct peace negotiations with Israel, launched recently in Washington, until Israel agrees to halt settlement construction. Israel enforced a 10-month moratorium on West Bank construction, but that freeze ended in late September. |
Pro-Israel website resource for students is launching
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) October 27, 2010 - 12:00am A pro-Israel group is launching a website to help students counter anti-Israel activism on campus. StandWithUs is starting the password-protected site this week at www.standwithus.com/divestment. It will provide tools for students looking to counter boycott and divestment campaigns at their schools. Students who fought divestment resolutions in the past academic year at the University of California campuses in Berkeley and San Diego helped develop the site. Similar resolutions were introduced at a number of colleges and universities during the past academic year. |
Some Israelis Hoping for A GOP Win, But Will History Repeat Itself?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - October 27, 2010 - 12:00am As predictions of a Republican tidal wave in the coming congressional elections became more certain, some Israelis were experiencing goose bumps of anticipation. Many on the right in Israel believe a shift of one or both houses of Congress to a Republican majority could limit the Obama administration’s ability to pressure Jerusalem — even more than it is already limited with the Democrats — in its quest for a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. |
Few options left for Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) October 28, 2010 - 12:00am Over 70 years ago, agitating European Zionist leaders were offered by Britain, who then ruled Palestine, about 20 per cent of the Arab country to establish a state there, a partition they accepted in principle but then demanded more land. This offer was made behind Palestinians backs. Ten years later, the UN approved the partition plan which gave Palestinian Jews 55 per cent of the country, although they hardly owned five per cent of the land, while the Palestinian Arabs would retain 45 per cent. The Palestinians, backed by the Arab states, rejected the plan and resolved to win it back. |
Jewish or Israeli?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab - October 28, 2010 - 12:00am I have always tried my best to differentiate between Jews and Israelis. It bothers me when Palestinians use these two terms interchangeably. Every time I cross the Jordan River, I overhear people talk on their cell phones, saying how they just got into the Jewish side, left the Jewish side, or were waiting to go through the Jewish side. Such comments can be heard as people approach or leave an Israeli checkpoint or have any other dealings with Israelis. |
Hamas leader calls for open dialogue with West
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua October 28, 2010 - 12:00am GAZA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Hamas is ready to start an open dialogue with the West, deposed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya said on Wednesday. "We need to clarify to the international community our stance and vision about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," Haneya said in a press statement following a meeting with a French lawyer delegation in Gaza. "The West needs to listen to the Hamas' voice directly, not from the others," Haneya added. |
A shift in epicenter of Palestinian struggle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Jesse Rosenfeld - October 28, 2010 - 12:00am In a country that continues to call itself “the only democracy in the Middle East,” it would appear that the days of Israel trying to present expanding segregation in the context of liberal values are over. While the legislation calling for non-Jews to declare loyalty to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state has been billed as Netanyahu’s capitulation to his coalition in order to extend a partial settlement freeze, the reality is that Israel has shifted its primary target of controlling Palestinians to its own Arab citizens. |
Britain backs PNA's budget with 55 million dollars
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua October 28, 2010 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The British government announced Wednesday that it will offer the Palestinian National Authority ( PNA) 35 million pounds (55 million U.S. dollars) in aid to back its budget. |
Gaza's national income shrinks as citruses are gone
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Saud Abu Ramadan - October 28, 2010 - 12:00am BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Groves full of green citrus. Gaza farmers proud of their old trees. Businessmen busy with exporting fruits to Jordan. But that was 10 years ago. Around one kilometer before reaching the Erez crossing point between northern Gaza Strip and Israel, the vast land has been barren, although Ahmed Za'aneen, 75, still recalled the town "all in green." |
Israel convicts Israeli-Arab of spying for Hezbollah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters October 27, 2010 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, Oct 27 (Reuters) - An Israeli-Arab human rights activist was convicted of spying for the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah by an Israeli court on Wednesday. Amir Makhoul confessed to the charge as part of a plea bargain under which the Haifa District Court dropped a separate charge of aiding the enemy in time of war, for which he could have been sentenced to a much longer term, court papers showed. The spying charge carries a maximum 10-year jail term. |