April 13th

Little relief for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Mary Dejevsky - (Analysis) April 13, 2010 - 12:00am The scene could have been almost anywhere where the rich and poor worlds collide. A reasonably maintained building surrounded by depressingly visible disintegration; and inside, a bright room where small children, dressed in their best, are waiting to sing, dance and recite for the benefit of cooing foreign visitors. The difference was that this was in Lebanon; in the Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp to be precise, outside the battered northern city of Tripoli. And afterwards each child received an envelope with the cash that would help maintain them and fund schooling for another month. » Read more

Palestinian official in sex tape scandal denies he abused his position ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Rory McCarthy - April 12, 2010 - 12:00am A disgraced senior Palestinian official at the centre of a sex tape scandal claims he was entrapped and says he has not abused his position. » Read more

Israel impasse gives US much to ponder ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Simon Tisdall - (Opinion) April 12, 2010 - 12:00am Soothing words from Washington at the weekend, aimed at placating Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai after last week's public falling out, follow a familiar pattern. The White House was livid with Gordon Brown over last year's release to Libya of the Lockerbie bomber. But things were patched up once tempers cooled. » Read more

World Bank report: PA economy needs more private investment ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg April 13, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority economic growth has been largely driven by donor aid, and more private investment is necessary to ensure that the expansion is sustained, the World Bank said in a report Monday. In 2009, the PA received almost $1.4 billion in budget support, following $1.8b. in 2008, allowing for expansionary fiscal policies to support growth, the report said. The share of sectors that are mostly government-funded, such as defense and public administration, rose from less than 21 percent of the economy in 1999 to almost 30% in 2009, it said. » Read more

Report: Israel to reject US timetable for peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews April 13, 2010 - 12:00am Government sources said Israel would reject any move by the administration of US President Barack Obama to set a timetable and benchmarks for peace talks with the Palestinians, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. It further reported that international sources, including Jordan's King Abdullah, said the US must pressure both parties by setting a timetable for the peace process. » Read more

Barkat wants to renew razing orders in east Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ronen Medzini - April 13, 2010 - 12:00am Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat demanded recently that the city's police force renew the razing of illegal structures in east Jerusalem on which demolition orders have been issued, Ynet learned Tuesday. The municipality has held off on implementing the orders since October due to political instability and pressure on the part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Peace Now Secretary-General Yariv Oppenheimer responded to Barkat's orders by calling the mayor "a strategic threat to the stability in the Middle East". » Read more

Obama and Netanyahu can't afford to disagree ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by David Makovsky - (Opinion) April 13, 2010 - 12:00am It is widely known that the poor relationship between U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands at the center of U.S.-Israeli tension. Yet, it is hard to be hopeful for a variety of reasons. They relate to differences of outlook between them in three key areas: the relationship between vision and trust, different attitudes toward timing and different approaches to the nexus between policy and politics. » Read more

How to tell when a Mideast Expert is lying ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - April 13, 2010 - 12:00am Allow me to begin with a word or two about lying. Lying in the Middle East is not the same as lying other places. In the Mideast, lying is a way of life, which is to say, it is a cultural imperative. It is at once armor and entryway. It cushions and conditions the way people feel and think, it lubricates commercial and social intercourse, it frames all political debate and negotiation. » Read more

Fayyad: New IDF orders threaten to empty West Bank of Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA) April 12, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinian leadership on Monday protested against Israeli military orders that could see tens of thousands of Palestinians deported from the West Bank. On Sunday Haaretz revealed that a new military order aimed at preventing infiltration will come into force this week, enabling the deportation of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank, or their indictment on charges carrying prison terms of up to seven years. » Read more

Israeli forces kill Palestinian gunman in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Ori Lewis - April 13, 2010 - 12:00am A Palestinian gunman was killed and three were wounded in Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Palestinian medics and the Israeli army said. The Palestinian death was the first in the Islamist Hamas-ruled territory since three gunmen and two Israeli soldiers were killed more than two weeks ago in the most serious clash between the two sides in 14 months. A spokesman for the Islamic Jihad militant group said Israeli tanks fired shells and a helicopter launched a missile at its men east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. » Read more