Britain, France to abstain from UN vote on Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
November 4, 2011 - 12:00am


A United Nations diplomat said that Britain, France and Colombia have decided to abstain during a vote on the Palestinian bid for statehood recognition by the UN Security Council. The vote on the matter is expected to be held next week. Neither Britain, France nor Colombia have officially announced their positions on the matter. The diplomat told the BBC that the decision was made during discussions at the UN Security Council.


The UNESCO cuts: What’s next on the U.S. chopping block?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Colum Lynch - (Blog) November 3, 2011 - 12:00am


The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has admitted the Palestinians as a full member, prompting the Obama administration to impose millions of dollars in congressionally mandated cuts. Meanwhile, the Palestinian U.N. envoy in Geneva, Ibrahim Khraishi, said the Palestinians were now studying the prospects of joining 16 other U.N. agencies, raising the possibility of further U.S. funding cuts.


Israel: positive and negative ramifications
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Itamar Rabinovich - (Opinion) November 4, 2011 - 12:00am


The impact of the "Arab spring" on Israel has so far been mixed. Like other actors observing this series of events and being affected by it, Israel understands that this is just the beginning of a lengthy process whose repercussions for its interests will keep changing over time.


'Spring-less' Palestine?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ibrahim Shikaki - (Opinion) November 3, 2011 - 12:00am


In recent years, and for various ecological reasons, Palestinians have been witnessing a "two-seasoned" year. Each year more noticeably than the one before, two seasons prevail: a colder-than-average winter and hotter-than-average summer. This means that two lovely seasons have begun to disappear. This brings us to the questions posed in this article, i.e. is there really "no Palestinian spring", and if so, will we need to import our spring from neighboring Arab countries?


An Ill-Timed Move
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
(Editorial) November 4, 2011 - 12:00am


What were they thinking? The Palestinians, we mean. While there may be heart-thrumming symbolic value to achieving full membership in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as they did October 31, it comes at great cost to all concerned, including the very people the agency aims to help.


A new friend for Unesco in the UAE
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) November 4, 2011 - 12:00am


The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization says that it exists "to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information".


Mideast Conflict as Zero-Sum Game
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by J.J. Goldberg - (Opinion) November 3, 2011 - 12:00am


Several readers have written in to protest my last column, which dissected conservative responses to the recent summons to Jewish unity issued by the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee. Reader complaints are nothing unusual, but this time some good points were raised that forced me to rethink. In the process I’ve come across some new information, which I’d like to share.


A Palestinian Group Creates a Generation of Inventors
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Chronicle of Higher Education
November 4, 2011 - 12:00am


In 2001, to the distress of his family, Aref F. Husseini resigned from his jobs as a senior engineer with Intel and as an adjunct professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He bought a bag and filled it with some tools and electronic components—pliers, a soldering iron, transistors, and the breadboards used as bases for electrical circuits. He began to visit schools to teach science and engineering in a most practical way.


The Russell Tribunal on Palestine can promote peace, truth and reconciliation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Michael Mansfield, Desmond Tutu - (Opinion) November 3, 2011 - 12:00am


Opportunities to break seemingly intractable and deadlocked situations are rare – especially on a scale which has rapidly developed this year from the beleaguered cries of citizenry across North Africa and the Middle East. There is a palpable consensus that the provenance of this movement is lodged firmly in the fundamental prerequisite for meaningful democracy: self-determination. All conventions on human rights have this tenet as a core rationale. Where it is repeatedly denied and suppressed there will never be peace or justice, let alone stability.


In the West Bank, a woman's struggle for change
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Joel Greenberg - November 4, 2011 - 12:00am


When Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas returned home to a hero’s welcome after applying for United Nations membership for a Palestinian state, Hurriyah Ziada was not moved to join the celebration.



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