February 16th

TV review: True Stories: War Child | Nuns Aloud ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Sam Wollaston - (Film Review) February 16, 2011 - 1:00am The Palestinian kids in True Stories: War Child (More4) lost a lot in Israeli missile attacks on Gaza. Brother and sister Mahmoud (10) and Amal (nine) lost their father, a younger brother, and their house. Amal was buried under rubble for four days and still has shrapnel in her brain. Another Mahmoud (12) saw his friend Hossam blown in half in front of him. Little Loay (10) lost his sight. Ibraheem (10) saw the family fishing boat, their livelihood, destroyed. All lost their childhoods. » Read more

Israel faces emboldened Palestinian delegation in the UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shlomo Shamir - (Opinion) February 16, 2011 - 1:00am Palestinians are vigorously working to get the United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement building passed. They are working quickly to get support from the organization's general assembly before Israel's new UN ambassador Ron Prosor, takes up his position. » Read more

Knesset committee approves bill allowing Israel boycotters to be fined ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis - February 15, 2011 - 1:00am The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee approved a bill on Tuesday that calls for heavy fines to be imposed on Israeli citizens who initiate or incite boycotts against Israel, despite the Foreign Ministry's objections. The Knesset approved an initial reading of the bill over six months ago. The bill will now move on to a first reading in the Knesset for approval. If it becomes a law, the fines would apply to anyone boycotting Israeli individuals, companies, factories, and organizations. » Read more

APNewsBreak: Palestinian Authority settles RI suit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Eric Tucker - February 14, 2011 - 1:00am The Palestinian Authority has settled a federal lawsuit in Rhode Island over the shooting deaths 15 years ago of a couple driving home from a wedding in Israel, according to court papers filed Monday. The documents don't reveal the terms of the settlement, and it's unclear how much, if any, money the Palestinian Authority offered to resolve the case. » Read more

With Egypt in turmoil, Israel rethinks readiness for multi-front war ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Leslie Susser - February 15, 2011 - 1:00am Although it’s still far from clear how the uprising in Egypt is going to play out, the volatility there is already raising questions in Israel about the Jewish state’s readiness for a war on several fronts. The optimistic view in Israel is that a wave of democracy will sweep the Middle East from Cairo to Tehran, making war in any form less likely. The pessimists -- there are many here -- see an ascendant Islamic radicalism taking hold in Egypt and elsewhere, thus compounding the military threats facing Israel. » Read more

To build Palestine, support the plan that will establish a state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) February 16, 2011 - 1:00am For decades, little attention has been paid to what has actually been happening on the ground with regard to the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. The institution-building programme of the Palestinian Authority, which has been spearheaded by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is surrounded by a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding. This may be a function of the very nature of the programme: a political project that has its foundation in the technical aspects of building a nation. » Read more

Palestinian peace negotiation unit disbanded ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters February 14, 2011 - 1:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to disband the Negotiations Support Unit (NSU) which provided him with technical help during long-running peace talks with Israel, an official said on Monday. The decision was made after it was discovered that employees in the unit were behind the leak of hundreds of documents to the television station al Jazeera which embarrassed Abbas's administration. » Read more

Abbas: Israel has no vision for peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 16, 2011 - 1:00am President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that the current Israeli government had no vision for an end to the occupation. Addressing Palestinians released from Israeli detention, at his Ramallah headquarters, the president said Israel continued to shut down all avenues to peace. Abbas said the US administration pledged that negotiations launched in September would establish a Palestinian state within a year. He asked how long the international community would watch a population live under occupation if an agreement wasn't reached. » Read more

PLO to press on with settlement vote at UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 16, 2011 - 1:00am Palestinian representatives at the UN will push forward with a draft resolution calling on the Security Council to condemn settlement construction, PLO Executive Committee member Saleh Raafat said Tuesday. A vote will be held on the resolution "[d]espite all of the pressure exerted on the Palestinians and the Arab-state supporters by the US," Raafat said. » Read more

EU targets Palestinian state by September ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Steve Weizman - February 16, 2011 - 1:00am EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Tuesday said the international community still sought to achieve a peace deal and a Palestinian state by September, despite the region's political turmoil. Despite the impasse in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the resignation of the Palestinian Authority cabinet as well as Saab Erekat, their chief negotiator, Ashton said the goal was still achievable. "It's a time-frame that everybody has signed up to," she told reporters in Jerusalem ahead of talks with President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah. » Read more