April 13th

Palestinians urge U.S. to take clear positions on Mideast peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 13, 2011 - 12:00am


The United States shout take clear attitudes when it resumes efforts that aim at reviving stalled peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel, a Palestinian official said Wednesday. America's position regarding Jewish settlement constructions in the occupied Palestinian territories should be more resolute, said Nabil Abu Rdineh, a spokesman for the Palestinian leadership.


Israel keeps Gaza goods crossing shut despite truce
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Nidal al-Mughrabi - April 12, 2011 - 12:00am


Israel kept a commercial crossing with Hamas-ruled Gaza shut for a seventh day on Tuesday although a truce had stopped cross-border fighting, and a UN official said he was "extremely worried" essential supplies may run out. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which provides aid to more than two thirds of Gaza's population of 1.5 million, said 172 truckloads of oil, sugar and flour were waiting to cross into the impoverished coastal territory.


Israel minister: US will veto Palestine declaration
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 13, 2011 - 12:00am


An Israeli official said Tuesday that the US will use its veto if the UN Security Council decides to vote on approving an independent Palestinian state. The US supports negotiations rather than unilateral steps, Israeli minister Uzi Landau said in an Israel radio report. Israel should announce the annexation of several huge settlement outposts and the Jordan Valley if the Palestinians announce statehood at the UN, he continued. Israel must put also an end to the "war of attrition" that Hamas is waging against Israel, according to Landau.


Ashton, Blair meet Fayyad at Brussels donor meeting
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 13, 2011 - 1:00am


The annual spring meeting of Palestine's donor coordination group kicked off in Brussels Wednesday, the day after UN officials came out in support of an independently functioning Palestinian state. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is hosting the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee meeting, also attended by caretaker West Bank Prime Minister Fayyad, and Quartet Envoy Tony Blair.


US plans new push on Arab-Israeli peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Arshad Mohammed - April 13, 2011 - 12:00am


The United States plans a new push to promote comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday, suggesting a stronger U.S. hand in trying to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. President Barack Obama will lay out U.S. policy toward the Middle East and North Africa in the coming weeks, Clinton told Arab and U.S. policy makers in a speech that placed particular emphasis on Israeli-Palestinian peace.


U.N. report: Palestinian Authority ready for statehood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Joel Greenberg - April 12, 2011 - 12:00am


The Palestinian Authority is ready for statehood, according to six key criteria, although urgent action is needed to bolster its progress in state-building, the United Nations said Tuesday. The declaration, contained in a report prepared for a meeting Wednesday in Brussels of donors to the authority, is an important boost to Palestinian efforts to obtain international recognition of a Palestinian state in September.


4 Die in Smuggling Tunnel Under Gaza-Egypt Border
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Fares Akram - April 12, 2011 - 12:00am


Four Palestinians died Tuesday in a smuggling tunnel beneath the Gaza-Egypt border, according to medics in Gaza. Authorities with Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said the men suffocated while repairing the tunnel, which they said had been hit by an Israeli missile several days ago during a recent wave of violence. Some people have died in the tunnels in the past after being overcome by fumes while smuggling fuel to Gaza.


U.N. Praises Palestinians’ Progress Toward a State
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - April 12, 2011 - 12:00am


The United Nations praised Palestinian Authority efforts at strengthening its institutions in a report on Tuesday, describing aspects of its administration as sufficient for an independent state. The endorsement came at a crucial time for the Palestinian Authority, which has set a September deadline for the completion of its state-building program and is working toward international recognition of Palestinian statehood in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem that month.


April 12th

Juliano Mer-Khamis obituary
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rachel Shabi - April 11, 2011 - 12:00am


The Palestinian-Israeli actor Juliano Mer-Khamis, who has been shot dead at the age of 52, was a successful stage and screen performer, film-maker and activist, widely known for his work as the artistic director of the Freedom theatre in the refugee camp in the West Bank town of Jenin. Dedicated to equipping young Palestinians with the potent powers of art and self-expression, Juliano carved out a stage on which children could find their feet – and voice. The theatre's achievements have resonated around the world as a focal point of creativity against the odds.


Amir Peretz makes bid for Labor chairmanship
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Attila Somfalvi - April 12, 2011 - 12:00am


Former Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz announced that he intends to seek a second term as party chairman. Peretz, who lead Labor in 2006, called a press conference Tuesday and announced his plans. "It saddens me to see society today. Many of the important things have been eroded. I plan on submitting an extensive plan, a social Iron Dome, to protect three major things: society, democracy and peace.



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