UN recognition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) September 8, 2011 - 12:00am On Sept. 20, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to ask the UN General Assembly to recognize Palestinian statehood and give it a seat at the organization. As things stand, that will not happen. Although the Palestinians can count on the support of a handsome majority among the 193 members of the UN, Washington is opposed and threatens to use its veto in the Security Council to block the request. (It is with the Security Council, not the General Assembly, that the decision to grant UN membership rests.) » Read more

ACP delivers $50,000 to Promote Youth Program in Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from American Charities for Palestine September 8, 2011 - 12:00am ACP is pleased to announce its new partnership with a local organization in the West Bank, Palestine Vision, through which ACP facilitated American donations to a program called the Mediterranean Youth Technology Club (MYTecC). Project funders include Cisco and USAID. ACP coordinated with Craig Newmark, of Craigslist and CraigConnect, as well as the Aspen Institute, by providing a vetted and accountable mechanism through which Mr. Newmark could make a $ 50,000 private donation to the MYTecC project, and its implementer Palestine Vision. » Read more

Dueling experts discuss UN Palestinian statehood vote ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Brandeis University Crown Center for Middle East Studies by Adam Cohen - (Analysis) September 9, 2011 - 12:00am Visiting campus to discuss the U.N. Palestinian vote question taking place later in the month, David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Ghaith al-Omari of the American Task Force on Palestine wanted to do more than simply examine the current situation. Their goal, according to Makovksy, “is to get college students … to look forward to solutions that give dignity to both sides” in a conflict that tends to “generate more heat and less light.” » Read more

Hamas considering relocating HQ to Cairo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - (Analysis) September 9, 2011 - 12:00am Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar announced Friday that the movement is consierjung relocating its headquarters from Damascus to Cairo. It is the first time a senior Hamas official openly admitted such a plan. "All the Palestinians in Syria are in distress, not just Hamas. There are many options in terms of the organization's headquarters and Egypt is one of them," he said. » Read more

Illegal in their own country ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ilana Hammerman - (Analysis) September 9, 2011 - 12:00am "Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and ordinances whereby they should not live" - Ezekiel 20:25 Where are you coming from?" a soldier with a submachine gun asked me through the open window of the car in which I sat next to the driver. He once again examined my Israeli identification card, which he was holding. "From Kafr Aqab," I replied. "Are you Israeli?" he asked me. "Yes," I answered. "So how did you cross to this side?" » Read more

UN recognition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) September 9, 2011 - 12:00am On Sept. 20, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to ask the UN General Assembly to recognize Palestinian statehood and give it a seat at the organization. As things stand, that will not happen. Although the Palestinians can count on the support of a handsome majority among the 193 members of the UN, Washington is opposed and threatens to use its veto in the Security Council to block the request. (It is with the Security Council, not the General Assembly, that the decision to grant UN membership rests.) » Read more

Palestine at the United Nations… The Long Path of Wisdom ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Raghida Dergham - (Opinion) September 9, 2011 - 12:00am This month, New York will witness the first comprehensive international gathering since the astounding Arab Awakening in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria, which started earlier this year and which has unsettled and embarrassed many a major power. » Read more

A Palestinian September ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Husam Itani - (Opinion) September 9, 2011 - 12:00am One of the biggest victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks was the second Palestinian uprising. » Read more

Israeli settlers say open-fire rules against Palestinian rioters vague ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua (Analysis) September 8, 2011 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Some leaders among the Israeli settlement movement in the West Bank are concerned that existing open-fire orders for local civilian rapid-response teams may hobble their ability to respond effectively to possible attacks by Palestinians against their towns. In recent weeks, senior Israeli civilian and army security officials have refreshed community security chiefs on protocol and procedures as a part of Operation "Summer Seeds." » Read more

Israel deploys drones over Egyptian border ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Daniella Cheslow - (Analysis) September 8, 2011 - 12:00am TEL AVIV, Israel — A senior Israeli military official says the air force has deployed a special unit of unmanned surveillance aircraft along its long, porous border with Egypt after militants crossed the frontier and killed eight Israelis last month. The official says the drones are monitoring both sides of the 150-mile (250-kilometer) border, though the aircraft are flying only in Israeli airspace. In the wake of the attack, Israel also has sent more troops along the border. » Read more