August 8th

Palestinians and the U.N. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times (Editorial) August 7, 2011 - 12:00am In little more than a month, the Palestinians are expected to ask the United Nations to recognize their state. We have sympathy for their yearning and their frustration. For years, they have been promised a negotiated solution — President Obama called for a peace deal by September — and they are still empty-handed. But the consequences could be profoundly damaging for all involved. » Read more

Lebanon to recognize Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star August 6, 2011 - 12:00am BEIRUT: Lebanon is set to recognize the Palestinian state, various media reports said Saturday, adding that President Mahmoud Abbas will visit the country in mid-August. Lebanon’s decision comes as it is preparing to head the United Nations Security Council in September coinciding with the Palestinian Authority’s plan to campaign to win U.N. recognition. It is the only Arab country that has not yet recognized the Palestinian state. » Read more

‘There’s a Girl Here’ Proves Recipe for Banking Deposit Growth in Mideast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Simon Clark - August 8, 2011 - 12:00am Reem Qaraqe was a novelty at the Bethlehem branch of Bank of Palestine Plc (BOP), and she says some customers didn’t hide their astonishment. “There’s a girl here,” was a typical remark. “Why?” As the branch’s first female teller, Qaraqe says she quietly fumed as she endured teasing and disrespect. She had about reached her limit the day Munjed the fish seller showed up, unfurled a wad of smelly shekels, threw it on the counter and commanded her to deposit it. She says her first notion was to hit him. Instead, she decided to try extreme politeness. » Read more

Israel puts pressure on human-rights organisations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Vita Bekker - August 7, 2011 - 12:00am TEL AVIV // Just months after Israel ended its invasion of the Gaza Strip more than two years ago, life became more challenging for Sari Bashi and her human-rights group Gisha. Right-wing government officials, legislators and pressure groups, angered at charges by rights organisations that Israel had committed war crimes during the attack, launched a campaign to discredit groups such as Gisha, which uses legal aid to help loosen Israeli restrictions on Gaza Strip residents. » Read more

Academic claims Israeli school textbooks contain bias ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - August 7, 2011 - 12:00am Nurit Peled-Elhanan, an Israeli academic, mother and political radical, summons up an image of rows of Jewish schoolchildren, bent over their books, learning about their neighbours, the Palestinians. But, she says, they are never referred to as Palestinians unless the context is terrorism. » Read more

'Knesset unlikely to see term's end' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews August 7, 2011 - 12:00am Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said Sunday that it was highly unlikely the current Knesset would see the end of its term. "I believe that 2012 will be a year when a decision on the next elections is made," he told Knesset TV. "I don't think the (current) Knesset will see November 2013, because politics has a way of mandating crises, so that they can be reflected in the ballots." » Read more

EU diplomats: Israel's national security adviser reprimanded us over our critical policy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - August 8, 2011 - 12:00am European diplomats have called National Security Council head Yaakov Amidror aggressive and arrogant for "reprimanding" EU countries for their policies toward Israel, during what was supposed to be a routine briefing. Amidror had been invited to give a political-security briefing to 27 European Union ambassadors to Israel. Three diplomats who were present at the meeting, on 14 July, told Haaretz that the national security adviser's style was blunt and that many ambassadors were insulted at what they perceived to have been a reprimand of the EU. » Read more

New 5-star hotel in blockaded Gaza amid poverty ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Diaa Hadid - August 6, 2011 - 12:00am AL-SOUDANIA, Gaza Strip — The Gaza Strip's first five-star hotel gleams with marble floors, five luxury restaurants and a breezy cafe overlooking the territory's white sandy beaches and sparkling blue Mediterranean Sea. The only thing missing are guests. » Read more

Israeli minister: Cut ties with Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Ian Deitch - August 7, 2011 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel's foreign minister on Sunday accused the Palestinian Authority of planning "unprecedented bloodshed" next month after an expected symbolic U.N. endorsement of Palestinian independence. Accenting his warning, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called for Israel to sever ties with the West Bank-based government. Lieberman's allegation runs counter to other Israeli assessments and stands in stark contrast to public and private statements by the Palestinians. » Read more

Report: Fatah says Dahlan involved in poisoning Arafat ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 8, 2011 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Fatah has accused ousted party strongman Muhammad Dahlan of "having a hand" in poisoning late President Yasser Arafat, Arabic-language media reported Saturday. Arafat died in a Paris hospital in November 2004. The exact cause of his death remains a mystery, but popular belief among Palestinians holds that he was poisoned. According to Al-Jazeera's Arabic-language news site, Fatah's commission of inquiry also found that Dahlan was linked to assassination attempts on other Palestinian leaders and that he had planned a coup in the West Bank. » Read more