July 28th

A Strike Against Free Speech ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ahmad Tibi - (Opinion) July 28, 2011 - 12:00am Free speech in Israel was dealt a severe blow this month when the country’s Parliament passed antiboycott legislation that targets individuals or organizations publicly calling for a boycott against Israel or any area under its control. Because I believe in ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, equal rights for Palestinians and Jews, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees forced from their homes and lands in 1948, I support boycotting — and calling on others to boycott — all Israeli companies that help perpetuate these injustices. » Read more

Memories of the American Colony ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Michael Jansen - (Book Review) July 28, 2011 - 12:00am The American Colony, now East Jerusalem’s most luxurious and expensive hotel, has a long, conflicted history that illuminates what has happened in Palestine over the past 130 years. Whenever I go to Jerusalem, I pay a call on the Colony, pause to scan the courtyard where customers sip coffee or dine under sheltering umbrellas, and drop by for a chat with Munther Fahmi, proprietor of the bookshop tucked between the souvenir store and the cafe. » Read more

All systems are on go for Palestine’s march to the UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) July 28, 2011 - 12:00am If anyone outside Palestine had doubts that the Palestinian Authority was hesitant about going to the UN to request the recognition of Palestine as a full member, a trip to Ramallah would quickly put an end to this scepticism. Ramallah’s hotels are full of members of the Palestine Central Council (the second highest representative body in Palestinian politics after the Palestine National Council). PNC Speaker Salim Zannoun has held meetings in Amman, Hebron, Nablus and Ramallah in preparation for a crucial central council meeting in Ramallah this week. » Read more

Israel finds itself isolated ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) July 28, 2011 - 12:00am Believe it or not, the Arab Spring has descended on Tel Aviv. Tens of thousands of young Israelis have camped in tents along the prestigious Rothschild Boulevard in protest against the housing policy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government. Like their counterparts in the Arab world, whom they mimicked, these youth remain hopeful they can achieve revolutionary change within Israel. In their case, the young Israelis want affordable housing in the city. » Read more

PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Abbas not deterred by U.S. threats regarding Palestinian state recognition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Maher Abukhater - July 27, 2011 - 12:00am Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, does not seem deterred by U.S. threats of financial cuts or political castigation if he proceeds with plans to ask the U.N. for recognition of a Palestinian state in September. Abbas Wednesday summoned his Palestine Liberation Organization’s Central Council, a 120-strong legislative body in exile, to ask its blessings for his plans. » Read more

Nasrallah recognizes Israel! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq al-Homayed - (Opinion) July 28, 2011 - 12:00am Hezbollah chief [Hassan Nasrallah] has called on the Lebanese government not to waste the opportunity to explore for oil and natural gas along its maritime border. Nasrallah said that "the resistance" has no objection to the government reaching an agreement to demarcate Lebanon’s maritime borders. » Read more

Is Abbas setting the stage for a third intifada? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) July 28, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says he doesn’t want to see a third intifada, and I believe him. So why does he persist in laying the groundwork for it? His two-pronged strategy of powersharing with Hamas and making a bid for UN recognition is foundering, increasing the risk that the high expectations he sparked among his people will dissolve into frustration and violence. » Read more

Before a Diplomatic Showdown, a Budget Crisis Saps Palestinians’ Confidence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - July 27, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — As the Palestinian Authority faces some of the hardest choices in its history regarding relations with Israel, membership in the United Nations and unity with Hamas, it is mired in a severe economic crisis, leading many here to a sense of foreboding and despair. » Read more

July 27th

Fayyad seeks $300 million to ease cash crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 27, 2011 - 12:00am CAIRO (AFP) - Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority needed $300 million "urgently" to help ease a financial crisis. The PA "urgently needs $300 million to overcome the bottleneck and deal with the financial crisis," he told reporters in Cairo after an extraordinary meeting of Arab League representatives. The crisis stems from the fact that pledged aid has not yet come through. Fayyad said the PA had received $331 million in 2011, including $79 million from Arab countries, as well as an additional $30 million from Saudi Arabia. » Read more

Palestinian leader wants rallies to back UN bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - July 27, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — Invoking the Arab Spring, the Palestinian president on Wednesday urged his people to take to the streets for massive rallies in support of his government's bid to get the U.N. to recognize an independent Palestinian state. The call by President Mahmoud Abbas for peaceful, "popular resistance" throughout the West Bank was likely to fuel Israeli concerns that the U.N. vote in September and any large demonstrations could spark a new round of violence. » Read more