April 22nd

A universal voice ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ben Shalev - April 22, 2011 - 12:00am Sometimes you have to begin with the bottom line. In this case, it's that "Baghani" - Amal Murkus' new CD - is wonderful. It is the clearest, most beautiful and most profound Israeli album that I have heard lately. It's almost unfair to say that, because there are other albums that feature exceedingly lovely melodies, and albums that have spectacular singing, and albums with wonderful playing. Rare are the cases in which a single album has all of this - although it does happen sometimes. » Read more

Netanyahu is turning Israel into another South Africa ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Sefi Rachlevsky - (Opinion) April 22, 2011 - 12:00am Let us imagine Meretz founder Shulamit Aloni as prime minister of Israel. An impish fantasy for some of us. In that case, would it be reasonable to imagine Shas launching a campaign under the slogan "Only the daring will win," calling upon Aloni to gather her courage and transform Israel into a theocracy under rabbinical law? Not really. » Read more

Israeli army destroys installations in Gaza's industrial zone ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 21, 2011 - 12:00am The Israeli army destroyed several warehouses and installations during an operation in eastern Gaza City Thursday, witnesses and sources said. The military operation took place in an industrial zone that has not been functioning since Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007 which mainly blocked export. The zone is located near Karni, the largest commercial crossing which has been permanently closed by Israel earlier this year and replaced by another crossing in the southeast end of the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Israeli army destroys installations in Gaza's industrial zone ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 21, 2011 - 12:00am The Israeli army destroyed several warehouses and installations during an operation in eastern Gaza City Thursday, witnesses and sources said. The military operation took place in an industrial zone that has not been functioning since Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007 which mainly blocked export. The zone is located near Karni, the largest commercial crossing which has been permanently closed by Israel earlier this year and replaced by another crossing in the southeast end of the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Palestinian leadership refuses to move Arafat's archive to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 21, 2011 - 12:00am A Palestinian official in Fatah movement said Thursday that the Palestinian leadership has not yet allocated the place to keep the archive of late President Yasser Arafat when they receive it from Tunisia. Secretary of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah Ameen Maqboul said that the Palestinian leadership has not yet asked for an Israeli permission to receive the archive. The PNA didn't decide till now the new place to save the archive, whether in the West Bank or Jordan, but they will decide that later, Maqboul added. » Read more

Abbas: UN rejection of statehood could be dangerous ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 21, 2011 - 12:00am Visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday his reconciliation plan with Hamas has won support from French President Nicolas Sarkozy during their meeting at the Elysee Palace. Abbas said he told Sarkozy he would go to the Gaza Strip to meet Hamas leaders in a bid to establish a coalition government and choose a proper date for elections. The plans were backed by the French leader, he said. In March, Abbas had said he was willing to accept Hamas leader Ismail Haneya's invitation to visit Gaza. » Read more

Abbas: UN rejection of statehood could be dangerous ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 22, 2011 - 12:00am President Mahmoud Abbas warned Thursday that there could be serious ramifications if the UN rejected recognition of a Palestinian state in September. The president told France 24 that rejecting Palestinian statehood could be a dangerous move, and that he did not want a third Palestinian uprising to erupt, in an interview broadcast Thursday. Abbas' comments were made during a visit to Paris, where the president sought the advice of his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy on the Palestinian Authority's bid to seek recognition of its statehood. » Read more

Abbas: UN rejection of statehood could be dangerous ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 22, 2011 - 12:00am President Mahmoud Abbas warned Thursday that there could be serious ramifications if the UN rejected recognition of a Palestinian state in September. The president told France 24 that rejecting Palestinian statehood could be a dangerous move, and that he did not want a third Palestinian uprising to erupt, in an interview broadcast Thursday. Abbas' comments were made during a visit to Paris, where the president sought the advice of his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy on the Palestinian Authority's bid to seek recognition of its statehood. » Read more

Egyptian government to ease siege on Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 22, 2011 - 12:00am The Egyptian government will apply new procedures at the Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border to ease travel for residents of the besieged coastal enclave, officials said Thursday. During a meeting in Cairo, Baha Ad-Dusuqi, head of Palestinian affairs in the Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informed Gaza government spokesman Taher An-Nunu that new measures would be in place at the terminal soon. An-Nunu appealed to the Egyptian government to open the Rafah crossing swiftly. » Read more

Europe pressures US over Mideast peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) April 22, 2011 - 12:00am France said Thursday that European nations are considering recognizing a Palestinian state, heightening pressure on the United States and Israel to relaunch the Middle East peace process. European ambassadors at the UN Security Council joined the Palestinian envoy in calling for "bold" US leadership to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Recognition of the state of Palestine is one of the options which France is considering, with its European partners" in a bid to relaunch the peace process," French ambassador Gerard Araud told a Security Council debate on the Middle East. » Read more