April 21st

New political parties in Palestine - when? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) April 21, 2011 - 12:00am Fateh, Hamas, PFLP, DFLP, Jihad Islami - these are some of the names of guerrilla movements that have dominated the Palestinian political scene. The modern Palestinian liberation movement began with various PLO factions; en route, it picked up Islamic anti-occupation movements. Each of these groupings has a military and a political wing. The public at large is often unable to distinguish between individuals and positions of the military and political wings. » Read more

New settlement founded, dismantled ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 21, 2011 - 12:00am The newest illegal settlement in the West Bank was dismantled overnight on Wednesday, hours after hundreds of settlers had gathered to announce the land grab. Settlers had arrived Wednesday afternoon at a patch of land east of Itamar, and named the outpost "Regev", according to reports in the Israeli press. The newest illegal settlement, however, was dismantled by Israeli forces overnight, a spokesman for the country's Civil Administration told Ma'an. » Read more

Parochial aims mar Palestinian elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Basem Ezbidi - (Opinion) April 21, 2011 - 12:00am Rumors of Fatah-Hamas reconciliation talks – whether in Cairo, Gaza or Istanbul – are once again rife. Driven by demonstrations calling for unity in Gaza and the West Bank, leaders of the two movements feel compelled to show readiness to break out of the cycle of contention that has held Palestinian politics hostage since 2007. » Read more

WEST BANK: Palestinian development plan looks at period after state creation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Maher Abukhater - (Blog) April 20, 2011 - 12:00am When Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met the donor coordination group for the Palestinian territory, the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), on April 13 in Brussels, he presented them with his new National Development Plan (NDP) 2011-2013, titled Establishing the State, Building our Future. In the foreword of the report, Fayyad wrote: “We stand today on the verge of national readiness for the birth of the State of Palestine. … The journey has been long and arduous, but the end is now in sight –- we are now in the homestretch to freedom.” » Read more

Invitation to Israeli Leader Puts Obama on the Spot ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Helene Cooper - April 20, 2011 - 12:00am A Republican invitation for Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to address Congress next month is highlighting the tensions between President Obama and Mr. Netanyahu and has kicked off a bizarre diplomatic race over who will be the first to lay out a new proposal to reopen the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. » Read more

The Revolution’s Missing Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Abdullah Gul - (Opinion) April 20, 2011 - 12:00am THE wave of uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa is of historic significance equal to that of the revolutions of 1848 and 1989 in Europe. The peoples of the region, without exception, revolted not only in the name of universal values but also to regain their long-suppressed national pride and dignity. But whether these uprisings lead to democracy and peace or to tyranny and conflict will depend on forging a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement and a broader Israeli-Arab peace. » Read more

April 20th

Moth attacks threaten Gaza crops ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 20, 2011 - 12:00am The Hamas authorities warned Wednesday that swarms of moth spreading in the Gaza Strip recently, would do harm to crops growing in the enclave if out of control. It is unknown where the insects came from, an official with the Hamas Agricultural Ministry said, however, he added that he believes Israel was the source, since the moths are largely found in the fields near Gaza-Israel borders. The insect, known as "Vine Hawk-Moth," feeds on leaves of trees and herbage crops, Ziad Hamada said, noting the ministry lacks proper means to control the swarms, blaming Israeli economic sanctions. » Read more

Israel indicts Australian for alleged Hamas links ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Dan Williams - April 20, 2011 - 12:00am Israel has arrested an Australian who tried to enter the country as a tourist, charging him with working for the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. The April 17 indictment of Eyad Abu Arga, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters on Wednesday, appeared to be part of a wide-ranging and sometimes covert campaign by Israel to curb Hamas, with which it has regularly clashed in the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Palestinians determined to seek independence despite U.S. objection ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 20, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian leadership on Wednesday reiterated that it will seek state's recognition from the United Nations despite U.S. opposition. Yasser Abed Rabbo, a Palestine Liberation Organization official, said the Palestinians want the world to recognize their state on the lands that Israel has occupied in 1967 because "the United States failed to resume serious peace negotiations" between Israel and the Palestinians. On Tuesday, the U.S. said it rejected the Palestinian plan for the recognition, saying that the Palestinian state must come through a negotiated agreement with Israel. » Read more

PNA faces double fiscal crisis: officials ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Emad Drimly - April 20, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) faces a double fiscal crisis due to a lack of international funds, which affected its budget, as well as the ability of the staff unions to improve its employees' wages and pay their financial receivables, officials said on Tuesday. Ahmed Majdalani, the PNA labor minister told Xinhua that over the past few years, the PNA has been suffering from a real fiscal crisis due to the lack of international funds offered to the PNA by donor countries, adding that "this had left a large gap in the budget." » Read more