September 6th

Policy paralysis scuppers Palestinian economic dream ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Noah Browning - September 5, 2012 - 12:00am (Reuters) - Palestinian dreams of building a strong economy to speed up the state's drive towards independence could soon be plunged into darkness, quite literally. The cash-strapped government of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Authority (PA), is so behind with its bills that the Israeli company that provides Palestinians' electricity has threatened to cut the power unless the PA pays outstanding debt of almost $80 million. » Read more

Palestinians slipping deeper into poverty -UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Robert Evans - September 6, 2012 - 12:00am GENEVA, Sept 5 (Reuters) - The United Nations UNCTAD agency issued a gloomy outlook for the Palestinian economy on Wednesday, arguing that tougher Israeli policies and settlement expansion were pushing the occupied territories and Gaza deeper into poverty. The situation had been aggravated in 2011 by a sharp drop in foreign aid, which for years provided a vital support, dimming any hope for an upswing even in the longer term, a report from the trade and development body said. » Read more

It's not normal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Rami Livni - (Opinion) September 6, 2012 - 12:00am It is difficult to persuade a person who feels happy that he is in fact depressed and despondent. Why should he believe it? With regard to everything about the occupation, the citizens of Israel feel fine. They brush off arguments about the effect it has on morals, about the demographic problem, the economic damage and the undermining of our international relations. Their apathy does not stem only from "proof" that Israel must not budge from the position in which it is entrenched, because of the failure of the diplomatic process and changes in the Arab world. » Read more

Gaza Strip: Israeli strikes 'kill six militants' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News September 6, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinians said three were killed by Israeli fire in the north of the strip on Thursday morning. Israel said they were planting a bomb near its fence. Hours earlier, an air strike in central Gaza killed three militants who Israel said were set to fire rockets. There has been a spate of rocket attacks and air strikes in recent days. In the latest incident, Israel said it had fired at a "terrorist squad that was planting an explosive device" near the town of Beit Hanoun. » Read more

Everything is reversible ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yariv Oppenheimer - (Opinion) September 6, 2012 - 12:00am The past few months have seen the formation of a strange alliance between some settler representatives and leading leftist figures, which is based on the lack of faith in the "two states for two peoples" paradigm. » Read more

September 5th

Giving Up ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Peter Beinart - (Opinion) September 4, 2012 - 12:00am When it comes to Israel, the American Jewish right won’t take yes for an answer. Today the Democrats released their party platform, and almost instantly, neoconservatives became apoplectic, with the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin dubbing it the “most radically unsupportive statement of policy on Israel by a major U.S. party since the founding of the state of Israel.” » Read more

Platform Change on Status of Jerusalem Sparks Debate ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal by Naftali Bendavid, Jared Favole - September 5, 2012 - 12:00am The Democratic Party released a 2012 platform Tuesday that omits previous language describing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, sparking an unexpected dust-up just as President Barack Obama is preparing to accept his party's nomination for a second term. » Read more

Israeli Talk of Attacking Iran Damages Relationship with US ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Avner Cohen - (Opinion) September 4, 2012 - 12:00am “When you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk,” goes a famous line from the old Clint Eastwood movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly » Read more

Plans To Attack Iran Unravel In the Clear Light of Reason ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Tony Karon - (Opinion) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am With bellicose theatrics between Israel and Iran nearing fever pitch, US President Barack Obama recently received some sage advice from the Bush administration's point man on dealings with the Islamic Republic. Former ambassador Nicholas Burns warned that the European-led negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme were going nowhere, and that the United States urgently needs protracted, direct negotiations with Tehran's leadership, putting all issues of conflict on the table. » Read more

Palestinian bedouins return to threatened school ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press September 5, 2012 - 12:00am Dozens of children returned to school this week, taking part in an annual ritual that has taken on a special meaning in this Bedouin tent camp. The makeshift school buildings, cobbled together from mud and old tyres, were built over the objections of the Israeli authorities, who are now threatening to demolish the structures. Israel says it will not tear them down until alternative facilities are available. » Read more