July 25th, 2011

UNRWA responds to Gaza protests ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 25, 2011 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The UN agency for Palestinian refugees was forced to close its offices in Gaza City last week as protesters blockaded its entrances, angry at the slashing of UNRWA's emergency programs. Demonstrators physically blocked the entrances of the agency's offices with large vehicles after UNRWA removed tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees from its food distribution list. UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness has said the lack of donor funds to the agency -- and anti-UN protests on the doorstep of Israel -- directly affect the stability of the region. » Read more

Barak: Focus on Europe to stop UN bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 25, 2011 - 12:00am JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday that Israel must exert all efforts to avoid a confrontation with the Palestinian Authority over its plan to seek recognition at the United Nations in September. Barak told Israel's Army Radio that his government's main concern was to mobilize European support to stop the PA's bid. The defense minister said he believed dialogue with the Palestinians was possible to prevent them seeking UN recognition. » Read more

July 22nd

IDF Civil Administration pushing for land takeover in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - July 22, 2011 - 12:00am The IDF Civil Administration is taking steps to increase state-ownership of West Bank lands, an internal military document reveals. The policy enables increased construction not only around settlement blocs like Ariel, Ma'aleh Adumim and Gush Etzion, but also in strategic areas like the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea. Until now it was not known that the administration, which is a military agency, was charged with distinguishing between the blocs Israel is demanding to annex as part of a final-status agreement and the rest of the settlements. » Read more

Abbas: UN approval will allow us to treat Israel as equals ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by KHALED ABU TOAMEH - July 22, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday the Palestinians were seeking membership in the United Nations so they could enter negotiations with Israel as equal partners. Abbas said during a visit to Barcelona, Spain, that once the Palestinians gain membership in the UN, they would return to the negotiating table with Israel. “We want to go to the UN and the Security Council to ask for membership of Palestine in the UN,” the official Palestinian news agency WAFA quoted Abbas as saying. » Read more

PNA warns of new measures to oppose Israeli policy on Palestinian prisoners ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 22, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority on Thursday threatened to take a series of measures to press Israel to stop recent policies against Palestinian prisoners. Minister of Prisoners Affairs, Eissa Qaraqe, said that the PNA would boycott the Israeli judiciary system and prisoners would stop appearing before Israeli courts. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners have boycotted the Israeli courts as a symbolic protest that could end with issuing default judgment. » Read more

REFILE-Israel torn on apologising to Turks over Gaza ship ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Dan Williams - July 21, 2011 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, July 21 (Reuters) - Israel is debating whether to say sorry for storming a Gaza-bound Turkish activist ship last year, after its jurists recommended satisfying Ankara's demand for an apology to help fend off war-crimes lawsuits. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far voiced only "regret" for the navy's killing of nine pro-Palestinian Turks aboard the Mavi Marmara, but Israeli officials say support for a stronger show of contrition is spreading in his government. » Read more

Palestinians take their case for statehood to Turkey ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Agence France Press (AFP) - July 22, 2011 - 12:00am ISTANBUL // Palestinian officials said their foreign envoys would meet the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmud Abbas, in Istanbul tomorrow to discuss his efforts to win UN recognition of a Palestinian state. » Read more

Might some stay? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Economist July 21, 2011 - 12:00am EVERY Friday and often after school on other days, Israeli soldiers fire tear-gas and sonic bombs at the Palestinian children as they approach a spring. It sits in a valley that separates Nabi Saleh, an Arab village of 500 people half an hour’s drive north of Jerusalem, from Halamish, a religious Jewish settlement. On most nights jeeps roll through the village; over the past 18 months the Israeli army has detained 32 of its children, some as young as eleven. » Read more

BDS, the boycott law and Israel's democracy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Naomi Chazan - (Opinion) July 21, 2011 - 12:00am July 11, 2011 was a watershed in Israel's political history. The adoption by the Knesset of "The Law to Prevent Harm to the State of Israel via Boycott" (generally known as the boycott law), makes it a compensable civil wrong to publicly encourage a boycott against the state of Israel, its institutions or any territory under its rule. » Read more

PA reduces price of bread to counter economy crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 21, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – The Palestinian Authority ministry of national economy decided to lower bread prices from 4 to 3.5 shekels per kilo (10 slices). The decision goes into effect Saturday. Economy minister Hasan Abu Libdah announced the decision Wednesday at a news conference in Ramallah. He said the ministry would introduce a series of procedures during Ramadan to cope with the dire economic conditions. There will be monthly updates on the price, according to the production costs. » Read more