Don't Shut the Switch
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) March 19, 2012 - 12:00am

One of the items not transferred to the Palestinian Authority with its creation in 1994 was electricity generation. With the exception of the Jericho area, the PA is not permitted to generate any of its own electricity. In fact, even the PA’s creation of distribution companies in the West Bank is not in accord with the agreement. In terms of electricity for the Palestinians, the Israeli Civil Administration is fully in charge.

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Israelis See Iran “Mini-Drill” in Gaza Flare Up
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Dan Williams - March 13, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, March 13 (Reuters) - Israel has emerged from the past few days of fighting with Palestinians in Gaza more confident that its advanced missile shield and civil defences can perform well in any war with Iran. Describing how the flare-up in violence had provided an impromptu opportunity to test out Israel's defences, one Israeli official said on Tuesday it gave useful indicators for any potential conflict with Tehran: "In a sense, this was a mini-drill," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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UN: Gaza exports long way off despite trial
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Karin Laub - March 6, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The U.N.'s World Food Program is exporting 140 tons of date bars to the West Bank from Gaza this week, hoping this first shipment in nearly five years will help revive a vital trade route, an official said Tuesday. An Israeli official said a resumption of regular exports from Gaza to the West Bank is unlikely, citing security concerns and a desire not to reward Gaza's Hamas rulers.

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Jordan’s Lukewarm Welcome for Gazan Job Seekers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Abdullah Omar - February 29, 2012 - 1:00am

AMMAN -- Jordan is reportedly taking steps toward easing restrictions on Palestinians from the Gaza Strip looking for work in the kingdom, but progress has been slow amid controversy over its impact on the unemployment rate and the country’s sensitive demographics. But even as progress has been slow, Gazans living in the kingdom like Ahmed Abdel Munim, who lives in a refugee camp near the Roman-era city of Jerash and is one of the beneficiaries, say they are already feeling the change.

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Gaza power plant closes again
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 28, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Gaza's only power plant has been forced to shut down for the second time in two weeks due to a fuel shortage, the energy authority in the Gaza Strip said Tuesday. Energy officials appealed to Egypt to provide Gaza with a sufficient amount of fuel to allow regular operation of the plant, adding that the disruptions were inflicting a heavy toll on the 1.7 million Palestinian residents of the blockaded strip.

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Hamas, Qatar to sign 250 million USD deal to rebuild Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 26, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Gaza's Hamas leaders will sign a deal with the Qatari government to get more than 250 million U.S. dollars for reconstruction projects in the Gaza Strip, a Hamas minister said on Sunday. The deal is being finalized and will be signed in a week, said Yousef al-Mansi, Hamas minister of housing and public work. Under the agreement, 5,000 houses will be built and 55,000 would be repaired, he told Xinhua, explaining that these houses were damaged during Israel's major military offensive more than three years ago.

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Emergency fuel arrives from Egypt via Gaza tunnels
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 20, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A limited delivery of fuel arrived in the Gaza Strip on Monday, brought in through underground tunnels from Egypt, as the energy authority director said he expects a long term solution to the widespread blackouts to be agreed with Egypt this week. The fuel has allowed the power authority to reactivate one of the four generators at Gaza's sole power plant, the authority said in a statement.

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Gaza power plant stops due to smuggled fuel shortage
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Nidal al-Mughrabi - February 14, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The Gaza Strip's only power station, which supplies the Palestinian enclave with up to two-thirds of its energy needs, was shut down on Tuesday because of a shortage of fuel smuggled in from neighbouring Egypt. The closure led to widespread blackouts for Gaza's 1.7 million inhabitants. The local power company warned that households would receive only six hours of electricity a day until the problem was resolved.

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Sitting Pretty: Gaza Renews Furniture Exports
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Omar Ghraieb - February 1, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israel’s blockade of goods coming into the Gaza Strip has been the target of flotillas and a cause for concern among human rights activists and economists alike. But the difficulty of getting products out of this tiny Mediterranean enclave is just as important to the well-being of its 1.7 million residents.

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Elections Office Opens in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 25, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The Gaza headquarters of the Central Elections Commission reopened Tuesday and will start work Wednesday, officials said. CEC director Jamil Khalidi received keys for the Gaza City office a day after the commission's chairman Hanna Nasir lamented its closure. Nasir said Monday that the Hamas-led government had failed to reopen the elections offices despite pledging to do so two weeks earlier.

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