Gaza: Fears of Economic Isolation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Rick Gladstone - July 25, 2012 - 12:00am

The United Nations' top Middle East diplomat expressed growing concern on Wednesday about the precarious finances of the Palestinian Authority and the economic isolation of Gaza. The diplomat, Robert H.

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Hamas now has monopoly on summer fun for Gaza kids
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Diaa Hadid - July 17, 2012 - 12:00am

The Islamic militant Hamas has won a vital battle with the U.N. over the hearts of Gaza's children, moving unopposed into the summer camp sector this year after the world body ran out of money. That means Gaza kids who go to camp will have only the option of those that are heavy with lessons on Islam, political indoctrination and, in some cases, paramilitary training.

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Israeli military strikes Gaza, kills 1 militant
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
July 12, 2012 - 12:00am

A Palestinian militant was killed and four people were wounded in Israeli air and artillery attacks in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, a Gaza health official said. The Israeli military confirmed a combined air and artillery attack, which Gaza health official Dr. Ashraf al-Kidra said wounded three Palestinians, including one critically. Al-Kidra said a second airstrike later Thursday morning killed the militant and wounded another. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on that report.

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Israeli blockade takes its toll on mental health in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Angela Robson - July 11, 2012 - 12:00am

For as long as Farah can remember, her father has never worked. Nor, in recent years, has she particularly wanted to spend time with him. She and her three younger siblings love Abu Shawareb, insists their mother, Naima, but they have grown wary of him, particularly of his mood swings and violent outbursts. "It was like a part of me had gone for ever," says Shawareb, recalling the day five years ago when he suddenly lost his job. "I kept thinking, how am I going to feed my family? How will we live?"

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Hamas in Gaza pin hopes on Mursi's election in Egypt
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News
July 10, 2012 - 12:00am

On a sweltering July afternoon in Gaza City, Ghazi Hamed leans back in his chair and kicks off his shoes. He stretches out his legs towards a large fan whirring in the corner of his office. He seems keen to cool his toes. Hamas' deputy foreign minister is hot but he is not bothered. A smile creeps across his neatly trimmed salt and pepper beard. He's very much in the pink. "Everyone is celebrating. We are very happy. It was wonderful," he smiles.

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Lessons from Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by Tania Hary - (Opinion) June 29, 2012 - 12:00am

This month, I mark two important events which took place five years ago and changed the course of my life. It has been five years since I moved to Israel from New York and five years since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip and the closure of the enclave tightened.

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Aid groups urge Israel to lift Gaza blockade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Crispian Balmer - June 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Fifty international aid groups and United Nations agencies issued a joint appeal on Thursday calling on Israel to lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas Islamists. "For over five years in Gaza, more than 1.6 million people have been under blockade in violation of international law. More than half of these people are children. We the undersigned say with one voice: 'end the blockade now,'" the petition said.

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Gaza blockade threatens two-state solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel's 5-year blockade of the Gaza Strip has compromised the two-state solution in ways which will be difficult to reverse, an Israeli legal rights group has warned. "Gaza’s connections with Israel and the West Bank, vital for its economy and the welfare of its residents, are still subject to sweeping restrictions on movement," Gisha said in its latest report.

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The flotilla as metaphor
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - (Opinion) June 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Among the most telling aspects of the state comptroller’s report, published Wednesday, which chronicles a slapdash decision-making process inside the Prime Minister's Office in general, and with regard to the Mavi Marmara incident in particular, was Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s official response to it. In the final analysis, Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office, "Israel's citizens are enjoying a level of security that they have not known for years.”

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Gaza water too contaminated to drink, say charities
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
June 13, 2012 - 12:00am

The charities Save the Children and Medical Aid for Palestinians say the number of children being treated for diarrhoea has doubled in five years. They say Israel's five-year blockade of the territory is preventing crucial sanitation equipment from getting in. The blockade must be lifted "in its entirety", they say. The report, Gaza's Children: Falling Behind, says that high levels of nitrates and other contaminants have been found in the main water supply.

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