Hebron: Separate roads for Jews, Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Elior Levy - March 6, 2013 - 1:00am

The segregated Jewish-Palestinian bus lines offered by the Afikim bus company in the West Bank have caused quite the stir recently, but this division has already been effective in Hebron for years.

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Ramallah is Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Arabiya
(Opinion) March 5, 2013 - 1:00am

No other city says Palestine to me more than Ramallah. At the Kalandia checkpoint, a large Israeli sign warns visitors they are about to enter Palestinian territories and that as such their safety and security are under threat. The obvious separation wall Israel has erected is an eyesore that immediately sets a mood of desperation and isolation. The huge cement wall which Israel calls “security fence” is tall and lifeless. It separates, divides even West Bank residents from their schools and businesses.

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Hamas as ‘terrorist’ organization hampers peace process: James Baker
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Arabiya
March 5, 2013 - 1:00am

One solution to promote peace between Palestinians and Israelis is to have non-Hamas members from the Gaza Strip negotiating peace, a former U.S. official told Al Arabiya. “Israel and the United States will not work with Hamas because it is seen to be a terrorist organization,” James Baker, who served as the Chief of Staff in the final year of the administration of President George H.W. Bush said.

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New routes to racism
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) March 5, 2013 - 1:00am

At the beginning of the week, separate bus lines were launched for Palestinians in the territories who travel into Israel. The Transportation Ministry claims the lines are meant to ease travel conditions for the Palestinians, but they’re actually another manifestation of a regime based on discrimination and segregation.

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Palestinians Pressured To Leave 'Area C' of Occupied West Bank by Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Ben Lynfield - (Opinion) March 5, 2013 - 1:00am

In this village of 250 residents just north of Jerusalem, elementary school principal Khalil Abu Arqoub must choose daily between heeding the orders of Israeli military administrators and upholding the well-being of his pupils. As part of Israel’s stringent building restrictions in this area, the toilet of the Nabi Samwil Mixed Basic School, which he directs, has a demolition order against it. So does the wire fence the school erected to separate the children’s play area from cars traversing the badly potholed road from the Tomb of Samuel holy site.

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This Is What the Challenges for Israel and Palestine Look Like
In Print by Ziad Asali - The Atlantic (Opinion) - March 5, 2013 - 1:00am

As President Obama prepares to visit Israel and Palestine later this month, he's facing a set of political and diplomatic impasses that seem virtually insurmountable. Israel and the Palestinians have never been further apart on final-status issues since formal negotiations began more than 20 years ago.

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Palestinian Justice System Still a Work in Progress
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Diana Atallah - March 4, 2013 - 1:00am

Ramallah -- When a Palestinian court ordered a government center in 2011 to remove garbage they disposed of on lands belonging to Majid Zaher (not his real name) near Ramallah, he thought his case was over.

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Israel takes heat for de facto segregation on new West Bank buses
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - March 4, 2013 - 1:00am

Kfar Saba, Israel The Afikim Bus No. 210 pulled up to a stop outside the main shopping mall in this Tel Aviv suburb on its maiden run from Israel to the West Bank on Monday, but for unsuspecting Israelis who tried to board the driver had a swift interdict.

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Gaza Gas Can't Help Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Omar Shaban - March 4, 2013 - 1:00am

Despite their geographical distance, Gaza and Nigeria are similar on many levels. Nigeria is one of the largest oil exporters in the world, but one of the poorest countries. Hundreds of Nigerians die while trying to obtain a few liters of their own oil, even as it flows right in front of their eyes. Gazans also suffer from severe poverty, high unemployment and deaths due to continuous power cuts, despite large gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea, right before their eyes.

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Israelis Divided Over Separate Bus Lines for Arabs and Jews in Occupied West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Robert Mackey - March 4, 2013 - 1:00am

Israel’s transportation ministry introduced Monday what it billed as improved service for nearly 30,000 Palestinians who live under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank and commute to work daily in Israel: two new bus lines “designated” for their use.

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