2nd Palestinian shot by settlers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 28, 2011 - 1:00am

HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Two Palestinians were injured Thursday, by a group of religious Jews locals described as settlers from a nearby area. One man was beaten and the second shot, and said to be "clinically dead." The shooting is the second in as many days. Spokesman for the village Mohammad Awad said that more than 150 settlers from Bat Ayin had descended from the illegal hilltop community and entered the village of Safa early in the morning.

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Israel’s apartheid image
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Gadi Taub - (Opinion) January 28, 2011 - 1:00am

Just before going through passport control at Ben-Gurion airport, one sees a stand with small brochures packed with some basic, catchy information about Israel. These booklets are meant to equip Israelis traveling abroad with some flattering anecdotes and fundamental facts to help them improve Israel’s image overseas.

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Gaza's Hamas rulers ban 2 'anti-Islamic' books
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
January 24, 2011 - 1:00am

The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip has banned the sale of two books by Arab writers that it said "contradict" Islam. It was the latest step by the militant group to impose its strict version of Islam in Gaza. Since seizing power in 2007, Hamas has also banned women from smoking water pipes or riding motorbikes. Culture Ministry spokesman Ehab Senwar said Monday that the books were banned after residents complained about their contents. He said the books won't be sold until a committee checks their contents.

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Muslim, Christian and Jewish clerics meet in Ramallah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 6, 2011 - 1:00am

Muslim, Christian and Jewish clerics met in Ramallah on Wednesday to declare a joint stance on Israel's occupation of Jerusalem. The religious leaders met at the offices of the Islamic Christian Commission in Support of Jerusalem and the Holy Sites. In a news conference at the Ramallah office, the commission's secretary-general Dr Hasan Khatir welcomed the religious officials, in particular Rabbi Yisrael Hirsch, head of the Neturei Karta group. Khatir said the press conference was held to refute "Zionist lies."

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Ousted patriarch behind locked doors in Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Josh Lederman - January 6, 2011 - 1:00am

Six years ago, Irineos I was the patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem with about 100,000 followers. Today, he sits behind locked doors in his Old City apartment, claiming he has been imprisoned by the successor who ousted him in a dispute over sale of church land to Israelis. The only way Irineos could speak to The Associated Press Thursday was through a wireless microphone hoisted at the end of a rope to his roof — in the same black shopping bag supporters use nightly to deliver him groceries.

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Holy Land Patriarch voices hope for peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Danielle Cheslow - December 22, 2010 - 1:00am

The top Roman Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land lamented the stalemate in Mideast peace efforts on in his annual pre-Christmas address Tuesday but said he still sees reason for hope. In his annual pre-Christmas address, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal urged his followers not to give up, despite a deadlock in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that has extended for nearly three months. "We suffer from the failure of direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority," Twal said, but added, "This should not lead us to despair."

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On Israel, can U.S. Jews disagree nicely?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Sue Fishkoff - December 15, 2010 - 1:00am

Laura Sutta says she doesn’t feel safe talking about Israel. Sutta returned to the United States in 2003 after 23 years living in Israel and found that while she was away, the vitriol over Israel had reached a fever pitch in her Jewish community in the San Francisco Bay area. “I’ve lost two friendships over it,” she said. “One was a friend from high school. When I talked to him about Israel, I could feel him judging me.” Sutta says she’s dumbfounded by the “fury of the volleys being exchanged.”

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Palestinian Authority cracks down on mosques to promote moderate Islam
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Janine Zacharia - December 15, 2010 - 1:00am

EL BIREH, WEST BANK - Each week, Mahmoud Habbash, the Palestinian Authority's minister of religious affairs, sends an e-mail to mosques across the West Bank. It contains what amounts to a script for the Friday sermon that every imam is required to deliver. The practice, part of a broader crackdown on Muslim preachers considered too radical, shows the extreme steps the Palestinian Authority is taking to weaken Hamas, its Islamist rival, as it seeks to cement power and meet Israel's preconditions for peace talks.

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Bethlehem mayor complains about Israeli limits
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
December 15, 2010 - 1:00am

Bethlehem's mayor has lit up his town's main Christmas tree while complaining that Israel's limitations on access to his West Bank town are weighing heavily on holiday cheer. Mayor Victor Batarseh and a Palestinian official threw a switch to light white bulbs strung around a tall, star-topped fir tree in front of the Church of the Nativity, marking the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Part of Israel's West Bank separation barrier cuts through southern Bethlehem, blocking the road to Jerusalem, 3 miles (5 kilometers) away.

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The 'Real Jew' Debate
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Roger Cohen - (Opinion) December 10, 2010 - 1:00am

Ira Stup was raised in Philadelphia attending Jewish day school and camps. He found his home in the Jewish community and was “intoxicated with Jewish democracy” as framed in the ideals of Israel’s foundation. Now he has returned deeply troubled from a one-year fellowship based in Tel Aviv.

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