A new type of talk
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Calev Ben-Dor - (Opinion) September 15, 2010 - 12:00am

Much ink has been spilled on the direct talks between the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority and their chances of success. Ironically, agreement between the sides regarding re-starting direct negotiations for the first time in 18 months seems to have been followed by disagreement over almost everything else, including over which subjects the sides will negotiate. While the Palestinians reportedly want to begin by discussing permanent borders, Israel insists on focusing on security arrangements and its recognition as a Jewish state.

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Israel to transfer extra water to Bethlehem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 10, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli authorities have approved an increase in water supplies to the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Palestinian officials said Monday. Dr Shaddad Al-Attili, head of the Palestinian Water Authority, said that following negotiations with the Israeli water company Mekerot, an extra 2,000 cubic meters of water would be delivered daily for a limited period beginning this week. Al-Attili said the Water Authority would launch a campaign with police to punish anyone caught stealing water or using others’ water illegally.


IDF destroys West Bank village after declaring it military zone
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - July 21, 2010 - 12:00am

The IDF's Civil Administration destroyed a Palestinian village Monday morning that had earlier been cleared out when its water supply was cut off. The IDF demolished about 55 structures in the West Bank village of Farasiya, including tents, tin shacks, plastic and straw huts, clay ovens, sheep pens and bathrooms. These structures served the 120 farmers, hired workers and their families who lived in the Jordan Valley village. The Civil Administration said they had declared the area a live fire zone and posted eviction orders for 10 families in tents on June 27.

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Palestinians stealing water in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Shmulik Grossman - June 25, 2010 - 12:00am

The Israel Defense Forces recently thwarted an attempt made by Palestinians to illegally connect to the Mekorot Israel National Water infrastructure in order to siphon off water from it. Soldiers took note o four people trying to connect to the pipes south of Hebron. When the four noticed they had been discovered, they fled the scene and the soldiers followed after them. The soldiers managed to apprehend two of the four men, while the others got away.

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Water may not be big hurdle to Palestinian-Israeli peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by David Harris - May 20, 2010 - 12:00am

U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday, two days after he held talks in Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. No details of the sessions have been made public other than the Israelis' desire to move as soon as possible from indirect to face- to-face meetings and the fact that the talks are initially concentrating on the issues of borders and security.

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Thirsty Gaza residents battle salt, sewage
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Erin Cunningham - March 22, 2010 - 12:00am

Activists around the world are marking World Water Day today with school campaigns, films, and concerts – all designed to draw attention to the fact that access to safe drinking water is something 1 in 5 people don't enjoy, while 40 percent of the world's population doesn't have adequate sanitation.

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Abbas seeks U.S. pledge for East Jerusalem construction freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
March 12, 2010 - 1:00am

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday sought guarantees from Washington that it would pressure Israel to cancel its plan for 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem, Palestinian media outlets reported. U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell spoke with Abbas late Thursday and urged him not to walk away from indirect peace negotiations with Israel, a senior Palestinian official quoted in the reports said.

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Bone of contention
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Editorial) January 8, 2010 - 1:00am

The 2,000-year-old Dead Sea Scrolls have become a serious bone of contention between Jordan, the Palestinians and Israel after the latter seized them in the wake of its occupation of the West Bank in 1967. The legal squabble over which country has jurisdiction over the artefacts, which were recently on display at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, threatens to mushroom into a political controversy where the Canadian government could end up taking centre stage.

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Growing up in Bethlehem with the Dead Sea Scrolls story
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) January 7, 2010 - 1:00am

The latest news about Jordan’s demands that Canada seize the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were on display in Toronto, brings back many childhood memories for me. For perspective this is what has happened. Jordan has requested Canada to take custody of the scrolls, citing the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, to which both Jordan and Canada are signatories. On display at the exhibition were artefacts taken from the Palestine Museum (also called the Rockefeller Museum) in East Jerusalem.

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Hung out to dry in the West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Seth Freedman - (Opinion) January 3, 2010 - 1:00am

At first glance, the bedouin community of Ras al-Awja seem unaffected by the political turbulence that engulfs the rest of the region. Situated between the sprawling desert city of Jericho and the imposing mountains of the Judean desert, the bedouins' encampment is a hive of activity – not least because the birthing season is in full swing.

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