Middle East News: World Press Roundup

NEWS: A new UN report details poverty in Gaza. Palestinians continue to protest rising prices, as truck drivers block streets. Israeli officials rule out Palestinian requests to modify the Paris Protocol to ease economic woes. The PA says public employees will receive half pay on Wednesday. Protesters call on Pres. Abbas to resign. PM Fayyad says the protests demonstrate the PA's commitment to freedom of expression. A rocket fired from Gaza hits a house in southern Israel, causing damage but no injuries. Israel will compensate a Palestinian family which lost two sons in the 2009 Gaza war. Israel's Cabinet votes to upgrade the status of a school in a West Bank settlement to that of an officially recognized “university.” Palestinian children in occupied Hebron face serious challenges in returning to school. Some Palestinians in Jordan are threatened with losing their citizenship. Palestinian refugees in Lebanon suffer from long waits for medical care. COMMENTARY: Saud Abu Ramadan argues Salafist militants in Gaza are trying to drag Hamas into a war with Israel. Adam Gonn says there's a direct connection between a potential renewed Palestinian UN bid and the urgent need for economic relief. Amira Hass says Palestinians should remember their problems mainly stem from the occupation. Hagai Segal says the settlers have won the battle for the West Bank against Israeli moderates and the Palestinians. Alon Liel says Israel is repeating its “low stool” diplomatic tactics used against Turkish officials with US Amb. Shapiro. Salman Masalha says it's ridiculous that anybody involved in the Oslo Accords ever got a Nobel Peace Prize. Eric Yoffie says it won't matter much to Israel whether Pres. Obama is reelected or Mitt Romney wins the presidency. Robert Turner says the new UN report shows the urgent need to lift the blockade of Gaza. The National encourages the Palestinians to seek greater recognition at the UN. Tariq Alhomayed says it is political buffoonery for Arabs to allow Hamas and Hezbollah to thrive while the PA is on the brink of bankruptcy. Dan Ephron profiles Israel's powerful and growing settler movement.

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‘Forgotten Neighborhood’ Underscores the Poverty of an Isolated Enclave ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Jodi Rudoren - September 9, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY — In the Forgotten Neighborhood, houses have walls but no floors: people sit, eat and sleep on the sand. » Read more

Palestinian protests turn violent in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - September 10, 2012 - 12:00am HEBRON, WEST BANK — Palestinian protests against the high cost of living have turned violent in the West Bank city of Hebron. » Read more

Protesting Palestinian truck drivers block streets ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press September 9, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, WEST BANK — Dozens of Palestinian truck drivers have blocked the main streets of the West Bank city of Ramallah to protest rising prices. » Read more

Protests continue in West Bank as Israel unlikely to amend economic deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 10, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli official on Monday ruled out that Israel would accept the Palestinians' request to modify Paris protocol that regulates economic relations between the two sides, as public sectors went on strike in the West Bank to protest the rising cost of living. » Read more

PA: Civil servants to be paid half salaries by Wednesday ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 10, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – The Palestinian Authority’s ministry of finance will pay civil servants half of their monthly salary by Wednesday, minister of finance Nabil Qassis announced on Sunday evening. » Read more

Ramallah protestors call on Abbas to resign ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 10, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Demonstrators in Ramallah called on President Abbas to resign on Sunday, a Ma'an correspondent said, as protests over the rising cost of living continue in the West Bank. » Read more

Fayyad: Protests prove PA committed to freedom of expression ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 10, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The ongoing protests against rising living costs in the West Bank prove the Palestinian Authority is committed to the right to freedom of expression, PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Sunday. » Read more

Rocket fired from Gaza strikes house in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press September 8, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — The military says a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit the roof of a house in southern Israel, causing damage but no injuries. » Read more

Israel to compensate Gaza family over two sons' deaths in 2009 war ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 10, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The state of Israel will pay 430,000 shekels (108,000 U.S. dollars) in compensation to a Gaza family who lost both of its sons to army gunfire during the 2009 Gaza War. » Read more

Israel's West Bank university upgrade escalates row ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - September 9, 2012 - 12:00am The Israeli cabinet has voted to upgrade an educational institution in the West Bank settlement of Ariel to a fully-fledged university in a controversial step likely to fuel the international boycott movement. » Read more

For Palestinian Kids in Hebron, Little Joy on Back-to-School Day ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Lena Odgaard - September 9, 2012 - 12:00am HEBRON — Catching up with friends, showing off new clothes and getting new books — for most kids, the first day of school is exciting. But for Palestinian children who live in or go to school in the Old City of Hebron, the day is nothing to look forward to. Here, crossing checkpoints manned by heavily armed Israeli soldiers and dodging barbs and attacks from Israeli settlers are unfortunate parts of an ordinary school day. » Read more

Revoking citizenships: The future of Palestinians in Jordan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Arabiya by Ali Younes - September 10, 2012 - 12:00am For former Jordanian citizen Akram abu al-Reish the reality of finding himself overnight a stateless person without any documentation to prove his legal existence was a very harsh reality that he and his family had to contend with since 2008. Although he was born and raised in Jordan and of Palestinian origins, his ordeal started when he was summoned to the Jordanian Interior ministry and was ordered to surrender his Jordanian passport, his driver license and his national number. He was offered no explanation, and practically was kicked out to the street. » Read more

Palestinians languish in long wait for critical medical care ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Alex Taylor - September 10, 2012 - 12:00am BEIRUT: Mohammad Twieh, an 18-year-old resident of Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, was told as a child he would not survive to adulthood without a liver transplant by 2007. » Read more

News Analysis: Gaza Salafi militants attempt to drag Hamas into war with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Saud Abu Ramadan - (Analysis) September 10, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Despite a calm agreement mediated by Egypt between Israel and the Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, extremist Islamic Salafi Jihad (Holy War) militants haven't stopped firing rockets from the enclave at southern Israel in an attempt to drag Hamas into a war with Israel. Minor militant groups, mainly the Salafis, never recognized the deal brokered in early 2009 and kept firing rockets at Israel until now. » Read more

News Analysis: Palestinians' second UN bid a cry for economic aid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Adam Gonn - September 10, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian National Authority ( PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday announced that he will -- once again -- seek United Nations recognition for Palestine as a non-member state. Last year, Abbas asked the UN to upgrade the status of Palestine from non-member entity to non-member state, and to recognize it as a state under occupation along the post-1967 war lines. » Read more

Someone tell the Palestinians: It's the occupation, stupid! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) September 10, 2012 - 12:00am “Geniuses,” I said to myself when dozens of trucks and taxis blocked traffic in the heart of Hebron last Wednesday in protest against the price hikes. “Geniuses,” I continued to think when four hours later I passed by the same place, and heard that other demonstrators had set fire to an effigy of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. » Read more

Great year for settlers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Hagai Segal - (Opinion) September 10, 2012 - 12:00am I admit that the recent evacuation of the Migron outpost in the West Bank did not upset me too much. It was a sad day for those who support the settlement enterprise, and maybe for any Israeli with some sense of compassion, but it was not a major disaster. Comparing it to the uprooting of Yamit or the disengagement from Gaza is ridiculous. » Read more

‘Low Stool,’ the sequel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Alon Liel - (Opinion) September 10, 2012 - 12:00am Hollywood always recycles successful movies. Thus we had the privilege of seeing “The Godfather 2” and “Superman 2,” as well as many others that were not always such wonderful productions. In our region, too, they have learned to recycle successes, and sometimes also failures. So we got the Second Intifada and the Second Lebanon War. But now we seem to have done even better: Someone in the Israeli government has decided to recycle the “Low Stool” and we have now witnessed the horrifying turn of events in “Low Stool 2.” » Read more

The dwarfs of Oslo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Salman Masalha - (Opinion) September 10, 2012 - 12:00am In 1993, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to two African leaders: Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk. The award went to them for bringing to an end the apartheid regime in South Africa by peaceful means. These two leaders were certainly deserving of the prestigious prize. » Read more

Obama or Romney? Makes little difference for Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Eric H. Yoffie - (Opinion) September 10, 2012 - 12:00am The conventions are finally over.  We have listened to the speeches, seen the videos, and read the platforms.  And as American Jews committed to the Jewish state, we can now say with confidence:  It makes very little difference to Israel who wins this election. There is a single American foreign policy on Israel, embraced by the two major parties, with some differences in style but very modest differences in substance. » Read more

Gaza: an early warning of disaster ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Robert Turner - (Opinion) September 9, 2012 - 12:00am The international system is often accused of failing to give adequate early warning; of being myopic and not furnishing the appropriate powers with data and analysis that would allow an effective, timely response to predictable disasters. With the recent publication of the report, Gaza in 2020: a Liveable Place?, it would be hard to level these accusations at the UN country team in the occupied Palestinian territory. » Read more

UN recognition is best course for Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) September 10, 2012 - 12:00am The Palestinian Authority is at a crossroads, although many will expect President Mahmoud Abbas to steer along the same deadend track. On Saturday, Mr Abbas repeated a promise to return to the United Nations to press for recognition of Palestinian statehood; and yesterday, the PA proposed renegotiating the Paris Protocols, which govern its economic arrangements with Israel. » Read more

Love, bankruptcy and buffoonery in our region ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) September 10, 2012 - 12:00am The Iranian President told his Palestinian counterpart that he loves the Palestinians, prompting Abbas to reply: “For God’s sake, love us all”, i.e. not just Hamas. But it is hard for Ahmadinejad to do that, for Iran and its adherers will not be satisfied with the Palestinians until they are a game in their hands, like Hamas, Hezbollah and al-Assad. » Read more

A Dream Not Deferred ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Newsweek by Dan Ephron - (Opinion) September 10, 2012 - 12:00am Dror Etkes should have been pleased. Six years ago, the 44-year-old Israeli peace activist asked Israel’s High Court of Justice to intervene in the case of a Jewish settlement outpost in the West Bank built on Palestinian farmland. Etkes, who spends much of his time fighting settlement expansion, thought the Migron outpost could be a test case. But when the court finally ordered Israeli authorities to evict the settlement’s 50 families last week, he couldn’t bring himself to celebrate. » Read more

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