November 5th

Conflicting, wavering positions that do not help peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) November 5, 2009 - 1:00am As first lady of the United States, Hillary Clinton was the darling of Palestinians and Arabs when late in Bill Clinton’s term she uttered the hot button word: Palestine. Since then, she has been swinging depending on the political winds. As a senator for the state of New York, she became a staunch Israeli supporter, standing by Israel whether justifiably or not. To win the US presidency, she continued this pro-Israel stance, but as secretary of state in the Obama administration, she flipped back. » Read more

Poll finds support for Hamas dropping, most support elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 5, 2009 - 1:00am Bethlehem - Ma’an - Palestinians have flip-flopped in their support for Hamas, which spiked markedly following Israel’s war on Gaza last winter, a poll from the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion said. » Read more

Obama must deliver on his potential ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) November 5, 2009 - 1:00am The first nine months of US President Barack Obama's tenure at the White House have been pregnant with thought-provoking ideas and commendable aspirations aimed at improving the tarnished US image and bringing the world closer together in every way possible — especially in the Middle East, where an unresolved Arab-Israeli conflict has been simmering for more than 60 years. But there is increasing fear in Europe and the Arab world that Obama may fail to deliver on his potential. » Read more

Hamas warns of elections decree aftermath ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua November 4, 2009 - 1:00am GAZA, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- A senior Hamas official on Wednesday warned of "dangerous consequences" facing the Palestinians if President Mahmoud Abbas went ahead to stage elections without national agreement.     "The elections should be held with national understanding for the sake of the Palestinian interest," Khalil al-Hayya said at a news conference in Gaza city. » Read more

On Campus, a Divide Over ‘Pro-Israel’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Josh Nathan-Kazis - November 5, 2009 - 1:00am When an Israeli student at Carleton College complained that the school’s Jewish organization had made no official statement recognizing Israel’s right to exist, Jewish student leaders at the small liberal arts school in Minnesota found themselves stuck between two poles. They wanted to make the Israeli student feel comfortable, but they didn’t want didn’t want to alienate community members by presenting them with deep misgivings about the Jewish state. » Read more

Israel moves to rein in right-wing extremists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - November 4, 2009 - 1:00am Shvut Rachel, West Bank - A US native from this isolated settlement was arrested by Israeli security services nearly a month ago amid allegations that he killed two Palestinians more than a decade ago and attempted to murder two others more recently. The local media are calling it the latest case of Jewish terrorism. » Read more

U.S. Eases Pressure on Israel, Leans On Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - November 5, 2009 - 1:00am Relations between Washington and Jerusalem are warming, as months-long tensions over West Bank settlements and other issues have gradually eased. Israeli officials and Jewish communal leaders point to a series of events, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s praise of Israel’s movement on the settlement issue, and President Obama’s upcoming speech at the General Assembly of Jewish Federations of North America, as signs of softening in the administration’s approach toward the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. » Read more

New Jewish neighbors raise spectre of eviction for Sheikh Jarrah residents ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Abe Selig - November 5, 2009 - 1:00am Nearly two-dozen neighbors gathered inside a home on Othman Bin Afan Street in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah Wednesday afternoon, some 24 hours after a group of Jews had entered the front section of the home to carry out renovations. The property - the back section of which is home to 13 members of the al-Kurd family - was thrust into the spotlight on Tuesday as the latest in a series of Sheikh Jarrah properties embroiled in legal battles over ownership claims, and neighborhood residents who had gathered there on Wednesday had little else on their mind. » Read more

Bridging Cultures ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Raymond M. Lane - July 31, 2009 - 12:00am Barefoot and sun-blasted from a summer job working as a swim coach in upper Northwest Washington, 21-year-old Ramzy Charles Suleiman smiles an easy smile and caresses the keys of his grandmother's upright piano. » Read more

Administration missteps hamper Mideast efforts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Glenn Kessler - (Analysis) November 5, 2009 - 1:00am President Obama came into office insisting that his administration would press hard and fast to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But after nine months, analysts and diplomats say, the administration's efforts have faltered in part because of its own missteps. As Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made clear during her Middle East trip, which ended Wednesday, U.S. officials are now promoting new tactics -- what they called the "baby steps" of lower-level talks -- to bring the Israeli and Palestinian leaders together for direct talks. » Read more