February 13th

Israel's broken politics
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Boston Globe
February 13, 2009 - 1:00am

ISRAEL has enough troubles without having to cope with a dysfunctional political system. Yet that is exactly what Israelis are now struggling to do in the aftermath of Tuesday's general election. This was a democratic exercise in which the winner, Kadima Party leader Tzipi Livni, is almost certain to end up the loser, while the loser, Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, will likely form the next government with a melange of partners he would rather not have.

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Congressman Ackerman Speaks Middle East Truth
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by M.J. Rosenberg - (Blog) February 13, 2009 - 1:00am

Anyone who believes that anti-Semitism is a thing of the past needs to consider the case of Bishop Richard Williamson, the cleric who denies that the Holocaust occurred and insists that the murder of six million Jews is "lies, lies, lies." Williamson is a Jew-hater, pure and simple. Pope Benedict's support for him demonstrates that the current pontiff, who started out as a Hitler Youth, has a rather different attitude toward Jews than his revered predecessor, John Paul II, who started out in the Polish Resistance.

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Congressman Ackerman Speaks Middle East Truth
Media Mention of Ziad Asali In The Huffington Post - February 13, 2009 - 1:00am

Anyone who believes that anti-Semitism is a thing of the past needs to consider the case of Bishop Richard Williamson, the cleric who denies that the Holocaust occurred and insists that the murder of six million Jews is "lies, lies, lies." Williamson is a Jew-hater, pure and simple. Pope Benedict's support for him demonstrates that the current pontiff, who started out as a Hitler Youth, has a rather different attitude toward Jews than his revered predecessor, John Paul II, who started out in the Polish Resistance.

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February 12th

ATFP President Ziad Asali testifies before Congress regarding the aftermath of the Gaza war (1). Israeli elections result in political gridlock as the Kadima party winds up with a one seat victory over Likud (2) (3) (7). The Christian Science Monitor looks at the rise of Avigdor Leiberman’s ultra-right wing party (4). A pair of articles by Aaron David Miller discuss the Israeli elections and the future of the peace process (5) (6). Israel allows a temporary easing of the blockade for Gazan farmers to export flowers to Europe (8). IDF planes strike a Hamas post in southern Gaza (15).

Thinking Right About Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum
by Aaron David Miller - (Blog) February 12, 2009 - 1:00am

The results of this week's elections in Israel validate a reality that has been stunningly obvious for some time now: the future of peace and war making in Israel is now firmly in the hands of the Israeli right and center right. You don't need a genius to conclude that the story line on peacemaking has been there for a long while. From Begin to Shamir, to Rabin to Sharon to Olmert and now to Netanyahu and Livni, the saga of Israel's quest for peace and/or peaceable arrangements with its neighbors has been a story of doves talking the talk and hawks - pure or transformed - walking the walk.

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Oral Testimony of ATFP President Ziad J. Asali: House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia Hearing on aftermath of Gaza war
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from
February 12, 2009 - 1:00am

House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia Chairman Gary L. Ackerman (D-NY) February 12, 2009 Mr. Chairman, I wish to thank you and the Sub-Committee's esteemed members for the privilege to testify before you, and summarize my written testimony. Although Hamas launched reckless and provocative rocket attacks against Israel, Gazans are not Hamas, they are not combatants, and should not be punished. As a human being, and as a physician, I was horrified by the tragedy that has befallen the people of Gaza by Israel’s disproportionate use of force.

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Egyptian police arrest 40 smugglers near Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
February 12, 2009 - 1:00am

Egyptian police have arrested 40 suspected smugglers and seized contraband goods in a new crackdown on smuggling along the country's border with the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian security official said on Thursday. The official said hundreds of security forces have been deployed in and around the town of Rafah, located along the sensitive border with the Palestinian Hamas-run coastal area. The goods seized in the latest raids are worth about $1 million, he said but did not elaborate.

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Key to who will govern Israel: Avigdor Lieberman
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - February 12, 2009 - 1:00am

Israel is in a political bind. The nation voted Tuesday, but Wednesday two leaders claimed victory and a third-party newcomer found himself anointed the new Israeli "kingmaker." Centrist Tzipi Livni's Kadima won 28 seats in the Knesset, or parliament, while right-wing Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud took 27 – so slim a margin that neither can claim a governing majority.

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Obama must resort to arm-twisting
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) February 11, 2009 - 1:00am

Barack Obama does not expect to be woken up at 3am over any imminent Middle East crisis. The Iranians were apparently pleased with his offer to start a dialogue during his very first live press conference, and the Israeli elections apparently have returned the ruling Kadima party to power although it is not yet certain whether Tzipi Livni will be able to form a new coalition government on the second try.

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Middle East peace process in need of serious Israeli partner - Abul-Gheit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)
February 12, 2009 - 1:00am

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul-Gheit said on Thursday that the peace process is in need of a serious Israeli partner. Abul-Gheit added in statements to the press, in his first comments on the Israeli elections' results, that the current situation in the region requires awareness that peace and stability will not be achieved unless all international resolutions are implemented and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

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