February 12th

Think tank: Israel faces global delegitimization campaign ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - February 12, 2010 - 1:00am Israel is facing a global campaign of delegitimization, according to a report by the Reut Institute, made available to the cabinet on Thursday. The Tel Aviv-based security and socioeconomic think tank called on ministers to treat the matter as a strategic threat. The report cites anti-Israel demonstrations on campuses, protests when Israeli athletes compete abroad, moves in Europe to boycott Israeli products, and threats of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders visiting London. » Read more

IDF thwarts knife attack on soldier in Hebron ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Anshel Pfeffer - February 12, 2010 - 1:00am The Israel Defense Forces thwarted an attempted stabbing attack by a Palestinian in Hebron on Friday. No soldier was injured during the incident, but the Palestinian attacker was shot in the stomach by IDF forces and later succumbed to his wounds at a hospital. IDF forces entered Hebron's Old City on Friday in response to reports of Palestinians throwing stones at a settler's home. Palestinians then proceeded to throw stone at the IDF forces that entered the area. » Read more

Major outbreak unlikely despite flare-up in Israeli- Palestinian clashes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by David Harris - February 11, 2010 - 1:00am For months Palestinian leaders have warned that if there is no progress on the peace front with the Israelis, Palestinians will become increasingly disillusioned and frustrated, with some likely to resort to violence. This week has seen clashes between the Palestinians and Israeli security personnel in Jerusalem and a deadly stabbing attack at an Israeli soldier in the West Bank. » Read more

Jordan calls for time frame to realize two-state solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 11, 2010 - 1:00am Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Thursday emphasized the urgency to set a specific time frame to fulfill the two-state solution, which leads to the creation of an independent Palestinian state. During talks with Mark Otti, the European Union (EU)'s envoy to the Middle East, Judeh said it is important to intensify regional and international efforts to restart the stalled Palestinian- Israeli peace talks, the state-run Petra new agency reported. » Read more

Fatah urges Hamas to sign reconciliation file before AL summit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 12, 2010 - 1:00am A high-ranking official of Palestinian Fatah movement Thursday in Egypt urged Hamas to sign the Egyptian-brokered reconciliation file before the yearly Arab summit next month. Nabil Shaath, a member of the Fatah central committee, made the remarks in a statement carried by the state-run MENA news agency. "The movement (Fatah) will not hold any discussions with Hamas unless Hamas accepts an Egyptian-sponsored paper on inter- Palestinian reconciliation," Shaath said in the statement. » Read more

Blair to 'intensify' work on Mideast peace-Clinton ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Sue Pleming, Andrew Quinn - February 12, 2010 - 1:00am Middle East envoy Tony Blair will "intensify" his work with U.S. negotiator George Mitchell to broker peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday. The former British prime minister represents the "quartet" of Middle East negotiators made up of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia. "Tony Blair, as the Quartet representative, will intensify his partnership with Senator Mitchell in support of the political negotiations," Clinton said in a statement after speaking with Blair. » Read more

Hamas boycotts meeting over municipal elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 12, 2010 - 1:00am No members of the Hamas party attended the Thursday meeting of PLO factions alongside the elections committee to prepare for a June municipal vote across the West Bank and Gaza, Fatah General Elections Commissioner Muhammad Al-Madani said. Though Hamas is not part of the PLO, the party was invited to the meeting, Al-Madani said, to prepare for elections called by the Ramallah-based caretaker government on 2 February. The Palestinian Authority Cabinet, under appointed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, set the elections date for 17 July 2010. » Read more

Peaceful Palestinian resistance is paying off ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ben White - (Opinion) February 11, 2010 - 1:00am For many, the idea of Palestinian resistance is synonymous with terrorism, conjuring up images of suicide bombings and rockets. This is a distortion shaped by the media and our politicians. Beyond the headlines, Palestinian resistance has always included nonviolent tactics. Today, in rural villages from Bilin and Jayyous to Nilin and Beit Ommar, this kind of Palestinian persistence against Israel’s separation barrier and illegal settlements is paying off – and attracting the participation of international supporters and Jewish Israelis. » Read more

A proper site for a Museum of Tolerance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Marvin Hier - (Opinion) February 12, 2010 - 1:00am Listening to the few vocal opponents of our Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem project -- among them the notorious Sheik Raed Salah, leader of the extremist Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel -- you would never know that the Israeli Supreme Court deliberated for almost three years before unanimously rejecting all their claims and authorizing the Wiesenthal Center to begin construction. Just six weeks ago, Chief Justice Dorit Beinish also rebuked those who re-petitioned the Supreme Court for an "abuse of court proceedings," ordering them to pay professional costs. » Read more

A Museum of Tolerance we don't need ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Saree Makdisi - (Opinion) February 12, 2010 - 1:00am The Simon Wiesenthal Center's plan to construct an outpost of Los Angeles' Museum of Tolerance atop the most important Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem is temporarily in disarray. This presents an opportunity to call on the center to abandon this outrageous project once and for all. The site in question is Ma'man Allah, or the Mamilla Cemetery, which had been in continuous use for centuries until 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled or driven into flight and their private property, including Ma'man Allah, was handed over to Jewish users. » Read more