February 22nd

UK offers help to Israelis linked to Dubai killing
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Aron Heller - February 21, 2010 - 1:00am

The British Embassy in Israel said Sunday it is giving new passports to six British nationals whose identities were stolen by the suspects in the slaying of a top Hamas operative in Dubai — a first step toward clearing their names and returning their lives to normal. The six Britons — and a seventh man whose name appeared on a German passport used by the alleged hit squad — have had their lives thrown into turmoil by the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh last month. The seven, all dual citizens, have expressed anger and confusion and say they were victims of identity theft.

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UK offers help to Israelis linked to Dubai killing
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Aron Heller - February 21, 2010 - 1:00am

The British Embassy in Israel said Sunday it is giving new passports to six British nationals whose identities were stolen by the suspects in the slaying of a top Hamas operative in Dubai — a first step toward clearing their names and returning their lives to normal. The six Britons — and a seventh man whose name appeared on a German passport used by the alleged hit squad — have had their lives thrown into turmoil by the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh last month. The seven, all dual citizens, have expressed anger and confusion and say they were victims of identity theft.

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EU condemns Dubai killing and passports theft
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Luke Baker - February 22, 2010 - 1:00am

European Union foreign ministers condemned on Monday the use of forged European passports by assassins who killed a Palestinian militant in Dubai, but made no direct reference to Israel. Diplomatic sources said earlier on Monday that the statement was intended to censure Israel over its alleged involvement in the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh last month. Israel has declined to confirm or deny any involvement.

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Hamas to Dubai police: Prove collaborator claim
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 22, 2010 - 1:00am

Hamas said on Monday that Dubai Chief of Police Dahi Khalfan Tamim had yet to provide evidence that a collaborator from within the movement had supplied Mossad with information on Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, who was murdered in his Dubai hotel room in January. "Who is this person he speaks of, why haven't they disclosed his name and why wasn't he arrested like the two other Palestinians?" party sources said.

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Clashes reported in Hebron over Israeli heritage decision
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 22, 2010 - 1:00am

Confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli forces were reported in Hebron on Monday, as public figures declare a general strike across the city, amidst growing anger at the Israeli cabinet's decision to include two religious sites in the occupied West Bank, including Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque. Protesters in the southern part of the city set tires alight, while in the city center, an Israeli military outpost at the entrance of Ash-Shuhada' street, closed off to Palestinians, was pelted with stones. According to locals, Israeli soldiers used stun grenades against demonstrators.

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February 19th

ATFP Senior Fellow Addresses Conference on Iran and the Arab World at Rutgers
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - February 24, 2010 - 1:00am

ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish participated in a day-long conference on Saturday, February 13 at Rutgers University on Iran and the Arab World: New Horizons. Ibish appeared on a panel entitled "Iran, the US and the Arab World," along with professors Roozbeh Shirazi of CUNY and Stephen R. Shalom of William Paterson University.


ATFP Senior Fellow Gives Graduate Seminar at Georgetown
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - February 22, 2010 - 1:00am

ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish lectured at a graduate seminar at Georgetown University on Islam, perceptions of Islam and Islamophobia in the United States on February 16, 2010. Ibish gave the Georgetown graduate students a brief rundown on the essential elements of the Islamic faith, but concentrated most of his talk on the evolution of Western perceptions of Islam and Muslims.


Fallout from the al-Mabhouh assassination continues to dominate coverage: reports increasingly focus on the botched nature of the operation; Hamas retracts accusations against the PA; criticism in the Israeli press extends to cartoonists; Israeli officials say they expect a manageable backlash; the AP reviews the history of Mossad assassinations and Ha'aretz profiles its Kidon unit; the BBC asks why al-Mabhouh went to Dubai and The Independent interviews his brother; Israel's UK embassy issues a provocative tweet apparently boasting about the murder. Palestinian officials say their state and institution building plans extend into Area C and US officials suggest the Quartet will support this. Ha'aretz says Palestinians have agreed to begin proximity talks next week. A YNet commentary asks why Israel is so opposed to Palestinian nonviolence. PM Fayyad tells US Jewish leaders Israeli incursions undermine the PA. A new survey in the occupied territories shows Hamas would lose new elections and Fatah enjoys a 33% advantage in popularity.

Hamas Would Lose Elections
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Benjamin Joffe-Walt - February 18, 2010 - 1:00am

Survey finds Fatah to be 33% more popular than Hamas. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' party Fatah would crush their rivals Hamas were elections to be held today, a Palestinian survey has found. A survey conducted earlier this week in both the West Bank and Gaza and released Thursday found that 48 percent of voters would support Fatah were presidential elections held next week, while only 11 percent would vote for Hamas. 10 percent of respondents said they would vote for other Palestinian political parties and 31 percent said they were undecided or would not vote.

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Taking credit without responsibility, Israel expects little diplomatic fallout
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Omar Karmi - February 17, 2010 - 1:00am

Was it a diplomatic mess or a political success? Israeli opinion about the assassination of Mahmoud al Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel last month swings between both, even as few rule out the possibility of Mossad involvement. The Israeli government is maintaining its standard policy of ambiguity in such cases, neither confirming nor denying involvement, a policy that enables the country to claim “credit” without taking responsibility.

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