May 12th

Arabs have a complex relationship with the Holocaust
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Gilbert Achcar - (Analysis) May 12, 2010 - 12:00am

The issue of Holocaust denial in the Arab world has been widely covered in the media. Every public display of Holocaust denial by an Arab source is prominently reported and construed as further evidence of the pro-Nazi inclinations that Arabs, or Muslims, hold in their deepest hearts, especially when they are hostile to Israel. The deliberate provocations that the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, stages regularly contribute considerably to fostering this image.

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Olmert speaks out against proximity talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Atilla Somfalvi - May 11, 2010 - 12:00am

While under investigation over his alleged involvement in the Holyland affair, Former Prime Minster Ehud Olmert on Tuesday questioned the effectiveness of proximity talks with the Palestinians and said that "anything less than direct talks – is not as good." During a speech at the Social Economic Forum named after Benny Gaon in Tel Aviv, Olmert said that "there was no need for a referee between us and the Palestinians.

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Israel halts care for dead militant's relative
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Karoun Demirjian - May 11, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel has barred a cousin of an assassinated Hamas operative from entering from Gaza for medical care, security officials said Tuesday, though the man's doctors warn his life is in danger. Mohammed al-Mabhouh, 56, is the cousin of senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, who was assassinated in Dubai in January in a hit local authorities blamed on Israel's Mossad spy agency. Israel has not commented on the charge.

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Fatah: Israel planning mall in East Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 12, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel is planning to build a shopping mall in East Jerusalem on three dunums of land owned by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Endowments, behind the US Consulate, Fatah Jerusalem Affairs official Hatem Abdul Qader said Tuesday. The land's trustee was handed down administrative orders, including eviction notices, from the director of the Israel Lands Administration, claiming the land as government owned rather than residential, Abdul Qader said.

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Abbas, Obama agreed to top proximity talks with borders, security issues
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 12, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. President Barack Obama have agreed that the U.S.-proposed indirect Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks would focus on the issues of security and borders, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported Tuesday. In a phone conversation, the two leaders have also emphasized that neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis should make any " provocative" action "that could destroy the confidence" during the talks, according to Wafa.

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Readout of the President’s Call with President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority
Press Release - May 12, 2010 - 12:00am




Jerusalem Old City Initiative Releases New Peace Plan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Voice of America
by Meredith Buel - May 12, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel and the Palestinians have resumed peace talks following a 17-month break in negotiations. Possibly the most difficult issue on the table in the conflict is the future of Jerusalem's Old City - an area sacred to Muslims, Christians and Jews. A group of Israelis, Palestinians, Canadians and Americans has released a new initiative designed to help the parties resolve this thorny problem.

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What Do Israelis Think of Obama?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Review Of Books
May 12, 2010 - 12:00am

“PRES OBAMA: SAVE ISRAEL FROM ITSELF.” So proclaimed a sign at a demonstration in late March in Sheik Jarrah, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem where activists gather every Friday to protest the eviction of Palestinian residents from their homes. Among the demonstrators was the Israeli novelist David Grossman, with whom I struck up a conversation about Barack Obama, who is not generally regarded as a popular figure in Israel these days, not least because of his public call for a halt to Israeli settlement activity.

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May 11th

Two Palestinian citizens of Israel are arrested on charges of spying for Hezbollah, hundreds protest. The UN development says there is a lack of human security in the occupied territories. A fire at an Israeli warehouse causes heavy losses to Gaza merchants. Israeli settlers increase attacks on Palestinian mosques. Bradley Burston suggests Israel is starting to resemble a police state. Israel says it will demolish 46 settler structures for violating the partial moratorium. Gideon Levy describes Israel's campaign against pro-Palestinian foreign visitors. An Israeli NGO seeks to keep a West Bank highway closed to Palestinians. DM Barak says the occupation is eroding Israel's global status. Gershon Baskin urges optimism on proximity talks. Daoud Kuttab says peace must be pursued by all means. Uri Avnery says John Mearsheimer is wrong to think peace is impossible. Ghassan Khatib says settlements remain the make or break issue. Yossi Alpher says PM Netanyahu wants direct negotiations. Mkhaimar Abusada says any failure will produce a period of volatility in Palestinian politics. Sasha Polakow-Suransky summarizes Israel's deep relationship with apartheid South Africa in light of accusations against Judge Goldstone.

Gold stones, glass houses
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Sasha Polakow-Suransky - (Opinion) May 10, 2010 - 12:00am

The Israeli government has it in for Richard Goldstone. Ever since Goldstone, a Jewish South African judge, issued a report in September charging Israel (and Hamas) with war crimes during the January 2009 invasion of Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attacked him -- and his report -- as a grave threat to Israel's legitimacy. On Thursday, leading Israeli government officials escalated their campaign against Goldstone, accusing him of sending 28 black South Africans to their deaths while serving as a judge during the apartheid years.

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