October 19th

Animated Ariel Sharon coma sculpture on show in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News October 19, 2010 - 12:00am A life-size sculpture of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is due to be unveiled at a gallery in Tel Aviv. The installation, by Israeli artist Noam Braslavsky, portrays Mr Sharon lying in a hospital bed in the coma he has been in since 2006. Curators said the installation, which appears to breathe, was an allegory for the "inertia of Israeli politics". Mr Sharon was one of Israel's most influential leaders. He has never recovered from a massive stroke. The 82-year-old remains in hospital in Tel Aviv, having never regained consciousness after suffering the stroke four years ago. » Read more

Budrus: A Palestinian story of non-violent protest ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Yolande Knell - October 17, 2010 - 12:00am "We don't have time for war. We want to raise our kids in peace and hope," he states in Hebrew, addressing any Israelis in the cinema audience. Mr Morrar comes from one of six small villages close to the occupied West Bank's border with Israel, which were due to be encircled by the Israeli separation barrier in 2003. The plans would have cut off Budrus residents' access to some 300 acres of land and torn up their olive trees. The film, produced by a Palestinian and an Israeli, follows the villagers' largely peaceful protests against the barrier. » Read more

Current West Bank olive harvest most violent in years, defense document reveals ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - October 19, 2010 - 12:00am The current olive harvest has been the most violent of the last several years, an internal defense establishment document reveals. Two weeks ago, Palestinians and Jews throughout the West Bank began the harvest. Due to several violent incidents in previous years, plus court rulings requiring the army to protect the harvesters, the Israel Defense Forces, the police and the Civil Administration all prepared extensively to safeguard this year's harvest. » Read more

Please give generously, but not to armies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Khaled Diab - (Opinion) October 19, 2010 - 12:00am Ideally, there would be no need for charity. But in a world of inequality and vulnerability, private donations can mean the difference between life and death, dignity and humiliation, or subsistence and sustainability. But even when it comes to charity, not all causes are created equal. Contrast, for instance, the global generosity following the 2004 Asian tsunami with the trickle of funds in the wake of the recent floods in Pakistan. » Read more

Palestinians plan UN resolution calling for settlement evacuation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - October 19, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinian leadership, in conjunction with Arab states, plans to submit a resolution to the UN Security Council stating that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal and must be evacuated, Haaretz has learned. This initiative comes in place of an earlier idea of seeking Security Council recognition for a Palestinian state within pre-1967 lines. » Read more

Sephardi leader Yosef: Non-Jews exist to serve Jews ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) October 18, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli Sephardic leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef in his weekly Saturday night sermon said that non-Jews exist to serve Jews. “Goyim were born only to serve us. Without that, they have no place in the world; only to serve the People of Israel,” he said during a public discussion of what kind of work non-Jews are allowed to perform on Shabbat. "Why are gentiles needed? They will work, they will plow, they will reap. We will sit like an effendi and eat," he said to some laughter. » Read more

Who made Netanyahu the leader of the Jewish people? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Tony Karon - (Opinion) October 18, 2010 - 12:00am 'Next, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will insist that he can't make peace with the Palestinians until they recognise the Jews as the Chosen People." That was the sarcastic tweet of one Jewish-American analyst on Israel's demand that Palestinians recognise it not only as a "Jewish state", but as "the national home of the Jewish people". » Read more

Netanyahu still wary of razing six West Bank outposts slated for demolition in 2004 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz October 19, 2010 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that his cabinet needed more time to decide when and how to dismantle certain illegal West Bank outposts, due to the "political implications" involved. The government "needs time to consider its priorities" with regard to these outposts, Netanyahu said ahead of a High Court of Justice deliberation on the matter. The court last year ordered the state to explain why it had not evacuated six illegal West Bank outposts - Givat Assaf, Ma'aleh Rehavam, Givat Haroeh, Mitzpeh Yitzhar and Mitzpeh Lachish - that were slated for evacuation in 2004. » Read more

Israel must be disciplined ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Linda Heard - (Opinion) October 19, 2010 - 12:00am There are plenty of fingers wagging in Israel's direction these days for all kinds of reasons. But where are the metaphorical thumb screws? When any other country on the planet consistently falls foul of the international community's wishes or breaches international law, there is usually some kind of punishment in store. Israel, however, gets away with heinous crimes time and time again. » Read more

Arab Israelis in no man's land ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Asia Times by Victor Kotsov - October 20, 2010 - 12:00am On the surface, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict might appear as a fairly straightforward confrontation, between two clearly defined actors, based on clashing national aspirations. This is certainly how the international community (which, for the most part, sticks to the “two states for two peoples” mantra) prefers to look at it. However, reality is somewhat different and - to use a cliche - very complex. » Read more