November 7th

Israeli diplomat: Le Pen lunch was an 'error' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - (Analysis) November 7, 2011 - 1:00am Israel's Foreign Ministry said yesterday that the country's ambassador to the UN made an "error of judgement" by chatting and being photographed with Marine Le Pen, leader of France's extreme right wing National Front, at a New York reception. » Read more

The state of Israel: Internal influence driving change ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Tim Franks - (Analysis) November 5, 2011 - 12:00am The view, as our plane banked, was familiar: the sea, the sand, the skyscrapers of the Tel Aviv coastline. It was my first return to Israel since the end of my posting as Middle East correspondent, 18 months before. What I wanted to discover was how far that familiar picture had changed. After all, there was the same right-leaning government, the same absence of peace talks with the Palestinians. But all around, the region had transformed, as the winds of the Arab Spring had blown. Was Israel's apparent quiescence all that it seemed? » Read more

Israel’s saber rattling against Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Uri Avnery - (Opinion) November 7, 2011 - 1:00am Everybody knows the scene from school: A small boy quarrels with a bigger boy. “Hold me back!” he shouts to his comrades, “Before I break his bones!” Our government seems to be behaving in this way. Every day, via all channels, it shouts that it is going, any minute now, to break the bones of Iran. » Read more

Notorious Al-Saraya Becomes Holiday-Time Mall ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Omar Ghraieb - (Analysis) November 7, 2011 - 1:00am The Al-Saraya compound has been at the center of life in the Gaza Strip for nearly a century, mostly as the headquarters for whoever was in power, a prison for those who opposed them and occasionally as a military target. Now, the place where generals, government officials and warders once worked has been turned into a canvas-covered shoppers’ paradise for the Eid Al-Adha holiday. » Read more

'Abbas says he'll plan elections with Hamas, but won't run' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Analysis) November 7, 2011 - 1:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly told members of his Fatah faction on Monday that he plans to discuss Palestinian elections with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal when the two meet in Cairo later this month. However, Abbas said he would not run for office again, London-based daily Al-Hayat reported. Elections for the PA presidency and the National Legislative Council will be held in May, 2012, and Abbas asked the senior Fatah officials to make serious preparations for the polls, according to the report. » Read more

Israel, Palestine need new paradigm to resolve conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Adel Safty - (Opinion) November 7, 2011 - 1:00am Last week, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) at a meeting of its General Assembly, admitted Palestine as a full member. The meeting was emotional. As it began, someone shouted Vive La Palestine (long live Palestine); when the delegates began to vote on the resolution to admit Palestine, the hall rang with loud and sustained cheers, as representatives of Austria, Russia, Brazil, India, China, South Africa and France indicated their country's affirmative vote. The resolution was carried with 107 for, 14 against and 52 abstentions. » Read more

An evening in New York with the enemies of the state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chemi Shalev - (Opinion) November 6, 2011 - 12:00am A few days before the start of the GA, I went down to a place called Times Center in midtown Manhattan, looking for people with horns. Not French horns, mind you, or bicycle horns, but more like rhinoceros’ horns, of the kind that is usually found attached to Naomi Chazan’s forehead. » Read more

Israeli lawmakers to debate "Jewish national homeland" bill ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Mu Xuequan - (Analysis) November 6, 2011 - 12:00am A bill proposing defining Israel as the national homeland of Jewish people sparked heavy debate at the country's Knesset parliament on Sunday, drawing criticism from both left-of-center and Arab parties. The bill, if approved, would legally define Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, as well as bolstering current legislation that makes Hebrew the country's official language, while giving Arabic a "special status," the Yediot Aharonoth daily reported. Currently, both Hebrew and Arabic are official languages in Israel. » Read more

Israeli army, intel sites down after 'Anonymous' threat ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Analysis) November 7, 2011 - 1:00am The Israeli army and intelligence agencies' websites were offline on Sunday, two days after hacker group Anonymous warned it would "strike back" for Israel's capture of Gaza-bound ships on Friday. Anonymous, a network of online activists who have attacked government and financial websites around the world, released a statement Friday warning that the group would take action against the navy's seizure of two ships aiming to break Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip. » Read more

New study offers insight on Palestinian suicide attacks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Batsheva Sobelman - (Blog) November 5, 2011 - 12:00am A strong correlation exists between unemployment, tough economic conditions and the nature of suicide attacks carried out by Palestinians in recent years, according to a new study, the first comprehensive research of its kind. The study, conducted by the Harry S. Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace, found that while poverty itself did not necessarily dictate the frequency of terrorist attacks, economic conditions were closely linked to the characteristics of the perpetrators and, more interestingly, the nature of the suicide operations themselves. » Read more