November 3rd

Needed: A real foreign minister ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) November 3, 2011 - 12:00am There are times when one person accuses another of the very things he himself is guilty of. For example, take Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s latest attacks on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He called the Palestinian leader the “greatest obstacle” to Middle East peace and said his resignation would be a “blessing” because Abbas is not seeking “compromise, but [rather] to incite friction and conflict.” Hence, “there will be no [peace] agreement” so long as Palestinians are led by a man who is “sacrificing” his people’s interests for his own. » Read more

Jordan a priceless asset ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Eitan Haber - (Opinion) November 3, 2011 - 12:00am It appears that across Israel, from Mount Hermon to Eilat’s shores, there was not even one person last week who remembered the 17th anniversary of the peace treaty with the Hashemite Kingdom, Jordan, which was marked on October 26th. » Read more

Israeli leaders' price tag against the Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) November 3, 2011 - 12:00am What, for heaven's sake, is so terrible about Palestine being accepted to UNESCO? Why is this considered an "anti-Israeli" step? And in general, what's so bad about the Palestinians relinquishing terror and going over to the international arena? If Israel were to behave intelligently, it would vote to accept the Palestinians to any respectable international organization. » Read more

Israel led by a right-wing, myopic government ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) November 3, 2011 - 12:00am A week after Avigdor Lieberman declared Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas an "obstacle to peace," it turns out the foreign minister is not alone in the campaign to eliminate the Palestinian interlocutor. Shortly after Israel signed the deal to free soldier Gilad Shalit and revealed the PA leadership to be an empty vessel, the forum of eight senior ministers decided on Tuesday to embark on a campaign to punish the PA leadership. » Read more

Will Israel really attack Iran? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jackson Diehl - (Opinion) November 3, 2011 - 12:00am Every few months a new flurry of speculation erupts about whether Israel is about to launch a military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. This week the subject is back again — and the smoke seems thicker than usual. The discussion got started this time in a relatively dramatic way: with a banner-headlined story in one of Israel’s best-read newspapers, under the byline of one the country’s most renowned journalists. Nahum Barnea normally writes a column for the Yediot Ahronot newspaper, but last Friday he produced a bombshell story under the headline “Atomic Pressure.” » Read more

The Mideast’s new game ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by David Ignatius - (Opinion) November 2, 2011 - 12:00am Diplomatic versions of the three-cushion shot in billiards are perilous, but let’s suppose you could accomplish the following: Lift the stature of Egypt’s fragile transitional government, support Israel’s desire for Arab recognition, reanimate the Palestinian peace process and deal a blow to Iran. » Read more

Israeli doctors 'failing to report torture of Palestinian detainees' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - November 3, 2011 - 12:00am Medical professionals in Israel are being accused of failing to document and report injuries caused by the ill-treatment and torture of detainees by security personnel in violation of their ethical code. A report by two Israeli human rights organisations, the Public Committee Against Torture (PCAT) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), claims that medical staff are also failing to report suspicion of torture and ill-treatment, returning detainees to their interrogators and passing medical information to interrogators. » Read more

Palestinian win in UNESCO doesn't mean total victory at UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shlomo Shamir - November 3, 2011 - 12:00am The acceptance of the Palestinian Authority as permanent member of UNESCO didn't really cause a stir at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Much like the Geneva-based Human Rights Committee, whose priorities and voting patterns rarely cause a stir among the UN member states in New York, UNESCO, an independent organization, does not get much respect. » Read more

Bitter olive harvest adds to Palestinian animosity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Crispian Balmer - November 3, 2011 - 12:00am A potent symbol of peace and harmony, the olive has become a source of confrontation and violence in the decades-old conflict that pits Israel against Palestinians. Once a time of happy industry, the autumn harvest season in particular has degenerated into antagonism, with Palestinian farmers accusing extremist Jewish settlers of destroying their crops and trying to seize their land. » Read more

US, peace talks hurt most by Palestinian UNESCO bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters November 3, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinians' success in joining UNESCO and Israel's immediate retaliation has two main casualties: the peace process and the Obama administration. Monday's vote by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization to grant full Palestinian membership despite U.S. and Israeli objections exposed how little leverage Washington has on either side. It forced the Obama administration to withhold $60 million from the agency. » Read more