December 15th

Emboldened Hamas renews call for the end of Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - December 15, 2011 - 1:00am Hamas yesterday declared itself bolstered by the Arab Spring and the exchange with Israel of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, as the group mounted a show of strength with tens of thousands attending a lavishly staged rally in the centre of Gaza City. Gaza's ruling Islamic faction bussed in supporters from across the territory for a mass rally to mark its 24th anniversary at which their leaders' rhetoric laid heavy emphasis on continued adherence to armed struggle and the eventual "liberation" of the whole land, including what is now Israel. » Read more

Clinton: Gingrich's comments on Palestinians 'unhelpful' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters December 14, 2011 - 1:00am Newt Gingrich's comment that the Palestinians are an "invented people" was unhelpful, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday, saying the Republican presidential candidate had realized this. Gingrich, a former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, stirred controversy on Friday when told the Jewish Channel cable television broadcaster he saw the Palestinians as an invented people who want to destroy Israel. "Remember, there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire" until the early 20th century, Gingrich said in the interview. » Read more

Israel's Gaza foray warnings not immediate precursor to offensive ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Adam Gonn - (Analysis) December 15, 2011 - 1:00am Jerusalem Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- With a renewed upsurge in rocket fire into southern Israeli cities and towns in recent weeks by Gazan Palestinian militants, Israeli government officials and analysts are raising the possibility of a ground invasion along the lines of Operation Cast Lead in 2008. "I think we can't avoid another confrontation. There's a lot of weapons in the Gaza Strip, a lot of terror groups," Southern Command Deputy Division commander Col. Jonathan Bransky told reporters during a tour of the border area between Israel and Gaza on Monday. » Read more

Abbas: Palestine peace key to stability ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) December 15, 2011 - 1:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday a key component of peace and stability in the Middle East was an agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians. Such a scenario requires a deal between the two sides, and after that ties between Israel and the rest of the Arab and Islamic world, Abbas was quoted as saying by Palestinian Authority media. At a joint news conference with the president of the European Council in Brussels, Abbas said that "yesterday we raised the Palestinian flag at UNESCO, and I hope in the future we will raise it at the UN." » Read more

Suspected Jewish extremists torch second Palestinian mosque, deface it with Hebrew graffiti ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press December 15, 2011 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — Vandals set fire to a mosque in the West Bank on Thursday and defaced it with Hebrew graffiti a day after a similar arson attack on a Jerusalem mosque. Suspicion fell on Jewish extremists widely assumed to be behind stepped-up violence against Palestinians and the Israeli military. The governor of the Palestinian city of Ramallah, Laila Ghanam, said arsonists doused the mosque in the village of Burqa with gasoline, then set it on fire. » Read more

Netanyahu's crackdown on Jewish extremists unlikely to change West Bank status quo, IDF officials say ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel - December 15, 2011 - 1:00am IDF officials said Wednesday that there is only a small chance that the steps taken by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to crack down on Jewish extremists responsible for recent violent attacks on IDF soldiers and other targets would change law enforcement in the West Bank. Netanyahu approved measures on Wednesday including issuing administrative detention orders for the Jewish extremists, as is usually done with Palestinians suspected of being a security risk. » Read more

Netanyahu: Violent Jewish extremists are not terrorists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 15, 2011 - 1:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said he would not define violent Jewish extremists as terrorists after a string of attacks on mosques and Israeli army bases. Israeli ministers formed a list of recommendations for the prime minister, including defining the ultra-nationalist attackers as terrorists. » Read more

'Measures against rightist rioters a bluff' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yoav Zitun - December 15, 2011 - 1:00am Bluffing? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu adopted the recommendations put forth by Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch and Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman regarding the treatment of extremist Right-wing activists who riot in the West Bank. However, those familiar with the law enforcement system in the West Bank claim that these measures are nothing more than a big bluff. » Read more

Israel Leader Sets Curbs on Settlers for Violence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - December 14, 2011 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — After two days of settler violence that shocked much of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday that some radical Israelis would be treated the same way as suspected Palestinian militants — detained for long periods without charge and tried in military courts. » Read more

No, Newt and JPost, there is no Santa Claus: how national identities are really formed ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ibishblog by Hussein Ibish - (Blog) December 14, 2011 - 1:00am What's most interesting about the brouhaha regarding Newt Gingrich's outrageous comments about Palestinians being “an invented people” -- which he then augmented by describing them in general as “terrorists" -- isn't the rebuttals or defenses of these comments. Almost every responsible, sane and rational actor has dismissed Gingrich's remarks as preposterous, not because the Palestinians are not in some sense “invented” but because all modern national identities plainly are, in the same ways. » Read more