November 20th

All for one cause ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star (Editorial) November 20, 2012 - 1:00am Bitter infighting has always been the Achilles heel of the Palestinian struggle, and Arab regimes have long propped up these power struggles, supporting one faction over another when they felt it was to their benefit. The aims of these governments have been pursued with no recourse to what might be best for the Palestinians they purport to help. The examples of these divisions and their outside influence abound. Take, for example, fighting in Palestinian camps in Syria, which has essentially come down to a split between those who support the Syrian regime and those who do not. » Read more

Israel's strategy in Gaza leads to endless conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am 'Cutting the grass" is the euphemism some Israeli strategists have used to describe the policy that has been conducted in Gaza. The idea behind it is that Israel - unable on the one hand to make peace with its neighbours, and unable, on the other, to completely dominate or deter them by force - must resort to regular military incursions and strikes to degrade their military capability. » Read more

Hamas rule ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Editorial) November 19, 2012 - 1:00am It is tempting to call for the toppling of Hamas’s rule in Gaza. In the long run, the only way to stop the barrage of rocket and mortar fire directed at Israeli civilians may indeed be to remove Hamas from power altogether. As was the case in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead, any sort of cease-fire – even one that comes after a critical blow to Hamas’s infrastructure – will be temporary. » Read more

Before the next baby dies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish - (Opinion) November 20, 2012 - 1:00am TORONTO – People have been asking me in the past few days if the current situation has opened the wound in my heart. The truth is that this wound has never been closed, so there is nothing to open. » Read more

End the war while you're ahead ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ari Shavit - November 19, 2012 - 1:00am The first day of Operation Pillar of Defense was quite successful. The Hamas military chief was assassinated and Hamas' long-range rocket capability was impaired, sending the radical Palestinian group into shock. The second day went pretty well too: Iron Dome proved its worth, Israeli civilians proved their steadfastness and Israel showed that it still enjoys a fair amount of international legitimacy and domestic cohesion. » Read more

The callousness of Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Richard Cohen - (Opinion) November 19, 2012 - 1:00am Of all the points of disagreement between Israel and Hamas, maybe the most profound is this one: Israel cares more about sparing innocent lives — including those of Palestinians — than does Hamas. Not only have Hamas and other militant groups this year sent more than 700 rockets crashing haphazardly into southern Israel, but also Hamas instigated yet another war where the chief loser will certainly be its own people. If hell has a beach, it’s located in Gaza. » Read more

Rivlin: Pillar of Defense likely to delay election ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Lahav Harkov - (Analysis) November 19, 2012 - 1:00am   Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin suggested that the upcoming election may be postponed in light of the Gaza conflict. » Read more

Gaza Without End ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Roger Cohen - (Opinion) November 19, 2012 - 1:00am HOW does it end in Gaza? This has been the issue with all the self-defeating Israeli military offensives of the past 16 years — Operation Grapes of Wrath in Lebanon, Operation Cast Lead in Gaza and now Operation Pillar of Defense, all of them, not coincidentally, initiated on the eve of national elections in Israel. Gilad Sharon, the son of Ariel Sharon who orchestrated Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, has an idea for an ending. He expressed it this way in The Jerusalem Post: » Read more

Gaza's 96 dead include farmers, water sellers and the girl next door ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Analysis) November 20, 2012 - 1:00am   Farmers on their way to sell vegetables in the marketplace, vendors of purified drinking water and people who just happened to live too close to the targets of Israeli air strikes were among the 34 Palestinians estimated to have been killed in Israel Defense Forces attacks in the past two days alone. » Read more

Israelis ponder alternatives to 'mowing the lawn' in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Christa Case Bryant - (Analysis) November 20, 2012 - 1:00am Not too many Israelis seem able or willing to articulate a long-term solution for Gaza » Read more