November 27th

NEWS: Palestinians say the UNGA will vote on Thursday on their request for "nonmember observer state" status, and are circulating a draft resolution. Israeli officials say they are negotiating with the Obama administration to try to get Palestinians to soften the language of the resolution and seem divided on how they want to respond. In the wake of the Gaza conflict, the UK is considering supporting the resolution. Israel is focusing on making sure the PLO doesn't try to join the ICC as a consequence. Hamas says it supports the UN effort. Analysts believe success in the UN bid is essential for Pres. Abbas and the PLO to remain politically relevant. The remains of the late Pres. Arafat have been exhumed for testing for cause of death, but his relatives again express their opposition. An Israeli officer posts online a picture of his face covered in mud and calls it "Obama-style." Ex-FM Livni announces her return to politics as the head of new party. Oil prices fall given that the Israel-Hamas cease-fire is holding. Hamas officials predict quick rebuilding in Gaza after the recent conflict. The EU is considering banning entry to violent Israeli settlers. Israeli police reportedly throw Palestinians off buses at the request of Israeli settlers. Israeli soldiers say they're willing to fighting Gaza again. COMMENTARY: Hussein Ibish says all parties must now decide whether to empower Hamas or the PA. Yossi Beilin says Israel and the United States should be the first to support the Palestinian UN bid and recognize Palestinian statehood. Bloomberg says the Gaza conflict puts the PLO UN initiative in a new light and may be needed for the PA's survival which is in the US and Israeli interest. David Rohde says the only way to undermine Hamas is by achieving a two-state solution. Aluf Benn says Shulamit Aloni represents the Israeli left that used to be viable and powerful. Moshe Dann claims, in spite of the upcoming UN resolution, Palestinians don't really want independent statehood. Kenneth Bandler says Abbas should return to negotiations with Israel, which he says he wants to do. Akiva Eldar says no matter how much Israelis want it, Gaza will not become part, or the responsibility, of Egypt. Seyed Hossein Mousavian says Iran and Hamas were the winners of the Gaza conflict. Scott McConnell asks why Americans don't understand Palestinians and their predicament.

Palestinians Submit Resolution on U.N. Status
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal
by Joe Lauria - (Opinion) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am



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Why Americans Don't Understand Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National Interest
by Scott McConnell - (Opinion) November 27, 2012 - 1:00am

If a man from Mars descended to observe Israel’s attack on the Gaza strip, he would have seen one group of humans trapped in a densely populated area, largely defenseless while a modern air force destroyed their buildings at will.

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Iran and Hamas Winners In Gaza Conflict
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Seyed Hossein Mousavian - (Opinion) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am

The eight-day conflict between Hamas and Israel has ended in a cease-fire. Although shorter than Operation Cast Lead in 2008-09, the latest Israeli Operation Pillar of Defense was nevertheless devastating. Israeli naval and air bombardments killed 165 and wounded 1,200 Palestinians, while damage to Gaza’s infrastructure amounted to $1.2 billion. The rockets fired from Gaza resulted in five Israeli deaths and scores wounded.

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Gaza Is Not Egypt
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am

The last round of violence between Israel and Hamas, which ended with yet another cease-fire, took place on a backdrop of stormy internal discussions in Israel regarding a permanent solution to the conflict with the Palestinian side. Israeli and Palestinian politicians and thinkers who supported the two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 borders have concluded that the Oslo process has reached the end of its usefulness and that other solutions must be found.

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On My Mind: Abbas’s choice
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Kenneth Bandler - (Opinion) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am

Barring a sudden change of mind, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will ask the UN General Assembly on Thursday to recognize Palestine as a non-member observer state of the world body. The long anticipated PA scheme, bypassing direct talks with Israel, will do little to advance the prospects for achieving a permanent peace accord, or an actual independent Palestinian state.

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Who wants a Palestinian state?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Moshe Dann - (Opinion) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am

The Palestinian Authority’s moves at the United Nations for recognition of a Palestinian state have raised objections. Since many support the idea, however, including some Israeli politicians, and with little hope for successful negotiations, the PA’s move seems logical. They can continue to attack Israel diplomatically and legally, continue incitement, raise their stature, and avoid recognizing Israel.

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When the Israeli left did it right
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Aluf Benn - (Opinion) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am

Shulamit Aloni will celebrate her 84th birthday this week, giving us an opportunity to yearn for the left-wing leadership that was, and to the kind of politics we used to have here but no longer do. Aloni's political personality conveyed a single message: war. She fought unceasingly against the country's priorities, which put the army, the settlers and the ultra-Orthodox at the top.

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After the ceasefire
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by David Rohde - (Opinion) November 23, 2012 - 1:00am

For now, the fighting has stopped in Israel and Gaza. But let's be honest, this is the latest round in a long and bitter struggle. In the future, more bloodshed is likely. After eight days of clashes, Hamas' claim that it is the true leader of the Palestinian resistance has gained strength. Long-range rocket attacks on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have made Israelis increasingly wary of a two-state solution.

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To Bolster Palestinian Moderates, Let Abbas Win at the UN
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg
(Editorial) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am

A few weeks ago, the U.S. and Israel were painting Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian faction Fatah, as an extremist for vowing to ask the United Nations on Nov. 29 to grant Palestine status as a nonmember observer state. In light of the violence just unleashed on Israel by Fatah’s rival, Hamas, it now seems a relatively mild maneuver. Growing popular support for Hamas’s belligerence makes Abbas an increasingly rare moderate, whose legitimacy needs to be bolstered by the international community.

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