January 24th

Hamas and the Contagion of Democracy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Elias Harfoush - (Opinion) January 23, 2012 - 1:00am It would be easy to place Khaled Mashal’s desire to step down from the leadership of the Hamas movement within the framework of the contagion of democracy that is currently infecting the Arab World, and particularly Islamists movements in it, of which the Hamas movement is considered the most cherished child. » Read more

"Taking Out" Obama, and Our Slide Into Madness ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by J.J. Goldberg - (Editorial) January 24, 2012 - 1:00am I guess we can all breathe a sigh of relief now that Andrew Adler has resigned as publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times. His January 13 column, proposing that Israel might consider assassinating President Obama, was enormously embarrassing to Israel, its supporters and Jews everywhere. Removing him from his visible position makes life a lot easier for the rest of us, doesn’t it? » Read more

At Sundance, view of Israel ranges from critcal to abysmal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Matthew Weinstein - (Analysis) January 23, 2012 - 1:00am PARK CITY, Utah (JTA) – For Israel fans, it's all pain and anguish this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Unlike in years past at America’s top independent film fest, when feature films exploring the nuances of Israeli life offset some hard-hitting documentaries – such as in 2007 when the award-winning “Sweet Mud” contrasted with “Hothouse” – 2012 has no such leavening agents. At the venues in this mountainous ski town showing the films this week, the views of Israel range from critical to abysmal. » Read more

Palestinians Remain a House Divided ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Omar Ghraieb - (Opinion) January 23, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip –Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of the Hamas government in control of the Gaza Strip, will allow 80 members of the rival Palestinian Fatah movement into Gaza for the first time since they were expelled nearly five years ago. » Read more

The threat of the weak ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ehud Eiran - (Opinion) January 23, 2012 - 1:00am Israel’s traditional threat perception was created in response to strong states. In the 1950s, Israeli operational planning was directed against a potential invasion by all its neighbors. In 1956, Israel launched a pre-emptive war against a rising Egypt, armed with new Soviet weapons. In the 1970s, Israel advanced a massive build-up of its military in order to protect against Syria and Egypt. In the last decade or so Israeli concerns coalesced around Iran’s nuclear program. » Read more

Abbas' disheartening European voyage ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - (Opinion) January 23, 2012 - 1:00am During his visit to Berlin and London this week, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ mood was identical to the weather in Western Europe. Grey, bleak and depressing. The Germans and the British received Abbas with nearly all the pomp and circumstance due a head of state but even the shower of respect they rained down on him did not succeed in encouraging him. » Read more

A softer touch on the Nakba ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Analysis) January 24, 2012 - 1:00am Security and border issues are a familiar safety valve in efforts to break impasses in talks between Israel and the Palestinians. These issues are thought to be relatively solvable compared to the problem of Palestinian refugees and the fate of East Jerusalem. » Read more

Israel's enemy within ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Sefi Rachlevsky - (Opinion) January 24, 2012 - 1:00am When the Nazi regime set out to create the image of the enemy, it was found in the image of the Jew, the intellectual, the liberal, the socialist, the communist, the modernist, the homosexual, assisted by similar figures among world Jewry, whose women were lustful and who was himself was a traitor to his country who adulterated the race. » Read more

Palestinian leader dismisses presidential rumors ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times by Ben Birnbaum - (Interview) January 23, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — A top Palestinian leader says he will not run for president, even as the two main Palestinian factions inch toward a unity deal that would allow elections as early as May. Salam Fayyad, prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, dismissed reports that he is considering a presidential bid, particularly if President Mahmoud Abbas makes good on his pledge not to run again. » Read more

"We will negotiate with Hamas if they halt terror" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post January 24, 2012 - 1:00am Israel will negotiate with a Palestinian unity government if Hamas agrees to Quartet conditions and dismantles its terror infrastructure, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in an interview with Israel Radio Tuesday. "The continuation of the peace process is in the interest of Israel, the Palestinians and the world," Barak said. "If Hamas adopts the Quartet's conditions and dismantles its terror infrastructure, we will negotiate with them." » Read more