January 18th

Tibi’s Limerick on MK Michaeli’s ‘Plumbing’ Earns Him Suspension
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Moran Azulay - January 17, 2012 - 1:00am

The Knesset's Ethics Committee on Tuesday suspended Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi from the plenum and from participating in committee meetings for a period of one week over a limerick he read out during a plenum sitting called "Anasstasia's plumbing was damaged." Tibi wrote the limerick following the incident in which MK Anasstasia Michaeli threw a glass of water in MK Raleb Majadele's face. The suspension will come into force on Sunday.

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Israel suffers from political alzheimer's disease
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) January 18, 2012 - 1:00am

The leader of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, dropped a bombshell this week when, asked in an interview if he was in favor of Arab nations intervening in Syria, he said, "For such a situation to stop the killing ... some troops should go to stop the killing." It was the first time an Arab leader has proposed sending soldiers to another Arab state to come to the aid of that country's citizens. And considering an Arab military alternative to a Western military operation would be a first for the Arab League.

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Israeli Defense Minister Says West Bank Faces “Period of Uncertainty”
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
January 17, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Tuesday that though the West Bank has been stable in recent years, Israel's security establishment is gearing up for a "period of uncertainty" in the region. Speaking during a visit to the Israeli army's West Bank Division, Barak said that the military's most important mission is to protect the lives of Israeli settlers in the area.

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Shia Group ‘Attacked by Police’ in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 18, 2012 - 1:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A group of Shiite worshipers say masked police violently raided a religious service in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, prompting furious denials by the Hamas-dominated government in the territory. Around 20 followers of the Shia branch of Islam were performing a ceremony for Ashura, the commemoration of the death of Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein, when masked police stormed the private home in Beit Lahiya, they told Palestinian human rights groups.

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Could Israel Live With A Nuclear Iran? A Gaming Exercise Suggests Yes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - January 17, 2012 - 1:00am

Three months before the recent upsurge in tension with Tehran over its nuclear program, an Israeli think tank simulated fallout from what many here consider the unthinkable: an Iranian nuclear explosive test. The results of the simulation, published this week, are not the Middle East doomsday that some here have warned of. Rather than use the weapon to attack the Jewish state – as many Israeli leaders fear – the experts playing Iran leveraged the newly unveiled military power as a bargaining chip with the US and Europe. Those representing Israel played down the new threat.

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Israeli Strike Kills 2 in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Ibrahim Barzak - January 18, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces on Wednesday attacked a group of suspected Palestinian militants believed to have been planting a bomb along Gaza's border with the Jewish state, the Israeli military said. Palestinian officials said two people were killed and two wounded. Gaza's militant Hamas rulers said the victims were all civilians and said it held Israel responsible, raising the prospect of a new exchange of attacks across the volatile border.

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January 17th

NEWS: Unknown hackers attack key Israeli corporate websites. FM Lieberman faces a pre-indictment hearing on corruption charges. A human rights advocate in Gaza is stabbed by unknown assailants. PM Netanyahu may present proposals on borders and security at a meeting with Pres. Abbas in March. Israel reportedly strips Abbas of his VIP status and issues him a two-month travel permit. Shiites in Gaza say they're being persecuted by Hamas. UNRWA launches a $300 million appeal. Reports suggest Khaled Meshal may step down as Hamas leader soon. A French Parliament report accuses Israel of “water apartheid.” The UK Deputy PM calls Israeli settlement activity “vandalism.” The PA financial crisis is starting to significantly damage West Bank businesses. COMMENTARY: ATFP Pres. Ziad Asali says Arabs deserve a party of the citizen. Roger Cohen says Israel would be making a big mistake to attack Iran. Barak Ravid says Israel is downplaying its negative campaign against the Palestinians for the meanwhile. Yitzhak Laor says Arabs never been equal before the law in Israel. Gerson Baskin says PM Fayyad is committed to building a Palestinian state. Catrina Stewart wonders if corruption charges might stop the rise of Lieberman. Sid Schwarz says Jews should care about the rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel. The Forward says events from last September may still prove game changers in the Israeli-Palestinian equation. The National says Palestinians urgently need Arab financial help. Stuart Reigeluth and Dimitris Bouris say Gaza is still occupied by Israel.

Israel Still Occupies and Isolates Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Dimitris Bouris, Stuart Reigeluth - (Opinion) January 17, 2012 - 1:00am

A kidnapped soldier has been returned for over a 1,000 Palestinians but Tel Aviv continues to fall back on the fact that Hamas is still in power. Three years ago, Israel was carrying out Operation Cast Lead that took the lives of over 1.500 Palestinians in Gaza. The official reason for the Israeli invasion was to recover a soldier; the intended purpose was to remove Hamas; the result was wanton destruction that "this time we went too far", according to Israeli columnist Gideon Levy.

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Could corruption trial stop the rise of the black sheep of Israeli politics?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Catrina Stewart - January 17, 2012 - 1:00am

Described once by an American magazine editor as a "neo-fascist" and a "certified gangster", Israel's firebrand Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is no stranger to controversy. It has not stopped him from building up a devoted following that has propelled his party to the forefront of Israeli politics. But as a more than decade-long corruption probe nears its conclusion, even this canny political survivor may find that this is one controversy he cannot so easily dodge.

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Could corruption trial stop the rise of the black sheep of Israeli politics?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Catrina Stewart - January 17, 2012 - 1:00am

Described once by an American magazine editor as a "neo-fascist" and a "certified gangster", Israel's firebrand Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is no stranger to controversy. It has not stopped him from building up a devoted following that has propelled his party to the forefront of Israeli politics. But as a more than decade-long corruption probe nears its conclusion, even this canny political survivor may find that this is one controversy he cannot so easily dodge.

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