February 22nd

NEWS: A deal is struck whereby a Palestinian prisoner will end his lengthy hunger strike and Israeli authorities say he will be released or charged by mid-April. Israeli officials say they would welcome the fall of the Syrian regime but are worried about the consequences of unrest. Most Israelis seem to believe it is inevitable their country will attack Iran. Palestinian factional leaders will meet in Cairo, as they trade accusations about the fuel crisis in Gaza. Higher education employees in the occupied territories go on strike. Hamas leaders again say they have resolved their differences over the agreement with Pres. Abbas. Jordan's King Abdullah blames Israel for the deadlock in peace negotiations. The Israeli government retroactively approves almost 200 settlement housing units constructed without authorization.Some activists have changed their of views of Norman Finkelstein following an interview in which he harshly derided the one-state agenda. COMMENTARY: Mustafa Barghouthi says Palestinians can win independence through nonviolent protests. David Rosenberg says vandalism attacks against Jerusalem churches are reflective of deep-seated antipathy towards Christians in Israel. Michael Young says Israel, at least under PM Netanyahu, doesn't make a believable victim regarding the Iranian nuclear program. Linda Heard says Egypt's relationship with Washington and peace treaty with Israel are in peril. N. Janardhan looks at India's policies towards Iran and Israel. Jillian Kestler-D’Amours says a recent Israeli Supreme Court decision allows the plundering of natural resources in the occupied territories. Leila Hilal says deputy FM Ayalon is peddling mythology about Palestinian refugees. Mairav Zonszein says Khader Adnan’s hunger strike was important not because he is a good man but because due process is indispensable. The LA Times looks at a new play based on the death of Rachel Corrie. Ali Khaled says Israel's narrative falls flat when it identifies children as “terrorists.”

Israeli Leader Wrongly Blames UN and Arab States for Palestinian Refugees
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic
by Leila Hilal - (Opinion) February 21, 2012 - 1:00am


At the end of 2011, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, posted the third video in his YouTube series about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These polished presentations are produced by an Israeli public relations firm in collaboration with StandWithUs, a U.S.-based group that counters criticism of Israeli policies regarding Palestinian. The series is promoted as "explanations of the historical facts" of the core issues of the conflict -- thus far covering the peace process, the West Bank, and most recently, refugees. (A fourth video on Jerusalem is said to be forthcoming.)


‘Bad guy’ or not, Adnan hunger strike was about due process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from 972 Magazine
by Mairav Zonszein - (Opinion) February 22, 2012 - 1:00am


As Khader Adnan’s case took over the news cycle this week, I noticed comments by thoughtful readers, generally on my Facebook feed, pointing out Adnan’s association with terror. They have circulated a video in which Adnan asks who the next suicide bomber will be, pointed to his affiliation with Islamic Jihad, and asked: How can you root for a terrorist? How can supposed progressives like us rally around him?


Theater review: 'Sarah's War' at the Hudson Mainstage
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Los Angeles Times
by Philip Brandes - (Theater Review) February 21, 2012 - 1:00am


Amid the endless polarized chaos and bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, is there any space between protecting human rights and supporting terrorists? Seeking that elusive territory of meaningful compassion is the goal of Valerie Dillman's thoughtful and heartfelt original drama, "Sarah's War," a Freedom Theatre West production at the Hudson Mainstage.


State Approves Housing Units in Shilo Post Factum
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel News
by Yair Altman - February 22, 2012 - 1:00am


The Civil Administration approved Wednesday the construction of 505 new housing units and legalized 190 units previously built in the West Bank settlement of Shilo. A Defense Ministry official said that any further construction would call for the government's approval and therefore they do not expect any other units to be built anytime soon. The ministry also stated that the existing housing units were not built on private lands but rather on State-owned land.


Palestinians Hear the Water
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Jillian Kestler-D'Amours - (Opinion) February 21, 2012 - 1:00am


"On its face, the new rule allows the occupier (in a long-term occupation) to make endless use of the variety of objects found in the occupied territory," Israeli human rights group Yesh Din stated. "To pump its water sources, to transfer its archeological artifacts to elsewhere outside the territory, to use areas within it for garbage disposal, to sell public real estate, and more." In late December of last year, the Israeli Supreme Court dismissed a petition put forth by Yesh Din, challenging the legality of Israeli mining and quarrying operations taking place in the occupied West Bank.


When children are 'terrorists', Israel's story rings hollow
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Ali Khaled - (Opinion) February 22, 2012 - 1:00am


It's one of the 20th century's most celebrated images of individual courage. Very few people are unfamiliar with the photograph of the lone Chinese protester facing down a line of army tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Despite his anonymity, "Tank Man" or the "Unknown Rebel", as he came to be known, is a lasting symbol of that student rebellion that was so brutally crushed.


Jordan’s Blames Israel for Deadlocked Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Josef Federman - February 22, 2012 - 1:00am


AMMAN, Jordan — King Abdullah II on Tuesday blamed Israel for deadlocked Mideast peacemaking in a meeting with U.S. Jewish leaders, the official Petra News Agency said. But the king's guests offered a more optimistic version of events, saying Abdullah had also been complimentary of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position in recent peace talks. Jordan last month played host to talks that have subsequently been broken off. Palestinian and Israeli negotiators have blamed the other for the cut-off.


India’s rationale for Iran-Israel relations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Meena Janardhan - (Opinion) February 22, 2012 - 1:00am


Though Iran’s role in the recent bombing of an Israeli diplomat’s car in New Delhi remains unconfirmed, India is under pressure to join the growing international isolation of Tehran.


Hamas Irons Out Dispute Over Palestinian Unity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - February 22, 2012 - 1:00am


CAIRO — A senior Hamas official says the leadership of the Islamic militant group has settled internal disagreements and approved a unity deal with its political rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Izzat al-Rishq, who is an aide to Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal, says that Hamas' Syria-based political bureau met in Cairo Wednesday and okayed the agreement. Since 2007, the rivals have run separate governments in the West Bank and Gaza. The agreement signed in Qatar between Mashaal and Abbas on Feb. 6 envisions Abbas heading an interim unity government ahead of elections.



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