February 15th

Shrugging at BDS
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
(Editorial) February 10, 2012 - 1:00am

Before she became the subject of an Oscar-nominated feature film, Margaret Thatcher was prime minister of Great Britain during a particularly violent period of European airplane hijackings and Northern Irish terrorism attacks. She was especially critical of what she deemed the media circus covering these events. “Democratic nations must try to find ways to starve the terrorist and the hijacker of the oxygen of publicity on which they depend,” she admonished.

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Yalla Peace: Hope for Peace at a Roadblock
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Ray Hanania - (Opinion) February 14, 2012 - 1:00am

It’s almost become normal for Palestinians and Israelis who support peace to find themselves at the same old roadblock, going nowhere fast. The only things moving are the extremists who continue to pave the way to the mutual destruction of both sides. Israeli and Palestinian leaders refuse to take the steps necessary to make peace.

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Ahmadinejad’s Iran is the New Best Friend of Israeli Settlers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Bradley Burston - (Opinion) February 14, 2012 - 1:00am

The red-bordered headline on Israel's weekend newsstands was as jarring for its calm, consumer-guide choice of wording as for the subject matter, which was, in essence, a countdown to Armageddon. WHERE IT'S BEST TO LIVE IN A TIME OF EMERGENCY, read the Yedioth Ahronoth banner. Lest the meaning be lost, the full-out article – framed by stories hinting at IDF preparations for a possible attack on Iran - ranked a long list of Israeli cities, towns, and Arab villages for their survivability and "preparedness for wartime."

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Israel’s Academy for Occupation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) February 15, 2012 - 1:00am

When the violent conflict in the territories was at its height a decade or so ago, then IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon said Israel's goal was to sear the Palestinians' consciousness with the understanding that violence doesn't pay. Today, the government in which Ya'alon now serves as a minister doesn't miss an opportunity to sear the consciousness of Palestinians and Israelis alike with the idea that a diplomatic agreement on a two-state solution is no longer on the table.

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Abbas and Obama Should Not Expect a Helping Hand From Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) February 15, 2012 - 1:00am

After the uproar over the Palestinian Authority's admission to UNESCO some three months ago, President Mahmoud Abbas ordered a freeze on PA requests for admission to other UN organizations. It seems that Abbas promised Barack Obama that until the presidential elections he would spare the U.S. president from having to choose between a vote that would annoy Jewish voters and one that would upset the Palestinian voters and their sympathizers.

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As the Illegal Outpost of Migron Goes, So Goes All of Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Lara Friedman - (Opinion) February 14, 2012 - 1:00am

The fate of Migron, an illegal outpost in the heart of the West Bank, is about to be decided. The implications of this decision are about far more than the future of a handful of settlers in a single outpost. This decision will be a litmus test of Israeli rule of law and, ultimately, of Israel's capacity to make peace with the Palestinians. How can one outpost be so important?

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The U.S.-Israeli Trust Gap on Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
(Editorial) February 15, 2012 - 1:00am

TWO MONTHS ago we questioned a decision by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to spell out publicly his objections to an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear program — a speech that must have cheered the commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Now Mr. Panetta has indirectly caused a similar stir: After a conversation with Mr. Panetta this month, The Post’s David Ignatius reported that the Pentagon chief “believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June.”

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February 14th

NEWS: Hamas leaders are unable to reconcile their differences over the recent agreement with Fatah, and PLO officials say this is frustrating Palestinian reunification. West Bank Hamas officials say the agreement is valid. Israel and Iran exchange accusations over bomb attacks on diplomats in India and Georgia. Israeli building demolitions displace 120 Palestinian villages near Hebron. Egypt says it will monitor the work of Palestinian “public freedom committees.” Israel rejects an appeal by a Palestinian militant on hunger strike. Palestinians may again be considering efforts to upgrade their status at the UN. Palestinians in Hebron say they are faced with a barrage of harassment. Right-wing Israeli MKs complain about lack of funding for Jewish “heritage sites” in the occupied territories. The Daily Beast has an in-depth story on US policy toward the Iranian nuclear program, with Israel as the "wild card." Lebanon's Interior Ministry is setting up a database of Palestinian refugees. COMMENTARY: Roger Cohen says Peter Beinart's new book about the dilemma of Jewish power in Israel and the United States is extremely important. Moshe Arens says it's no wonder that Hezbollah leader Nasrallah feels the need to respond to a Ha'aretz commentary. Oded Haklai says some issues involving Palestinian citizens of Israel are more easily solve than others, but all need addressing. Faisal Al Yafai says Egyptians are renegotiating with themselves, the United States and Israel. Osama Al Sharif says the Palestinian reconciliation agreement can succeed. Yossi Alpher says the Hamas-Fatah agreement represents a failure of Israeli strategic thinking. Ghassan Khatib says internal Palestinian dialogue is the only way forward.

Interior Ministry sets up Palestinian database
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Stephen Dockery - February 14, 2012 - 1:00am

BEIRUT: The Interior Ministry announced Monday that it is setting up the first state-held database of Palestinian refugees to try to alleviate their personal status paperwork problems. Interior Minister Marwan Charbel introduced the new registry at his office in Beirut Monday, saying it was part of the government’s obligation to the Palestinian people to improve their lives without undercutting the right of return.

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Obama’s Dangerous Game With Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Christopher Dickey, R.M. Schneiderman - February 13, 2012 - 1:00am

Well before he moved into the White House, Barack Obama began talking to Israel about Iran’s nuclear program, and even then there was mistrust. He met in 2008 with several leading Israelis, including Benjamin Netanyahu—before Netanyahu was elected prime minister—and impressed everyone with his determination to stop Iran from going nuclear. Netanyahu liked much of what he heard, according to a source in his inner circle. What troubled him, however, was that Obama didn’t talk specifically about Israel’s security.

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