February 28th

Begin’s legacy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Editorial) February 27, 2012 - 1:00am On the 20th anniversary of Menachem Begin’s death, many are revisiting the former prime minister’s important legacy. Perhaps the most significant aspect of Begin’s political leadership was his unique ability to bridge the gap between ideological purity and political realism, an important component of his ultimate political success. It was in large part due to Begin’s pragmatism and moderation that violence was avoided immediately after the establishment of the State of Israel. » Read more

Muslims and Christians must also serve in IDF ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Moshe Arens - (Opinion) February 28, 2012 - 1:00am If you're an Israeli citizen who is ultra-Orthodox, Muslim or Christian, you're exempt from sharing the burden of the country's defense with your fellow citizens who are Jewish or Druze. There is no discrimination here - these religious communities are equal when it comes to not defending the country. To be precise, not quite all. The young men of the small Circassian community residing in Kafr Kama and Reikhaniya in the Galilee, although Muslims, are obligated to do compulsory military service. They are the exception. » Read more

Interview: Hamas, Fatah agree to give more time to form unity gov't: Haneya ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua (Interview) February 28, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Ismail Haneya, head of the deposed government of Islamic Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, said in a special interview with Xinhua on Monday that Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party have agreed to give more time to form the new transitional unity government. At his office in Gaza City, Haneya told Xinhua that leaders of Fatah and Hamas movements had bilaterally agreed in Cairo to give the consultations on forming the new unity government some more time until the two sides come up with a final decision. » Read more

PA urges top cleric to annul Jerusalem fatwa ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 28, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority minister of religious affairs on Tuesday urged a top Muslim cleric to annual his recent fatwa which ruled that non-Palestinian Muslims should not visit Jerusalem while it remains under occupation. Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi, a respected Sunni Muslim cleric, gave the decree after President Mahmoud Abbas urged Arabs and Muslims worldwide to visit the city at the Jerusalem conference in Qatar on Sunday. » Read more

Iran angry at Hamas abandoning Al-Assad ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Paula Astatih - February 28, 2012 - 1:00am Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat –Hamas political bureau deputy chief Moussa Abu Marzook sought to draw a line under the speculation regarding Hamas’s position in Syria, confirming that the Palestinian movement has left Syria because it respects “the will of the people” and rejects the “security solution” being enacted by the al-Assad regime. » Read more

U.S. congresswomen see Israel, Palestinians in the eyes of J Street ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Linda Gradstein - February 27, 2012 - 1:00am KALANDIYA, West Bank (JTA) -- The U.S. congresswomen get off the bus and stand in the chilly shadows of the Kalandiya crossing point between the West Bank and Jerusalem. It’s late morning, well past the rush hour when thousands of Palestinians congregate here, and only a few dozen Palestinians stand in line. To cross, the Palestinians go through a series of metal turnstiles and wait with their documents until they are called, one by one, to approach the Israeli soldiers sitting behind bullet-proof barriers. One Palestinian man strikes up a conversation. » Read more

Israel wouldn't warn U.S. before Iran strike, says intelligence source ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press February 28, 2012 - 1:00am Israeli officials say they won't warn the U.S. if they decide to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, according to one U.S. intelligence official familiar with the discussions. The pronouncement, delivered in a series of private, top-level conversations, sets a tense tone ahead of meetings in the coming days at the White House and Capitol Hill. » Read more

Israel to promote east Jerusalem project on area claimed to be future Palestinian airport ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 27, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Jerusalem municipality Building and Planning Committee last week started bureaucratic arrangements for building an industrial zone in north Jerusalem's Atarot area, where the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) plans to establish its international airport in future state, The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday. Meir Margalit, a Jerusalem council member from Meretz party who holds the east Jerusalem portfolio slammed the municipality's plans. » Read more

PLO official calls to end Israel's "policy of racism" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 28, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- An official of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Tuesday called on the international community to force Israel to end its "policy of racism" against Palestinians. Hanan Ashrawi, head of the PLO information and culture department, criticized Israel's "racist separation system" against Palestinians, referring to the West Bank barriers, checkpoints and the expansion of Jewish settlements. In the West Bank, which Israel occupied in 1967, there are 500, 000 Jewish settlers "living on the sources of income of the Palestinians," she added. » Read more

Palestinian woman on hunger strike in prison ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters February 27, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, Feb 27 (Reuters) - A Palestinian woman, released by Israel in a prisoner swap last year but re-arrested earlier this month and held without charge, is on a hunger strike to protest at her treatment, officials said on Monday. Hana Shalabi started refusing to eat 12 days ago, her lawyer and a Palestinian prisoners's organisation said, becoming the second Palestinian detainee to go on a hunger strike in quick succession. » Read more