March 21st

Study: Israel’s Social Protests Caused Drop in Racist Incidents Against Arabs ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jack Khoury - March 20, 2012 - 12:00am Incidents of racism and intolerance between across Israeli ethnic groups are on the decline, a new report published on Monday concluded. According to data compiled by the Coalition against Racism in Israel, is composed of Jewish and Arab human rights groups, the number of reported incidences of racism committed by Jewish Israelis against Arab Israelis fell from 91 in 2009 and 68 in 2010 to only 20 in 2011. » Read more

Abbas Meets Family of Hunger Striker Held by Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 20, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday received at his office the family of a hunger striking woman held in Israel, accusing Israel not respecting the lives of Palestinian detainees. The parents of Hana Shalabi came to Abbas' office in the West Bank city of Ramallah after reports said their daughter was taken to the hospital due to her deteriorated health. 30-year-old Shalabi, who has been hunger striking for 34 days, demands an end to her administrative detention, an Israeli rule under which detainees can be held for years without a trial. » Read more

The Curse of the Straw Man: Reflections on How we Argue About Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Shalom Hartman Institute by Tal Becker - (Analysis) March 20, 2012 - 12:00am What would we do without the straw man, without the ability to make a caricature of the position we want to argue against? How many op-eds, debates and political speeches count on the ability to present a dumbed-down version of the position we contest, and then revel in knocking it down? » Read more

Hamas Denies Reports of Iranian Experts Aiding Militants ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 20, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- A senior Hamas official on Tuesday denied media reports saying that Iranian military experts were helping Gaza militant groups to develop weapons and upgrade their capabilities for a future confrontation with Israel. "These reports are fabricated and aim to justify (Israeli) military aggression against Gaza," Mahmoud Zahar, a member of Hamas' politburo, told Xinhua. On Monday, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that some Iranian experts were in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip to help the militant groups based in the coastal enclave. » Read more

J Street Hopes To Return Focus to Peace at Annual Conference ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - (Opinion) March 20, 2012 - 12:00am WASHINGTON — As J Street, the self-styled pro-peace, pro-Israel lobby, opens its annual conference this year, it does so at a time of unparalleled growth for the group, and serious setbacks for its cause. With talk of war with Iran dominating Israeli–American discourse, the dovish lobby is working hard to return the Palestinian issue to center stage. » Read more

Hamas: Fatah Prefers US Dollars to National Agreements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 21, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Fatah has not implemented any of its reconciliation commitments because it prefers American money to national agreements, a spokesman for the Hamas-led government in Gaza said Monday. Taher al-Nunu said in a statement that Fatah is trying to destroy the reconciliation agreement it signed with Hamas last May. Al-Nunu's remarks were made in response to comments by senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad, who said Hamas was responsible for the ongoing delay in forming a unity government. » Read more

Answering My Critics on Zionist BDS ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Peter Beinart - (Blog) March 20, 2012 - 12:00am My New York Times op-ed proposing that American Jews boycott the West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem) and instead spend their money inside the green line has prompted three basic right-wing critiques. (There are plenty of left-wing ones too, but I’ll have to answer them later). » Read more

Fatah: Iran Paid Hamas to Block Unity Deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Nidal al-Mughrabi, Ali Sawafta - March 21, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Reuters) -- Iran paid Hamas to block a deal with the rival Fatah movement that would have ended a five-year rift between the two main Palestinian factions, a Fatah spokesman said Tuesday. He said Tehran recently resumed financial aid to Hamas which it had suspended six months ago over the movement's failure to back their mutual ally Bashar Assad of Syria in his military campaign to crush dissent. » Read more

Israeli Group Shows Rise in Palestinian Civilian Deaths ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 21, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces killed 115 Palestinians last year, including 18 minors, according to a new report released Wednesday by the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem. The death toll of 2011 shows a marked increase on 2010, when Israeli forces killed 68 Palestinians in Gaza and 12 in the West Bank. Further, 47 of the casualties in 2011 were killed while not taking part in hostilities, an increase from 30 in 2010. » Read more

Peter Beinart calls for a ‘Zionist BDS,’ but he’s not finding many takers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - (Opinion) March 20, 2012 - 12:00am WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Should Jews shun other Jews? And should they shun Jews who call on Jews to shun other Jews? Peter Beinart’s call in Monday’s New York Times for a boycott of goods manufactured in West Bank settlements reignited a debate not just about what works and doesn’t when it comes to advancing a two-state solution, but also about what should and should not be said during the debate. Beinart, a journalist and essayist whose book “The Crisis of Zionism” is about to come out, tried to cast his call in pro-Israel terms. » Read more