April 16th

Interview: Abbas says Israel aims to keep status quo
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
(Interview) April 16, 2012 - 12:00am

ON BOARD PRESIDENTIAL JET (Ma'an) -- Israel seeks to maintain the status quo by talking about peace without making any efforts to achieve it, President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday. Abbas, on a regional tour in Asia, told Ma'an that the Israeli government's stated support of a two-state solution was a "slogan for public opinion." "Israel talks about the two-state solution without taking a single step towards that solution ... (they are) comfortable with the status quo and don't seek to reach a solution," he said.

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Israeli officer suspended for striking foreign national
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
April 16, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Israel's military suspended a senior officer who struck an activist in the face with a gun, an army spokesman said on Monday, after a video of the incident was put on the Internet. The video showed Lieutenant-Colonel Shalom Eisner holding his M-16 rifle in both hands and shouting at a group of demonstrators taking part in a bicycle rally in the occupied West Bank, before suddenly striking a man in the face.

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Israel dismisses 'flytilla' protest, pointing to human rights abuses in Syria, Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - April 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Tel Aviv Israel denied entry and deported several dozen pro-Palestinian activists who arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, as fears of a mass confrontation at the country’s main international gateway prompted a deployment of hundreds of police and security personnel.

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In Israel, pro-Palestinian activists get attention, if not entry
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Karin Brulliard - April 15, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Israel blocked or detained all but a handful of hundreds of pro-Palestinian foreign activists who planned to gather here Sunday, and the event appeared to be something of a bust. Or maybe not. A media scrum stood alongside a phalanx of hundreds of police officers deployed at the airport in Tel Aviv, where travelers participating in the fly-in were scheduled to arrive. Present at an evening news conference in this biblical city were one French woman who had made it past immigration authorities and about a dozen cameras.

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Israel Moves to Block Activists From Entering
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - April 15, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Hundreds of police officers fanned out at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Sunday as Israel moved to block scores of pro-Palestinian campaigners from entering the country.

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April 13th

NEWS: Germans appear to be becoming less reticent to criticize Israel. With international attention now focused on Iran, Israel is moving to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank. Pres. Abbas arrives in Japan on the first stop of an international tour. Palestinian and Israeli officials will meet next week to discuss water issues. Palestinian officials say they are ready to resume negotiations with Israel, but only with a clear frame of reference. In a letter to the New York Times, Israeli Amb. Oren denies that Israel interferes in US elections. The National profiles Sari Nusseibeh and his evolving views on future relations between Israel and the Palestinians. Lacking US leadership, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process appears at an impasse. The one-state agenda is gaining ground in Palestinian public opinion. Jordan may be considering revoking citizenship for some Palestinians, including some PLO and PA officials. COMMENTARY: ATFP praises the release of US aid to the Palestinian people and welcomes the latest statement by the Quartet. Gideon Levy says Israel has become paranoid about pro-Palestinian activists. Patrick Seale says Israel “ urgently needs a voice of reason" like new Kadima leader Mofaz. Sever Plocker says there is a growing gap in perceptions between Jewish Americans and Israel. Zvika Krieger says a two-state solution is still possible and that an evacuation of up to 100,000 settlers is politically possible. The Oman Tribune says it's pointless to try to pursue negotiations until after the next US presidential election. Allison Good looks at the future of Israeli-Lebanese naval cooperation. Michael Zigmond says a settlement boycott is in Israel's interests. Nabeel Shaath says Palestinians remain committed to the1967 borders. Paul Blumenthal looks at the political agenda being promoted in the United States and Israel by gambling billionaire Irving Moskowitz.

Irving Moskowitz, Controversial Backer Of Israeli Settlements, Gives $1 Million To Anti-Obama Super PAC
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Paul Blumenthal - (Blog) April 12, 2012 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON -- Even in the era of unbridled campaign contributions, Irving Moskowitz's $1 million donation in February to American Crossroads, the Karl Rove-linked super PAC, is eye-catching.

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Palestinian Authority affirms its commitment to 1967 borders
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Nabeel Shaath - (Analysis) April 13, 2012 - 12:00am

For a few years, international leaders have voiced concerns about the stalemate in the Middle East peace process. After 20 years of negotiations, we still hear calls to go back to the table for negotiations. At the same time, Israeli bulldozers continue to change Palestine's landscape.

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The case for a West Bank settlement boycott
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Chronicle
by Michael Zigmond - (Opinion) April 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Imagine that a well-known American journalist publishes a book entitled, “Saving Israel.” His thesis: Israel must hold on to Judea and Samaria. He notes that Israel is the only country in the world dedicated to providing a safe haven for Jews and the only true democracy in the Middle East. He points out that Arabs living in Judea and Samaria, or “Palestinians,” are among the most prosperous in the Middle East.

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Will Israel and Lebanon's new naval partnership last?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Allison Good - (Blog) April 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Although the Arab Spring hasn't won Israel many friends in the Middle East, Haaretz reported yesterday that its navy "recently strengthened its cooperation with the Lebanese Navy in the Mediterranean." The partnership, Israel hopes, will prevent provocations in the form of possible pro-Palestinian flotillas to Gaza on May 15, or Nakba Day, which commemorates "the displacement of Palestinians following the establishment of Israel in 1948, and on Naksa Day, which takes place in June and commemorates the displacement of Palestinians after the 1967 war."

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