April 3rd

Real Life, not “Counterlife” ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Bernard Avishai - (Opinion) April 2, 2012 - 12:00am In 1985, I published a book called The Tragedy of Zionism. It argued that the Zionist movement had been a good, largely secular and cultural revolution that had run its course, that is, with the founding of Israel and the consolidation of the national Hebrew culture; but that the residual institutions and theories of that revolution—rashly kept alive by Israel’s leaders, who feared the fight with the orthodox Jewish parties over a constitution—had grown to be a burden on, even a threat to, Israel’s democratic life. » Read more

Hunger strikers score a victory for Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) April 3, 2012 - 12:00am From Israel's Ramla prison south of Tel Aviv, Hana Shalabi moved on Sunday to the relative freedom of Gaza. Her negotiated release came, not by coincidence, after a 44-day hunger strike. The case provides a new example of how effectively Palestinians can use the moral high ground. » Read more

Putting peace before liberalism is crucial ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Alick Isaacs - (Opinion) April 2, 2012 - 12:00am My interest in peace work began to grow after I returned from the war in Southern Lebanon in the summer of 2006. I was drafted as a military reservist in the IDF and was, at the grand age of 38, one of the older people to participate in the combat. » Read more

Palestinian responsibility ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Editorial) April 3, 2012 - 12:00am The hypocrisy was mind-boggling. The same week that the Palestinian Authority announced the introduction of a new award to honor press freedom, it launched a crackdown on Palestinian journalists to intimidate them and stifle their voices. » Read more

Israelis can't resist following the the occupation's pied piper ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yitzhak Laor - (Opinion) April 3, 2012 - 12:00am In Ra'anan Alexandrowicz's documentary film "The Law in These Parts," former Supreme Court President Meir Shamgar is presented as the person who removed, with one decision, the legal obstacle to settlement on Jordanian lands. In doing so, Shamgar created a situation in which no peaceful solution to the conflict with the Palestinians is visible on the horizon. Shamgar does not come out of it looking good. Moreover, he doesn't quite remember the crucial decision. » Read more

Mofaz's Kadima win signals end of the land for peace era ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Moshe Arens - (Opinion) April 2, 2012 - 12:00am Of course Shaul Mofaz won, and Tzipi Livni lost. But there was much more to the Kadima primary race than that. It was the "two-state solution," at the forefront of Israeli political discourse for a number of years, that lost. It was the offer of more concessions to the Palestinians, whose most prominent advocate was former Kadima chairwoman, MK Tzipi Livni, that went down in defeat. » Read more

Book review: ‘The Crisis of Zionism,’ by Peter Beinart ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Alana Newhouse - (Book Review) March 30, 2012 - 12:00am Many books have been written on the Israeli-Palestinian struggle — by reporters, elected officials, diplomats, novelists, poets, human rights workers, Nobel laureates and ordinary citizens. But Peter Beinart’s “The Crisis of Zionism” stands out not least for the avalanche of attention it has received even before publication. It is also unusual because it offers little in the way of personal reporting on the Israelis or the Palestinians themselves. » Read more

Palestinian National Poet's Work To Be in Israeli-Arab Curriculum ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'ariv by Raymond Marjiya, Omri Meniv - March 23, 2012 - 12:00am For the first time, the poems of Mahmoud Darwish, widely considered the Palestinian national poet, will be taught in Arab schools in Israel. High-placed officials in charge of education in the sector have recently instructed the school principals to adopt a new literature curriculum including, in addition to Darwish's poetry, works from Knesset Member and ex-mayor of Nazareth Tawfiq Ziad and poet Samih Al-Qasem. » Read more

Israel predicts few casualties from war with Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - April 3, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli security officials have estimated the number of casualties in Israel as a result of a military conflict with Iran would be fewer than 300. An assessment presented to the security cabinet last weekend anticipates three weeks of rocket and missile attacks from Lebanon and Syria, as well as probably Iran and – to a limited extent – Gaza, according to reports in the Israeli media. The projected death toll, although significant in a country with a population of 7.8m, is lower than earlier estimates. » Read more

How Israeli Big Brother became a hotbed of thoughtful debate ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Mia de Graaf - April 2, 2012 - 12:00am In the UK, Big Brother is known for turning fame-hungry contestants – the Nadias, Chantelles and Jade Goodys of this world – into instant celebrities. Though normally no more high-brow, Israel's equivalent has this year achieved a surprising twist, by making a superstar out of "Palestine sympathiser" Saar Szekely. » Read more