May 8th

Iron Dome: Israeli necessity, American priority, strategic imperative ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Howard Berman - (Opinion) May 8, 2012 - 12:00am For years, Sderot was a city under siege, the target of non-stop rocket attacks launched by Palestinian terrorists from Gaza. School was halted, synagogues were silenced and in a community defined by courage, the fragments of rockets and mortars – the vehicles of attempted murder aimed at innocent Israelis – were plain for all to see. Sderot became a living museum of terror. » Read more

Netanyahu's next Israel: Bad for the Right, good for the Jews ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - (Opinion) May 8, 2012 - 12:00am Israelis don't change, unless someone or something creeps up on them from a direction they never look, and slips the comfort zone rug out from under them. The rug may be frayed to the floor, faintly gummy to the touch, it may be mined with thorns and shards of shattered glass. But they'll hang onto it for what passes for dear life. Unless … » Read more

Mofaz-Netanyahu cabinet may pave the way for an Israeli strike on Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amir Oren - May 8, 2012 - 12:00am A "prime ministers' forum" was held as part of the unity government of 1984-1990: Shimon Peres, first as prime minister, later as vice-prime minister and foreign (or finance minister); Yitzhak Shamir, first as former and future prime minister and then as incumbent; and Yitzhak Rabin, as former prime minister and incumbent defense minister. » Read more

We Need to Talk ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) May 7, 2012 - 12:00am It's a simple dictum, but one that many still have trouble accepting: Israelis and Palestinians have to talk to each other if they're going to get anywhere. » Read more

Abbas, Fayyad agree on new PA cabinet ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - May 7, 2012 - 12:00am A new Palestinian Authority cabinet is expected to be announced within the next 48 hours, sources in Ramallah said Monday evening. They said that the new cabinet will be headed by current Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The sources said that Nabil Qassis, the former president of Bir Zeit University in the West Bank, will replace Fayyad as finance minister. The new cabinet will be formed in accordance with an agreement recently reached between Fayyad and PA President Mahmoud Abbas. » Read more

EU: Israel must allow medical, family visits to hunger-strikers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 8, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The European Union offices in the Palestinian territory on Tuesday expressed concern about the deteriorating health condition of Palestinian prisoners on hunger-strike for over two months. Israel's Supreme Court on Monday rejected the appeals of administrative detainees Bilal Diab, 27, from Jenin, and Thaer Halahla, 33, from Hebron -- who have refused food since Feb. 29. » Read more

Israel raids office of Palestinian anti-settlement organization ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 8, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces on Tuesday seized computers and cameras from the office of a Palestinian organization that organizes public activities against Jewish settlement activities, Palestinian witnesses said. The soldiers smashed the doors of the Public Campaign against Settlements and Wall's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, seized the equipment and left. The incident took place before the workday started. » Read more

Israeli Supreme Court orders outpost demolished ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press May 7, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel's Supreme Court has set a new deadline for the demolition of an unauthorized Jewish outpost in the West Bank. The court on Monday ruled that the Ulpana outpost must be dismantled by July 1. A May 1 deadline for its removal was postponed so that the court could hear an appeal by the government, which asked for a 90-day delay. About 30 Jewish families live in Ulpana. The court has ruled that the outpost was illegally built on private Palestinian land. » Read more

Top Palestinian negotiator suffers heart attack ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press May 8, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — A senior medical official says a top Palestinian peace negotiator has been hospitalized after suffering a heart attack. Dr. Ahmed Bitwai, head of Ramallah hospital in the West Bank, says Saeb Erekat had a "sharp" attack early on Tuesday and was taken to the hospital for a heart catheterization. He says the 57-year-old Erekat will remain in hospital for three days for supervision. Erekat has been a leading negotiator with Israel in talks over Palestinian independence during the past two decades. » Read more

Israeli Court Rejects the Release of Hunger Strikers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - May 7, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals for the release of two Palestinian prisoners who have been on a » Read more