May 4th

The landscape of the Arab spring ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Sadegh Zibakalam - (Opinion) May 3, 2012 - 12:00am The "Arab spring" is well into its second year. What is the broad outcome of this gigantic struggle and, more importantly, what can be sketched so far for the future of the Middle East? » Read more

Israel's prime minister is considering early elections. Why the hurry? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - (Analysis) May 3, 2012 - 12:00am Even the sombre news of the death of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's highly influential father at the age of 102 could not quell the febrile atmosphere in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, this week. There was one topic of conversation among MKs, their aides and political journalists at crowded canteen tables: the sudden almost-certainty of a general election being brought forward from autumn 2013 to late summer this year. » Read more

An alternate agenda for elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Jonathan Rosen - (Opinion) May 2, 2012 - 12:00am The Knesset and the local media have been abuzz these past few months with talk about the likelihood of a general election being held well before the designated date of October 2013. That buzz first became audible immediately after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced his surprise decision to hold the Likud primary at the end of January, sparking a flurry of speculation among politicians and journalists that this was a sign of the prime minister’s intention to call a general election as early as the second half of 2012. » Read more

The House That Sabri Built ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Rajah Shehadeh - (Blog) May 3, 2012 - 12:00am BEIT IJZA, West Bank — One of the first statements under oath that I took for Al Haq, a human rights organization I helped establish, was from Sabri Garaib, a farmer from Beit Ijza, a Palestinian village ten miles northwest of Jerusalem. » Read more

A marathon runner with a long-distance goal for Palestinian freedom ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Danna Harman - May 3, 2012 - 12:00am Besides the obvious, what do people do while they run? Some listen to music and get lost in the beat. Some pipe in podcasts. Some, usually those with the big fancy sports watches, pass the time calculating times and distances or monitoring heart beats. And then some just let their minds wander. » Read more

Meshaal may be asked to remain as head of Hamas Political Bureau ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - May 3, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM // Khaled Meshaal, the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, might be asked to stay in his post despite his recent decision not to stand for re-election, a spokesman for the group said yesterday. » Read more

Bethlehem nuns in West Bank barrier battle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Yolande Knell - May 2, 2012 - 12:00am In the green Cremisan valley, west of Bethlehem, a goatherd leans against a rock while his flocks graze under the olive and fig trees. Nearby, a narrow road winds along the hillside to a 19th Century convent and a secluded monastery where monks run the only Palestinian winery. For the mainly Christian town of Beit Jala, this is the local beauty spot. Residents come here to take a stroll or for a weekend barbecue. Many own small plots of agricultural land. They also send their children to the convent school and visit the monastery to sell grapes or buy its wine. » Read more

Fatah official meets Hamas, Islamic Jihad leaders in Cairo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 3, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Fatah leader Azzam al-Ahmad on Wednesday held separate meetings in Cairo with Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal and secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad movement, Ma'an's correspondent said. Al-Ahmad, who heads Fatah's dialogue team, met with Mashaal to discuss the reconciliation process. Egyptian officials attended the meeting, which focused on the need to form a unity government. » Read more

Israel's move toward early vote may shelve any attack on Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - May 2, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM —Israel'smove toward early elections is the latest sign that its threatened attack againstIran'snuclear facilities is unlikely to take place in the coming months. » Read more

Likud official: Early Israeli elections to be announced Sunday, Sept. 4 likely date ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press May 3, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — An official with Israel’s governing Likud Party says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will announce Sunday that national elections will be moved up. The official said Thursday that Sept. 4 was shaping up as the likely date, speaking on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement. The vote was originally scheduled for October 2013. But Netanyahu signaled in December that he might move them up when he called a snap Likud leadership race that he handily won. » Read more