June 4th

Isn’t Israel Already a ‘Jewish State’? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Forward by Leonard Fein - (Opinion) June 3, 2012 - 12:00am A leading Palestinian negotiator says that for the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state would “adversely impact the rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel.” Not at all, say Yosef Kuperwasser, director general of Israel’s ministry of strategic affairs and Shalom Lipner, special coordinator for public diplomacy in the Prime Minister’s Office. This, they insist, “is a baseless argument, since Israel will continue to guarantee the full and equal civil rights of all its citizens.” » Read more

Israel is new South Africa as boycott calls increase ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Jonathan Owen - (Opinion) June 3, 2012 - 12:00am Some of the world's biggest stars – from Madonna to the Red Hot Chili Peppers – are being accused of putting profit before principle in a growing backlash against artists performing in Israel. » Read more

The importance of history ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Susan Hattis Rolef - (Opinion) June 3, 2012 - 12:00am Last Tuesday Channel 10’s investigative TV program Hamakor (The Source) broadcast a report on the syllabi being taught in the national school system, with a special emphasis on history. » Read more

King Bibi the First ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews (Opinion) May 21, 2012 - 12:00am Kings, an American journalist who recently returned from a tour of several Middle Eastern states told me. Kings, this is what survives in the Arab world. The republican regimes fall, one after another. Look at what happened in Tunisia, in Egypt, in Libya. Look at what’s happening in Syria. At the oil emirates. On the other hand, the royal regimes are hanging in there. In Saudi Arabia too. In Morocco, the king adapted himself to the new winds and is surviving. Even in Jordan. The present belongs to the kings. » Read more

Israelis and Palestinians make very different movies about water ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Nirit Anderman - (Film Review) June 3, 2012 - 12:00am Nine jointly made films show the eyes of beholders can see very different things.

The fight over West Bank neighborhood: Who's minding the store, Bibi or Feiglin? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yossi Verter - (Opinion) June 4, 2012 - 12:00am On January 31 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu trounced Moshe Feiglin in the Likud primary. The rematch could take place this week in the Knesset plenum, if the dangerous and scandalous bill to legitimize settlements built on private Palestinian land is put to a vote, against Netanyahu's wishes. Then we'll know who's really minding this store, a.k.a. Likud: the PM, or Feiglin & Co.

Adding insult to injury ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) June 4, 2012 - 12:00am High-ranking politicians' fear of the political might of the settlers, and of their patrons in Likud and other right-wing parties, has exposed a treasure trove of creativity. Their latest invention, to which we can credit the threat of a proposal aimed at legitimizing the theft of private property in the territories, recommends relocating the five homes slated for demolition in the Ulpana neighborhood of Beit El to a site that is next to the settlement. According to cautious estimates, the move can be expected to cost NIS 5 million - for each house. » Read more

Optimism reigns in most notorious refugee camp ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Mirella Hodeib, Mohammed Zaatari - June 4, 2012 - 12:00am A peculiar, indiscernible smell reigns in the Middle East’s most notorious Palestinian refugee camp: the odor of deep sorrow mixed with devastating poverty. But the residents of Ain al-Hilweh are known for a rare kind of optimism and a smile that never abandons their faces. Wearing the typical Palestinian outfit, a linen abaya and the legendary keffiyeh on the head, Hajj Abu Mahmoud laments the camp’s deplorable situation, which he blames on the dominant factions. “The situation in Lebanon now is no better,” he adds. » Read more

Meshaal's U-turn a setback for Hamas hardliners critical of his reforms ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - June 4, 2012 - 12:00am Khaled Meshaal is standing for re-election to lead Hamas four months after announcing he would step down. The decision is a setback for hardliners in the Islamist movement who have criticised Mr Meshaal's recent reforms, which include dismantling Hamas's headquarters in Damascus, reconciling with its Palestinian rival Fatah and tentatively embracing unarmed struggle against Israel. Hamas' senior leadership refused to accept Mr Meshaal's decision in January not to seek another term as the group's Political Bureau head, sources say. » Read more

IDF investigation finds settler youth tied up, beat injured Palestinian ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) June 3, 2012 - 12:00am Jewish youth from the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar tied up and beat a Palestinian man shot by the settlement's emergency response team, an Israeli military investigation found.  The weapons of the emergency response team were confiscated by the military after the incident, according to reports. » Read more