May 15th

Tibi: Israel must show empathy on 'Nakba Day'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Lahav Harkov - May 15, 2012 - 12:00am


MK Ahmed Tibi (UAL-Ta'al) spoke out against criticism of "Nakba Day" demonstrations on Tuesday, calling for Jewish Israelis to show empathy. "Recognition and empathy of the others' suffering is a lofty, humane value and a step towards peace between nations," Tibi said at a demonstration near Umm el-Fahm.


Medics: 80 injured in Nakba protests near Ramallah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 15, 2012 - 12:00am


RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Over 80 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli forces near Ramallah on Tuesday, medics said, as protesters commemorated the Nakba, or catastrophe, of their exile in 1948. After a mass rally in Ramallah's clock square, protesters headed to Israel's Ofer detention center and the Qalandiya checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem to commemorate the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the founding of the state of Israel.


Palestinians march in annual mourning ritual
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - May 15, 2012 - 12:00am


RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians on Tuesday marked their mass displacement that followed Israel's creation with a blend of sadness and hope, stopping in their tracks for a mournful siren but also flashing victory signs and carrying banners proclaiming their right of return. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced from their villages during the war that established the Jewish state in 1948, an event they commemorate every year as their "Nakba," or catastrophe.


Hamas official urges militants to abduct Israeli soldiers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 15, 2012 - 12:00am


GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- A Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip called on Tuesday for Palestinian factions to abduct Israeli soldiers in order to swap them for Palestinians jailed by Israel. Khan Younis district spokesman Hammad al-Ruqab called on militant groups, and in particular Hamas' military wing the Al-Qassam Brigades, to seize forces "whatever the cost", which he lauded as the most successful route to freeing prisoners.


Palestinians in Jails End Hunger Strike
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - May 14, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM — Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails ended a hunger strike on Monday that had lasted for weeks, signing an agreement with the Israeli authorities that promised improved conditions, according to officials. The end of the strike calmed fears of widespread unrest in the event of a prisoner’s death. “There is an agreement — the strike is over,” Sivan Weizman, a spokeswoman for the Israel Prison Service, said by telephone on Monday evening.


May 14th

Arabic media mum on Nakba Day events
Media Mention of Ziad Asali In The Jerusalem Post - May 14, 2012 - 12:00am




NEWS: Pres. Abbas complains that Israel has been refusing to allow Palestinian security forces to import weaponry and says that he is very afraid of the consequences of the death of any hunger striking prisoner, and Quartet envoy Blair echoes this concern. Israel seems near to reaching a deal with hunger striking Palestinian prisoners. Palestinian families cherish photos of imprisoned relatives. PA police arrest a noted activist with a militant past following the assassination of the governor of Jenin. Israel continues to expand its naval power. Palestinian officials dismiss a letter from PM Netanyahu responding to an earlier one to him from Abbas. Occupation forces order the demolition of a Palestinian elementary school to make way for a military training ground. Israeli officials are increasingly concerned about possible international legal action regarding some settlement activity. Palestinians in Lebanon are wary of a Nakba Day march towards the Israeli border given last year's deadly violence. European human rights groups say Israeli occupation authorities have destroyed numerous Palestinian development projects in the occupied territories financed by EU funds. Arab writers returning from a Gaza literary festival decry Hamas oppression. COMMENTARY: ATFP Pres. Ziad Asali says Palestinians must honor the memory, but also learn the lessons of, the Nakba. Shaul Arieli says both Palestinians and Israelis are misreading the international mood by insisting on maximal claims. Jeff Barak says it will be easy to measure the performance of the new Israeli coalition government. The Forward says the new government offers many positive possibilities. Fareed Zakaria wonders if Netanyahu can use his new power for anything more constructive than political survival. Amihai Attali says Palestinians are using their own version of the settlers' outposts strategy. Eli Brandstein says there are strong indications that Netanyah and his new coalition partner Kadima leader Mofaz have reached an understanding on Iran policy. Sharif Elmusa says that through their hunger strikes, Palestinian prisoners are acquiring their own public identities. Yossi Alpher says Israeli-Palestinian track II diplomacy has ground to a halt because there is nothing left to talk about, but Ghassan Khatib says they can still play an important role.

After Years Of Clashes, Mofaz And Netanyahu Agree On Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'ariv
by Eli Brandstein - (Opinion) May 10, 2012 - 12:00am


In the three meetings Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held with Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz on May 7, the two discussed at length the issue of Iran's nuclear program. Netanyahu sought to clarify whether Mofaz supported his policy on the issue and his position on the way to stop the Iranian race toward a nuclear bomb.


Informal talks still have a role
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) May 14, 2012 - 12:00am


"Track II" or informal diplomacy played its most significant and constructive role in the history of Israeli-Palestinian relations prior to the Oslo breakthrough when the Palestine Liberation Organization started direct negotiations with the Israeli government. The reason track II talks flourished at that time--the late eighties and early nineties--was that Israel was refusing to deal directly with the Palestinian leadership.


Sadly, nothing left to talk about
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) May 14, 2012 - 12:00am


A few weeks ago, after much soul-searching, I reluctantly accepted an invitation to a meeting about the peace process with Palestinian colleagues, held under the auspices of a veteran third-party convener who is truly dedicated to the cause of Israeli-Palestinian understanding and reconciliation. I have been turning down such invitations regularly for several years now, ever since concluding that the meetings had become pointless and were not worth the price I would pay in pure frustration.



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