April 9th

Hamas Executes 3 Palestinians in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Fares Akram - April 7, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA — The Islamic group Hamas that controls Gaza executed three Palestinians on Saturday, one who was convicted of collaborating with Israel and two others who had been found guilty of murder, according to a statement from the Hamas Interior Ministry. The statement said the three men were hanged at a security site in Gaza City. It did not give any details about their identities.

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Israel Bars German Laureate Grass Over Poem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner, Nicholas Kulish - April 8, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — Israel’s interior minister declared Günter Grass, one of Germany’s best-known authors, unwelcome in Israel on Sunday, barring him from entering the country for a poem that accused Israel of being a threat to world peace.

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Hamas chief vows to kidnap more Israeli soldiers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
April 7, 2012 - 12:00am

DOHA, Qatar — The leader of the Islamist militant group Hamas has vowed to kidnap more Israeli soldiers to pressure the Jewish state to release Palestinian prisoners. The comments from Khaled Mashaal come after the deal Hamas struck last year with Israel to swap an Israeli soldier held by Hamas for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including many jailed for helping carry out bombings.

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April 6th

Tribalism and the Zionist BDS Debate
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by David Harris-Gershon - April 5, 2012 - 12:00am

In January, Andrew Adler, the owner and publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times, wrote that Israel should “give the go-ahead for US-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel.” He saw the tactic as a way to resolve divergent opinions between the two countries on how to deal with Iran.

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NEWS: Gaza-based militants say they will adhere to the cease-fire as Israel closes borders in anticipation of holy days. Settlers evicted from a home they seized in occupied Hebron vow revenge against Israeli police. Egypt says there is no evidence of an attack on southern Israel from Sinai. Palestinian activists ask Pres. Abbas to investigate attacks on protesters on Land Day. Christians mark Good Friday in the Holy Land. PM Fayyad may be preparing a reshuffle in his cabinet. Israel says it will retaliate against Hamas after any attack from Gaza, and against Hezbollah after any attack from Lebanon, no matter who the perpetrators might be. Israeli security services say they have managed to reduce attacks by settlers against Palestinians. PM Netanyahu is trying to balance appealing to his right-wing supporters and preserving his law-and-order credibility. COMMENTARY: David Keyes says there is a double-standard on Palestinian censorship. James Kirchick says Israel doesn't engage in “pinkwashing.” Don Futterman says he doesn't support a settlement boycott, but he does think it's essential for Jewish Americans to oppose the occupation. Anshel Pfeffer says Iran has insured the survival of the Assad regime in Syria for the foreseeable future. Nathan Guttman says some Israelis fear that a new UN investigation into Israeli settlement activity could turn into another Goldstone Report. The National says apparent Palestinian concessions on the 1967 borders are a sign of desperation. Gideon Levy says the "extreme left" is everyone pushing for a one-state reality and those who enable them. Majed Kayyali says the PLO must be reconstructed to mend Palestinian national divisions. Ben Caspit says Israelis are wrong to rejoice in having marginalized the Palestinian issue. Frida Ghitis says Israel is making small but significant moves towards peace. Israeli Amb. Oren says Israel is a vibrant democracy. David Harris-Gershon says tribalism should play no role in Jewish-American debates on attitudes towards Israeli policies.

The real radical left
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) April 5, 2012 - 12:00am

Even a dead body can sometimes twitch reflexively. Here we go again: The settlers have occupied another building. Their lawyer isn't ashamed to boast about the deceptive way the property was acquired. The ministers make their pilgrimages. The defense minister pulls a surprise eviction. The right is furious, the remnants of the left utter praise, and even Europe and America seem satisfied - look, another settler real estate grab has been thwarted.

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Concession on 1967 borders is last-ditch effort
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) April 6, 2012 - 12:00am

Desperate times call for desperate measures, as the old saying goes. And with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resolutely stamping out hopes of a negotiated two-state solution, these are indeed desperate times for the fractured Palestinian leadership.

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Netanyahu in Political Balancing Act
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Vita Bekker - April 6, 2012 - 12:00am

TEL AVIV // With early elections likely this year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting a political high-wire act. On the one hand, the right-wing premier must show his pro-settler credentials. On the other hand, in the face of widespread illegal Jewish construction in the occupied West Bank, Mr Netanyahu needs to prove at home and abroad that he is committed to law and order. Late on Wednesday, Mr Netanyahu said he would provide the needed approvals to legalise three unauthorised Jewish outposts in the West Bank and save another outpost from a demolition order.

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Palestine Must Revive the PLO to Mend Palestinian Divisions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Hayat
by Majed Kayyali - (Opinion) April 3, 2012 - 12:00am

There is no electricity in the Gaza Strip — long a source of great suffering for the Palestinians. However, their problems are not limited to power cuts. Their national cause, political entities and struggle against the enemy have lost their momentum and vitality.

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U.N. Pushes West Bank Settlement 'Probe'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - (Analysis) April 5, 2012 - 12:00am

Washington — A United Nations group’s decision to probe settlement activity on the West Bank has raised the specter of a new feud between Israel and the world body — and created a fresh headache for the White House. Israel quickly denounced the Human Rights Council’s resolution, which calls for a fact-finding commission to investigate the “implications” of the settlements for Palestinians. The Jewish state also severed all ties with the council.

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