November 27th

Why Americans Don't Understand Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National Interest by Scott McConnell - (Opinion) November 27, 2012 - 1:00am If a man from Mars descended to observe Israel’s attack on the Gaza strip, he would have seen one group of humans trapped in a densely populated area, largely defenseless while a modern air force destroyed their buildings at will. » Read more

Iran and Hamas Winners In Gaza Conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Seyed Hossein Mousavian - (Opinion) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am The eight-day conflict between Hamas and Israel has ended in a cease-fire. Although shorter than Operation Cast Lead in 2008-09, the latest Israeli Operation Pillar of Defense was nevertheless devastating. Israeli naval and air bombardments killed 165 and wounded 1,200 Palestinians, while damage to Gaza’s infrastructure amounted to $1.2 billion. The rockets fired from Gaza resulted in five Israeli deaths and scores wounded. » Read more

Gaza Is Not Egypt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am The last round of violence between Israel and Hamas, which ended with yet another cease-fire, took place on a backdrop of stormy internal discussions in Israel regarding a permanent solution to the conflict with the Palestinian side. Israeli and Palestinian politicians and thinkers who supported the two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 borders have concluded that the Oslo process has reached the end of its usefulness and that other solutions must be found. » Read more

On My Mind: Abbas’s choice ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Kenneth Bandler - (Opinion) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am Barring a sudden change of mind, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will ask the UN General Assembly on Thursday to recognize Palestine as a non-member observer state of the world body. The long anticipated PA scheme, bypassing direct talks with Israel, will do little to advance the prospects for achieving a permanent peace accord, or an actual independent Palestinian state. » Read more

Who wants a Palestinian state? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Moshe Dann - (Opinion) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am The Palestinian Authority’s moves at the United Nations for recognition of a Palestinian state have raised objections. Since many support the idea, however, including some Israeli politicians, and with little hope for successful negotiations, the PA’s move seems logical. They can continue to attack Israel diplomatically and legally, continue incitement, raise their stature, and avoid recognizing Israel. » Read more

When the Israeli left did it right ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Aluf Benn - (Opinion) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am Shulamit Aloni will celebrate her 84th birthday this week, giving us an opportunity to yearn for the left-wing leadership that was, and to the kind of politics we used to have here but no longer do. Aloni's political personality conveyed a single message: war. She fought unceasingly against the country's priorities, which put the army, the settlers and the ultra-Orthodox at the top. » Read more

After the ceasefire ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by David Rohde - (Opinion) November 23, 2012 - 1:00am For now, the fighting has stopped in Israel and Gaza. But let's be honest, this is the latest round in a long and bitter struggle. In the future, more bloodshed is likely. After eight days of clashes, Hamas' claim that it is the true leader of the Palestinian resistance has gained strength. Long-range rocket attacks on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have made Israelis increasingly wary of a two-state solution. » Read more

To Bolster Palestinian Moderates, Let Abbas Win at the UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg (Editorial) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am A few weeks ago, the U.S. and Israel were painting Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian faction Fatah, as an extremist for vowing to ask the United Nations on Nov. 29 to grant Palestine status as a nonmember observer state. In light of the violence just unleashed on Israel by Fatah’s rival, Hamas, it now seems a relatively mild maneuver. Growing popular support for Hamas’s belligerence makes Abbas an increasingly rare moderate, whose legitimacy needs to be bolstered by the international community. » Read more

Support Palestinian Statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Yossi Beilin - (Opinion) November 25, 2012 - 1:00am THE cease-fire that ended the latest round of violence between Israel and the Palestinians has enhanced the popularity of the militant group Hamas. This extremist organization has become the only interlocutor for the Arab world, for the West and, indirectly, for Israel. But Hamas refuses to recognize Israel’s existence or to negotiate with Israelis. Meanwhile, the pragmatic Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party, is rapidly losing legitimacy and Israel’s recent strikes on Gaza will only weaken it further. » Read more

The Palestinian Choice—And Ours ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) November 26, 2012 - 1:00am Recent developments, especially last week's conflict with Israel, have transformed the Palestinian political landscape in favor of Hamas in Gaza and at the expense of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Palestinians are facing a momentous choice: the path of diplomacy and institution-building championed by the PA, or that of confrontation and armed struggle championed by Hamas. » Read more