January 11th

Differences within parties – not just between them ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by David Makovsky - (Opinion) January 11, 2012 - 1:00am After 16 months of no negotiations, Israeli and Palestinian officials met in Amman last week and again this week. Yet, the question remains whether these talks represent a new opening or if they are merely a tactical instrument for each side to perpetuate recriminations? » Read more

Israel Arrests 10 Palestinians in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from WAFA January 11, 2012 - 1:00am WEST BANK, Israeli forces Tuesday arrested 10 Palestinians from across the West Bank, according to security sources. In Jenin, Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians from Jenin refugee camp after raiding their houses, searching them and tampering with their contents, according to the sources. They also raided a garage and confiscated four cars. Forces also raided several Palestinian houses in Battir, a village west of the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, searched them thoroughly and arrested three Palestinians, including a 16-years-old boy. » Read more

Israel Passes Draconian Law on Illegal Immigrants ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - January 11, 2012 - 1:00am Israel's parliament approved harsh new penalties on illegal immigrants yesterday in an effort to stop mainly sub-Saharan Africans seeking refuge from conflict and poverty. Although the law stopped short of enacting some of the most draconian penalties sought by the government, it has provoked widespread criticism from human rights groups. The law allows the state to imprison illegal migrants for life if they commit certain crimes and detain them and their children for three year terms simply for being caught entering Israel. » Read more

Bill: Citizens Who Didn't Complete Army Service Can't Be MKs ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel News by Moran Azulay - January 11, 2012 - 1:00am Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party has introduced a bill that aims to prevent citizens who did not complete their IDF service from running for the Knesset in the next elections. Ynet learned that Knesset Member Moshe Matalon submitted the proposal on Tuesday. According to the bill, Israelis who did not serve in the IDF or complete the National Service program will not be able to run for Knesset. If passed, the bill would essentially mean that the haredi and Arab parties would be dissolved. Yisrael Beiteinu realizes it will be difficult to pass the bill into law. » Read more

Will Jews be Able to Live in a Future Palestinian State? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic by Dan Rothem - (Opinion) January 11, 2012 - 1:00am The Atlantic's new special report "Is Peace Possible?" is featuring multimedia presentations on the four core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Borders, Security, Refugees, and Jerusalem. These are complex issues, so post your questions in the comments section of each chapter, send them via email (to Questions@IsPeacePossible.com), or tweet them to us at @IsPeacePossible. » Read more

Israel Subsidizes West Bank Housing, Breaking Promise to U.S. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - January 11, 2012 - 1:00am Despite the government's promise to Washington to stop giving financial incentives for construction in West Bank settlements, the Housing Ministry recently published a tender for 213 new housing units in Efrat under a program that offers substantial discounts on the land. » Read more

A year of preparation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Imad Al-Frangi - (Interview) January 11, 2012 - 1:00am bitterlemons: Hamas seems to have many things to look forward to in 2012. Do you agree? » Read more

Hamas PM Arrives in Gaza, Says Foreign Visits Broke Political Blockade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua January 11, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya arrived in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday night after his first tour in years, saying that he managed to break the political blockade imposed by Israel on the enclave. "The tour broke the siege imposed on the government, on the Gaza Strip and on Palestine," Haneya said, adding that he visited the four countries mainly for the issues of "Palestine and al-Aqsa Mosque." » Read more

Egypt: Israeli Pilgrimmage 'Impossible' This Year ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Maggie Michael - January 10, 2012 - 1:00am CAIRO — Egypt's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it had told Israel that it would not be "appropriate" for Israeli pilgrims to make an annual visit to the tomb of a 19th-century Jewish holy man in the Nile Delta, as activists mobilized to block the pilgrimage route. Ceremonies at the tomb of Rabbi Yaakov Abu Hatzira have triggered yearly political sparring in Egypt throughout most of the last decade, with Islamists, nationalists, and others claiming that the government by allowing the pilgrimage is pursuing an unpopular policy of normalization with the country's former enemy. » Read more

2012 could be a year of dramatic change ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yariv Oppenheimer - (Opinion) January 11, 2012 - 1:00am At first glance, this election year in the United States does not bode well for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. » Read more