January 28th

Israel Closes Its Eyes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Hayat by Elias Harfoush - (Opinion) January 25, 2013 - 1:00am "Live in Israel as if you are living in Europe or the United States." This was the slogan that Yair Lapid used to lure Israeli voters, leading him to second place in the country's recent elections, becoming the kingmaker who will determine the rules of the game in Israel in the coming future. » Read more

Abbas waiting for Yair ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Smadar Peri - (Opinion) January 27, 2013 - 1:00am The easiest thing to do is to recite "Abbas is not a partner" and talk about his interview over the weekend with a restless Lebanese interviewer who did all he could to get an anti-Israel headline out of the Palestinian leader. » Read more

Israelis who hoped for peace progress should expect to be disappointed ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Adrian Daniels - (Opinion) January 28, 2013 - 1:00am To the same degree that the campaign itself was lifeless and predictable, the results of Israel's general election have invigorated and excited Israel's center and Zionist Left. » Read more

Europe needs to re-commit to the peace process now ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ilan Baruch - (Opinion) January 28, 2013 - 1:00am Hot on the heels of the 1979 Camp David Peace Accords, signed by the leaders of Egypt and Israel and under the watchful eyes of President Carter, the European Community formulated its own key statement of Middle East policy, the Venice Declaration, signed by the heads of the European Community on June 13th 1980. » Read more

Jerusalem soccer fans' racism is a microcosm of Israel 2013 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Elad Lipshitz - (Opinion) January 28, 2013 - 1:00am The logic of Beitar Jerusalem is a reflection on Israel 2013. If Yair Lapid doesn’t count Balad MK Hanin Zuabi, then a Muslim cannot play on the capital’s soccer team. Some people in the eastern stands at Teddy Stadium are convinced that Muslims are born different and even develop differently in their mothers’ wombs. And we’re not talking about a few people - there are many of them, apparently thousands. » Read more

Ehud Barak at Davos: U.S. Could Strike Iran to Block Nuclear Progress ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast (Interview) January 25, 2013 - 1:00am Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is confident, he says, that the United States has plans for surgical strikes against Iran as a last-ditch measure if Tehran refuses to stop its development of a nuclear weapons capability. » Read more

Israel's Decision To Withhold Tax Money From Palestinians May Impact Security ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Ben Lynfield - January 26, 2013 - 1:00am In August 2011, a report by the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee hailed the Palestinian Authority’s “comprehensive security coordination” with Israel in thwarting terrorist attacks — a judgment echoed in May 2012 by the chief of the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency. “The security coordination with the P.A. is good,” Yoram Cohen told the same committee then. » Read more

Israel gave birth control to Ethiopian Jews without their consent ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Faisal J. Abbas - January 27, 2013 - 1:00am Israel has admitted for the first time that it has been giving Ethiopian Jewish immigrants birth-control injections, often without their knowledge or consent. » Read more

Gaza university introduces dress code for women ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 27, 2013 - 1:00am A university in the Gaza Strip announced this week that female students must abide by an "Islamic" dress code, causing uproar from Palestinian groups and students themselves. Al-Aqsa University in Gaza City will implement the dress regulations when the new semester begins. University president Salam al-Agha clarified to Ma'an that the code does not require the jilbab (full-length coat) or niqab (face-veil), but rather what he termed dress befitting of the university. He said students would not be expelled for violations of the dress code. » Read more

Mashaal to meet Jordan king, sources say ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 28, 2013 - 1:00am Hamas' chief-in-exile Khalid Mashaal will meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday, Jordanian sources said. Senior Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishiq told Ma'an Sunday that Mashaal had arrived in Amman for an official visit to Jordan, without providing further details. Jordanian sources told Ma'an that the Hamas chief is expected to discuss Palestinian reconciliation with the Jordanian king and other officials. » Read more