February 8th

Palestinian official: If anyone can change Israel's attitude, it's Obama ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press February 7, 2013 - 1:00am   Palestinian officials said Thursday they hope U.S. President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to the region signals readiness to re-engage in Mideast peace efforts, but that negotiations can only resume if Washington is ready to get tough with Israel. » Read more

Man faces year in jail after Abbas Facebook joke ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 8, 2013 - 1:00am   » Read more

Abbas to Ahmadinejad: Talk more about Palestine, less about destroying Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jack Khoury - February 7, 2013 - 1:00am   » Read more

Who Did the Jewish Settlers Vote For? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Ori Nir - (Opinion) February 8, 2013 - 1:00am How did Benjamin Netanyahu do in West Bank settlements? Considering his party’s pro-settlement policies and the staunch pro-settlement positions of its leading Knesset members, you’d expect Netanyahu’s Likud-Beiteinu list to perform better among West Bank settlers than it did in Israel proper. It didn’t. Surprising as it may be, overall, only 19 percent of the settlers’ vote went to Likud-Beiteinu, compared to 23 percent of the overall Israeli national vote, according to official Israeli data. » Read more

Judith Butler's Remarks to Brooklyn College on BDS ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Nation by Judith Butler - (Transcript) February 7, 2013 - 1:00am Usually one starts by saying that one is glad to be here, but I cannot say that it has been a pleasure anticipating this event. What a Megillah! I am, of course, glad that the event was not cancelled, and I understand that it took a great deal of courage and a steadfast embrace of principle for this event to happen at all. » Read more

Brooklyn College And The BDS Debate ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Eric Alterman - (Opinion) February 8, 2013 - 1:00am Given the hysteria recently engendered in the mainstream media, one might have expected the students and faculty of Brooklyn College to be a bit on edge this week. But when I taught my classes Wednesday, I could find no evidence of any controversy at all. As I entered the gates of the school on the way to my office, I passed a lonely table advertising the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) manned by three (presumably freezing) women in traditional Islamic head-coverings, standing alone. » Read more

For Hamas, new light on the horizon ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Mkhaimer Abu Sada - (Opinion) February 8, 2013 - 1:00am Hamas, the militant political movement that has ruled Gaza since 2007, has emerged from the latest round of fighting with Israel with its regional status significantly enhanced. At the same time, the movement faces new questions about its ability to take advantage of the diplomatic opportunities that it has gained. Hamas’ forceful response to Israel’s military operation in Gaza in November, which included landing rockets near Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, demonstrated its commitment to its core value of steadfastness. » Read more

Palestinian reconciliation is important ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Ahmad Majdoubeh - (Opinion) February 7, 2013 - 1:00am The statements made by Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mishaal during his recent visit to Jordan, as well as in an interview with the BBC, about concerted efforts to bring about Palestinian reconciliation are encouraging and important. The importance stems from many factors. » Read more

Know Your Enemy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Amal Al-Hazzami - (Opinion) February 7, 2013 - 1:00am I would like to thank those who showered me with a torrent of angry correspondence about my previous article on Israel, who accused me of calling for a normalization of relations, promoting the Hebrew language, and glorifying Israeli liberalism. This response was to be expected because I breached a taboo. However, I am sorry to say to those people, despite my appreciation of their opinions, that their outrage will not change the reality. Israel will remain as it is; a small state but stronger than the rest of the Arab world. » Read more

By ignoring international law, Israel is only hurting itself ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ruth Gavison - (Opinion) February 8, 2013 - 1:00am Israeli government officials are absolutely correct to point out that the UN Human Rights Council is a biased, anti-Israeli body. Nevertheless, one shouldn’t ignore the recent report on West Bank settlements which was written on its behalf, since it reflects the maturation of a prolonged process, typical of international law. » Read more