February 15th, 2013

Sources: Security prisoners 'disappear' in Israeli jails ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews February 15, 2013 - 1:00am   Israeli-Australian Ben Zygier, the suspected Mossad operative who allegedly committed suicide at Ayalon Prison in 2010, was not the only person to be jailed by Israel under a false name. » Read more

What Obama can achieve with Israel trip ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Miami Herald by Frida Ghitis - (Editorial) February 14, 2013 - 1:00am Next month, two months into his second term, President Barack Obama will arrive in Israel, beginning a Middle East trip whose objective is muddled by the turmoil in the region. What exactly does Obama seek to achieve? Any presidential trip begins long before Air Force One leaves the hangar. While the advance travel officials work out the details of the itinerary, the policy, politics and press people are already crafting their desired narrative. Item one on the agenda this time is lowering expectations. » Read more

Mossad: the service that's really secret ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Alistair Dawber - February 14, 2013 - 1:00am The murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh at an upmarket Dubai hotel in 2010; the killing of Gerald Bull, a Canadian scientist, on his doorstep in Brussels in 1990; the honeytrap set for Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu in Rome in 1986; the death of Ben Zygier in Israel’s most secure prison two years ago. » Read more

Kerry says it like it is ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) February 14, 2013 - 1:00am Under American tutelage, history (almost) repeats itself for both the Palestinians and Israelis. President Barack Obama will be travelling next month to Israel, much like what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did four years ago when he met the American president for the first time during his first weeks at the White House. » Read more

Obama’s Retreat in Parallel to the Arabs’ Surprise ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Hayat by Zuheir Kseibati - February 14, 2013 - 1:00am The North Korean nuclear experiment was not good news for President Barack Obama, a few hours before the delivery of his State of the Union address. Indeed, now is the time for a “diplomatic solution” which would draw up the roadmap for some sort of a deal with Iran over its nuclear file. And the solution wanted by Obama and the West must guarantee Israel’s security. » Read more

Palestinian rally for hunger striker turns violent ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Ian Deitch - February 15, 2013 - 1:00am Palestinian demonstrators clashed with Israeli soldiers on Friday at a rally held in support of a prisoner observing an intermittent hunger strike to protest his incarceration. The Israeli military said about 200 Palestinians threw rocks at soldiers who responded with tear gas during the rally outside Ofer prison in the West Bank. The protesters called for the release of Samer Issawi, who has been on an on-again, off-again hunger strike for several months as he serves time for alleged terror activity. » Read more

Abbas seeks world help to save Palestinians on hunger strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Oman Tribune February 15, 2013 - 1:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas late on Tuesday called on the international community to intervene urgently in support of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails. “Things may get out of control if the lives of the hunger strikers are not saved,” Abbas said on Palestinian television. “We ask the international community to respond effectively to ease the situation, otherwise it will be impossible to control and it will deteriorate across the Palestinian territories. » Read more

Gazans need a new lifeline from stifling blockade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) February 15, 2013 - 1:00am Since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel has inflicted collective punishment on Palestinians in an attempt to weaken support for the armed group. As part of this, Israel has severely limited the importation of goods into Gaza, putting ordinary Palestinians on what Israeli officials once euphemistically termed "a diet". » Read more

Palestinian prisoners in Israel go on hunger-strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 14, 2013 - 1:00am Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel went on a one-day hunger strike Thursday in solidarity with six mates who have been fasting for months. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoner' Club said in a statement that 360 prisoners in three Israeli jails have gone on the hunger strike, and that most of them are affiliated to Islamic Jihad movement. All Palestinian prisoners in Israel, totaling up to some 4,500, will join the hunger strikers on Tuesday, the statement added. » Read more

UN officials voice concern over health of Palestinian detainees on hunger strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Nations News Service February 13, 2013 - 1:00am Two senior United Nations officials today voiced their concern about Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody, particularly following reports of the fast deteriorating health conditions of several who have been on hunger strike. » Read more