February 6th, 2013

Ahmadinejad: Iran already a nuclear state, but has no intention of launching attack on Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Jack Khoury - February 6, 2013 - 1:00am

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that while Iran is already a nuclear state, it has no intention of attacking Israel.

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Obama's Israel visit may mark rebirth of 'centrality' of the Palestinian conflict
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chemi Shalev - (Opinion) February 6, 2013 - 1:00am

As George Mallory famously said about Mount Everest, President Obamais going to visit Israel, first and foremost, “because it’s there.” After the heaps of criticism and mounds of condemnation hurled at him for avoiding Israel after his Cairo speech and throughout his first term, there was no way that Obama was going to let Air Force 1 enter Middle East air space wit

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Argentine foreign minister accuses Israel of giving 'ammunition to anti-Semites,' sources say
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - February 6, 2013 - 1:00am

Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman accused Israel of giving "ammunition to anti-Semites who accuse Jews of dual loyalty" as part of an exceptionally harsh dressing down of Israel's ambassador Dorit Shavit, sources say. The incident was sparked by Israel's efforts to obtain explanations about an agreement Argentina and Iran signed around two weeks ago.

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Burden of proof
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
(Editorial) February 6, 2013 - 1:00am

Tuesday’s news, that Bulgaria is investigating Hezbollah’s possible responsibility for a deadly bombing there last year comes at a critically important time for the party.

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Israel boosts defences along Syria, Lebanon borders
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Ari Rabinovitch - February 6, 2013 - 1:00am

Israel has deployed a third Iron Dome missile defence system near its northern borders with Syria and Lebanon, security sources said on Tuesday. The Iron Dome systems have been deployed alongside a U.S.-supplied Patriot battery, which has been stationed in the north for years, as Israel is on the alert for weapons leaking out of the Syrian civil war that could be turned on the Jewish state. Two Iron Dome batteries, which use radar-guided interceptor missiles to shoot down short-ranged rockets, had already been deployed there.

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February 5th

NEWS: The head of a new study of Israeli and Palestinian textbooks, Yale professor Bruce Wexler, says the Israeli government is clinging onto "a propaganda point they know to be false." PM Fayyad and MK Herzog warn of the potential financial collapse of the PA. The Syrian regime reportedly finds its options highly limited after an Israeli military strike, and the attack complicates the crisis in the country. The destruction of a Palestinian protest encampment by Israeli occupation forces was outside of their area of jurisdiction. Saudi Arabia announces a housing project in Gaza. Hamas leader Mishaal categorically denies reports that he endorsed a two-state solution. Palestinian women are opening more businesses in the occupied West Bank. The Bulgarian government is expected to blame Hezbollah and Iran for the bombing of an Israeli tour bus. Outgoing settler leader Danny Dayan declares a Palestinian state is "farther away than ever." The planned Palestinian housing community Rawabi is near completion. COMMENTARY: The New York Times says there is a more honest discussion about Israel and Israeli policies in Israel than in the United States. Xinhua interviews PA Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Adnan al-Husseini. Richard Cohen highly praises the new Israeli film, "The Gatekeepers." Chemi Shalev says the film is a harsh condemnation of willful denial. Michael McGough says it makes no sense to try to protect students at Brooklyn College, or any other university, from controversial speech. The CSM says a new study of Israeli and Palestinian textbooks shows the need to better educate students on both sides for peace. Tristram Hunt says maps that distort reality are an ancient phenomenon. Saeb Erekat says the UNHRC report on Israeli settlement activity should be enforced by the international community. Gershon Baskin says the coming months are critical in the quest for peace. Abeer Ayyoub says Hamas is pushing "Islamization" in Gaza. Omar Shaban outlines the social and political consequences of the PA's inability to meet salaries.

Palestinian Authority Faces Crisis Over Salaries
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Omar Shaban - (Opinion) February 4, 2013 - 1:00am

The financial crisis facing the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has left it unable to pay its employees, has had negative consequences for Palestinian society. The crisis has affected the PA’s popularity and the stability of Palestinian society, and it has increased anger and tension between the PA and the people.

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Hamas Pushes Islamization of Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Abeer Ayyoub - (Opinion) February 4, 2013 - 1:00am

When Muhammad, who refused to give his family name out of security concerns, asked the DJ at his brother’s wedding in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, to play music for slow dancing, the DJ refused on the grounds that he would be punished by the authorities. Bemused, Muhammad warned the DJ that the family wouldn't continue the wedding if he didn’t play the song. The DJ shrugged off the threat and stood by his refusal. “We were really angry, because we were never informed that the slow dance wasn’t allowed,” Muhammad said.

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Encountering Peace: Opportunities for US peace initiative
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) February 4, 2013 - 1:00am

Is there a renewed opportunity for Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking after the Israeli elections? That is exactly what US Secretary of State John Kerry will be seeking to determine on his first swing through the Middle East over the next couple of weeks.

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Enforce the UNHRC settlements report to push Israel out of its state of denial
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Saeb Erakat - (Opinion) February 4, 2013 - 1:00am

It is time for Israel to relinquish its current state of denial and confront reality. It is clear to everyone, including Micronesia and the Marshall Islands (two of the few countries who voted against Palestine’s recognition as a state by the UN General Assembly), that Israeli settlements are illegal and that Israel should withdraw to the 1967 border.

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