January 10th, 2013

The confessions of Hamas are a message to the Islamists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Osman Mirghani - (Opinion) January 9, 2013 - 1:00am   Speaking before the Islamists and Democratic Governance Conference a few months ago, Khaled Mishal, head of the Hamas political bureau, acknowledged there was a difference between opposition and governance, between imagination and reality, and between being a critic and a practitioner. He concluded that the Islamists in general had to admit that governance was harder than they had first imagined, and this applies to Hamas as well. » Read more

Chuck Hagel Failure May Haunt Hawks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Forward (Opinion) January 9, 2013 - 1:00am   Hawkish groups that sought to pre-emptively sink Chuck Hagel’s candidacy for secretary of defense may have been trying to teach President Obama and his supporters a lesson — but it seems they’re the ones who may look back at this episode as a cautionary tale. » Read more

What makes Chuck Hagel a true friend of Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Chris McGreal - (Opinion) January 9, 2013 - 1:00am   » Read more

Why are Israel’s critics trying to kill two-state solution? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Opinion) January 9, 2013 - 1:00am The two-state solution apparently has seen better days. Indeed, according to The Atlantic’s Robert Wright the two-state solution is on its “deathbed,” while the Daily Beast’s Andrew Sullivan has already lost all hope in the prospects of an independent Palestinian state. » Read more

White House changed the rules ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Eitan Haber - (Opinion) January 10, 2013 - 1:00am You would have to be deaf, a fool and a minor – as it says in the Talmud – not to understand the message relayed this week from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington to the residents of Kaplan 3 Street in Jerusalem: The people in the White House changed the rules of the game and have informed Benjamin Netanyahu of the change. » Read more

Back to the Road Map? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Dov Weissglas - (Opinion) January 10, 2013 - 1:00am The Israeli-Palestinian horizon is getting so dark there is almost no hope left. The complete diplomatic stalemate, the deteriorating economic situation, the weakening of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas' growing power (to some extent as a result of intentional Israeli activity) – all of these have brought the Palestinians back to the streets and intensified the rioting and acts of violence. » Read more

The Arab elephant in the Knesset ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) January 8, 2013 - 1:00am   » Read more

Right-wing millionaire is Israel campaign's surprise star ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Maayan Lubell - (Opinion) January 9, 2013 - 1:00am   A right-wing millionaire who says a Palestinian state would be suicide for Israel has emerged as the surprise success story of the country's election campaign. » Read more

Rap Musicians Censored in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor January 8, 2013 - 1:00am   Mohammad Antar is a 26-year-old rapper. For over a year, Mohammed has been practicing the songs he has written in front of the mirror. He will be lucky if he even gets a chance to perform them during an "underground" concert, with only his friends as the audience. » Read more

Israel to market disputed East Jerusalem housing project before election ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yair Ettinger - January 10, 2013 - 1:00am   The Israeli government and the Jerusalem municipality are hard at work on the goal of offering for sale 1,500 housing units in the capital's Ramat Shlomo neighborhood, the focus of international censure, before the January 22 elections. Plans for the project, which is over the Green Line, were approved last month by the National Planning and Building Council, causing tension between Jerusalem and the West. » Read more