April 22nd

Hopes for the Pope ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - April 22, 2009 - 12:00am In a few weeks' time several dozen Catholics, perhaps 100, will travel the checkpoint route from the Gaza Strip to Bethlehem in the West Bank in order to greet Pope Benedict XVI. The pope will not go to them; they will come to him - assuming that Israel keeps its word and permits them to leave the besieged Strip for several hours. In a recent letter to the Vatican 40 prominent Christians from the territories begged the Holy See to add Gaza City to the Pope's itinerary. They want to show him and the dozens of cameras that will record his visit the destruction left by Israel in the city. » Read more

Famed militant tries new tack as Jenin theater director ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - April 22, 2009 - 12:00am The war being waged in Jenin over the last few days is completely different from the sort the West Bank city has known in recent years. It is a culture war between groups and individuals who wish to advance artistic projects, and those fighting them in the name of Islam. The entrance to the city's Freedom Theater, founded by actor Juliano Mer Khamis, was torched four days ago. Not long before that, a music center run by the al-Kamanjati organization also was set ablaze. An announcement at the city's mosque blasted Mer and theater employees as depraved and immoral. Advertisement » Read more

Clinton: U.S. won't deal with Hamas until it accepts our terms ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz April 22, 2009 - 12:00am U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday the United States would refuse to deal with or fund a Palestinian government that included Hamas unless it met three international conditions. "We will not deal with nor in any way fund a Palestinian government that includes Hamas unless and until Hamas has renounced violence, recognized Israel and agrees to follow the previous obligations of the Palestinian Authority," Clinton told the House of Representatives foreign affairs committee. » Read more

April 21st

Ahmadinejad, Durban and another fine mess ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Center For Strategic & International Studies by Antony Lerman - (Opinion) April 20, 2009 - 12:00am This is hardly the time for levity, but watching delegates at the Durban anti-racism review conference walk out while President Ahmadinejad served up his version of Zionist history, I couldn't help thinking of that immortal phrase from Laurel and Hardy: "Well, that's another fine mess you've gotten me into." The Geneva UN gathering is an event of high seriousness. It coincides with Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day and Hitler's birthday. It has been heading for disaster for months while western states and Jewish groups have been at loggerheads over strategy. » Read more

Hamas's Bloody Hands ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Richard Cohen - (Opinion) April 21, 2009 - 12:00am Some residents of Gaza were taken from their homes and shot in the legs or feet. Some were brutally beaten, and some were simply murdered, sometimes after hideous torture. If you are expecting -- based on everything that has happened -- that the awful Israelis did this, guess again. It was Hamas, the authentic and genuine government of Gaza. Well, no one's perfect. » Read more

More Hatred From Mr. Ahmadinejad ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times April 20, 2009 - 12:00am The fear all along has been that the United Nations conference on racism would be manipulated into yet another forum for demonizing Israel. All too predictably, Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — who has called the Holocaust a myth and has advocated Israel’s destruction — did just that. » Read more

Israel, Egypt to discuss new Gaza cease-fire ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Yaakov Katz - April 20, 2009 - 12:00am Instituting another cease-fire with Hamas will be at the focus of talks on Wednesday between Defense Minister Ehud Barak and visiting Egyptian Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman. Suleiman, who holds the Israel file in the Egyptian cabinet, will travel to Israel on Wednesday and will meet with Barak, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, officials said on Monday. » Read more

Feiglin: If I were PM, I'd rebuild the Temple ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Matthew Wagner - April 20, 2009 - 12:00am Moshe Feiglin, head of Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership Movement) said last week that if he was elected prime minister, he would try to rebuild the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem. "I don't know if I will have the merit of doing something that is the aspiration of every Jew," said Feiglin. "But if I become prime minister I will take away control over the Temple Mount from the Wakf [the Islamic trust] and reinstate Jewish sovereignty over the entire mount and, hopefully, rebuild the Temple." » Read more

Encountering Peace: The first in a two-part series on what Israelis and Palestinians teach their young ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post April 20, 2009 - 12:00am One of the most amazing things about the Oslo peace process is that since the creation of the Palestinian Authority in 1994, the ministers of education of Israel and the PA have never met. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will meet with President Mahmoud Abbas. Defense Minister Ehud Barak will continue to meet with PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad. Other Israeli and PA ministers will continue to meet, but the ministers of education - no meetings will take place between them. » Read more

Netanyahu backtracks on Jewish state recognition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) April 20, 2009 - 12:00am Benjamin Netanyahu said Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is not a pre-condition for holding peace negotiations. A statement issued Monday from the Prime Minister's Office said that without that recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, Netanyahu believes "it will not be possible to advance the diplomatic process and reach a peace settlement. However, the prime minister has never set this as a pre-condition for the opening of negotiations and dialogue with the Palestinians." » Read more