May 14th

Ethnically cleansing the land where Christianity was born ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Michael Jansen - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am During his high profile visit to the Holy Land, Pope Benedict XVI preached reconciliation between Christians/Muslims and Jews. But he failed to bridge the gulf between the Vatican and Jews because he did not speak of past issues dividing Catholics and Jews. These include long-standing persecution of Jews by the church, culminating in the murder of six million by the Nazis during World War II, and the refusal of Pope Pius XII to intervene in the Nazi extermination of the Jews. » Read more

Spiritual journey cannot help but have political overtones ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Jonathan Cook - May 13, 2009 - 12:00am Pope Benedict XVI upset the schedule on his first day in Israel by leaving an interfaith meeting in Jerusalem early on Monday night after a leading Muslim cleric called on him to condemn the “slaughter” of women and children in the recent assault on Gaza. The pontiff walked out, a spokesman noted, because Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi’s speech was a “direct negation” of dialogue and damaged the Pope’s efforts at “promoting peace”. » Read more

Hamas's Double Statements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Ali Ibrahim - (Analysis) May 13, 2009 - 12:00am It has become almost a habit: When some politicians in the region give interviews to the Western media they say things thinking that they would not be reported elsewhere, as if the Western media in question were on another planet, and that they would not be quoted by the news agencies and the information media of the region. Then, when the interviewees feel that what they have said is different from what they say to their own public - usually a fiery, ardent discourse - they resort to clarifications, corrections and denials. » Read more

Netanyahu may be in for a surprise ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) May 14, 2009 - 12:00am Benjamin Netanyahu, the right-wing Israeli prime minister, is going to Washington on Monday for talks with President Barack Obama. But he may be in for a surprise. His host is not like any other seen in the White House in the last 50 years. In fact there hasn't been a US president like him since Dwight Eisenhower ordered Israel and its two European allies - Britain and France - to pull out of the Suez Canal, which they had invaded in 1956 after Egypt's popular president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised the important waterway. » Read more

It's not up to Israelis to determine the status of Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) May 14, 2009 - 12:00am As the summit between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approaches, most of the discussion has focused on whether or not the newly elected Israeli leader will finally say that he backs a two-state solution. This is the wrong approach. Israelis should not determine the status of the Palestinian entity, nor should Palestinians have a say in what Israelis call their own state. » Read more

May 13th

Ministers to Homesh evacuees: You'll return to settlement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Erfat Weiss - May 13, 2009 - 12:00am Four years after the IDF's unilateral disengagement from Gaza, some 1,500 people returned Tuesday night to the West Bank settlement of Homesh. During the rally, which was authorized by the IDF, former settlers read letters drafted by cabinet members especially for the event. "I want to bless the participants and support them in the realization of the Zionist way," wrote strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Yaalon of the ruling Likud party. » Read more

Islamic Jihad: Don't recognize Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roee Nahmias - May 13, 2009 - 12:00am Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Abdullah Ramadan Shallah said Palestinian recognition of Israel would be "more dangerous than the Nakba of 1948", the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi reported on Wednesday. In a speech delivered by telephone for an event in Gaza on Tuesday, Shallah said: "What is more dangerous than the Palestinian people's Nakba is that the ones with the rights recognize their enemies and deny their own rights. Everything that is happening in Jerusalem is the result of the deals, agreements and negotiations with the Zionist enemy." » Read more

Pope: West Bank fence is a symbol of 'stalemate' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz May 13, 2009 - 12:00am Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday branded the West Bank separation fence as a symbol of "stalemate" between Israel and the Palestinians, urging both sides to break a "spiral of violence". "Towering over us, as we gather here this afternoon, is a stark reminder of the stalemate that relations between Israelis and Palestinians seem to have reached - the wall," he said standing by the fence at a refugee camp in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. "How we earnestly pray for an end to the hostilities that have caused this wall to be built." » Read more

Haaretz reporter Amira Hass arrested upon leaving Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz May 12, 2009 - 12:00am Israel Police on Tuesday detained Haaretz correspondent Amira Hass upon her exit from the Gaza Strip, where she had been living and reporting over the last few months. Hass was arrested and taken in for questioning immediately after crossing the border, for violating a law which forbids residence in an enemy state. She was released on bail after promising not to enter the Gaza Strip over the next 30 days. » Read more

Time to consider building Palestine from the bottom up ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Shlomo Avineri - (Opinion) May 13, 2009 - 12:00am As President Barack Obama's special Middle East envoy, former United States Senator George Mitchell, learned during his visit to the region, America's efforts at Israeli-Palestinian peace-making are running up against three major obstacles. They will, no doubt, also arise in Obama's upcoming meetings with the region's leaders. » Read more