December 22nd

Netanyahu's New Agreement with Mitchell ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Steven J. Rosen - (Opinion) December 18, 2009 - 1:00am For a year or two at an early stage in his career, I commuted to and from our adjacent offices each morning and evening with Martin Indyk, later a top peace-process official of the Clinton administration at the Camp David negotiations and now vice president for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution. I had just left the Rand Corporation to work at AIPAC, the main pro-Israel lobbying organization in Washington. » Read more

Criminal neglect ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - (Editorial) December 21, 2009 - 1:00am There can be little doubt that Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu won the first round of Israeli-Palestinian engagement with the Obama administration--and that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas lost. Netanyahu executed a partial and problematic settlement construction freeze "balanced" by settlement provocations in Jerusalem and elsewhere. He was rewarded with US support for his readiness to open negotiations while his right-wing coalition stood behind him. Abbas misread American promises and assurances regarding the freeze and the Goldstone report. » Read more

Commentary: President 'Yes we can' meets a 'no you won't' world ATFP World Press Roundup Article from McClatchy News by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) December 22, 2009 - 1:00am As the clock ticks down on the first year of the Obama presidency, one thing is pretty clear: in the Middle East, President "Yes We Can" is bumping up against the cruel and unforgiving world of "No You Won't." From Afghanistan and Pakistan to Iran and Arab-Israeli peacemaking, the president's rhetoric, commitment and desire to engage has outpaced his capacity (so far) to produce. » Read more

Gaza underground on schedule to beat Egypt's wall ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Omar Karmi - December 22, 2009 - 1:00am Ismail Atallah could not hide his disgust. With both hands he squeezed an imaginary throat in front of him. “This is what they are trying to do,” he said. “They want to strangle us. The blood of 1.5 million people means nothing to the Egyptians.” » Read more

Carter offers Jewish community ‘Al Het’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - December 21, 2009 - 1:00am Jimmy Carter asked the Jewish community for forgiveness for any stigma he may have caused Israel. » Read more

Lift the Gaza blockade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Nick Clegg - (Opinion) December 22, 2009 - 1:00am On 27 December last year, Israel launched Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, an overwhelming exercise of military force aimed at silencing the Hamas rockets which had terrorised Israeli towns and villages. The immediate effects of the invasion are well known: 1,400 Palestinians dead, mostly civilians, with many more wounded or displaced; 10 Israeli soldiers and three civilians killed, dozens more injured; and thousands of families in southern Israel forced to flee to other parts of the country. The rocketfire from Gaza into Israel has slowed but has not entirely ceased. Hamas is still in power. » Read more

Israel's doctors must allay torture fears ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Antony Lerman - (Opinion) December 22, 2009 - 1:00am One of the disturbing features of the persistent use of torture by many countries in conflict situations around the world is the role some doctors play in condoning it. The World Medical Association (WMA), which "promot[es] the highest possible standards of medical ethics, [and] provides ethical guidance to physicians", is crystal clear on this practice. » Read more

The separation wall ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Austen Ivereigh - (Opinion) December 22, 2009 - 1:00am Within spitting distance of the very spot Jesus Christ was born is one of the world's great monstrosities, "a symbol of everything wrong with the human heart" as the Archbishop of Canterbury described it when he saw it for himself. » Read more

Jerusalem Diary: Choir caught in disharmony ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Tim Franks - (Blog) December 22, 2009 - 1:00am It should be a time of unalloyed joy for Tim Brown. The director of one of Britain's most well-regarded choirs is beginning a six-concert tour of Israel this week. The choir of Clare College, Cambridge, will be singing Bach's Christmas Oratorio with the Israel Camerata Orchestra. But the singers have not, as a choir, been able to perform in East Jerusalem or Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, after a Palestinian protest against the choir's tour of Israel. The choir has been caught in the passionate arguments over whether Israel should be boycotted. » Read more

World 'failed Gaza over Israeli blockade' - aid groups ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Tim Franks - December 22, 2009 - 1:00am Aid agencies have strongly criticised the international community for failing to help bring an end to Israel's blockade of Gaza. The charities made the accusation in a report published just ahead of the anniversary of Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip. The aid agencies condemn not just Israel, but the world community. In the words of Oxfam's director, Jeremy Hobbs, "world powers have failed and betrayed Gaza's ordinary citizens". The charities call for more pressure to be exerted on Israel to end what they describe as its illegal collective punishment of Gazans. » Read more