November 30th

Israel's take on Arab Spring may undo peace with Egypt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) November 30, 2011 - 1:00am Who's the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt? What is the exact name of the head of Tunisia's Al-Nahda party? And who heads the Islamic Movement in Morocco? One could expect these names to be common knowledge in a country anxious about the "Islamist take-over" of the Middle East and concerned that the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt will collapse. » Read more

The Arab Awakening and Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Thomas L. Friedman - (Opinion) November 29, 2011 - 1:00am Israel is facing the biggest erosion of its strategic environment since its founding. It is alienated from its longtime ally Turkey. Its archenemy Iran is suspected of developing a nuclear bomb. The two strongest states on its border — Syria and Egypt — are being convulsed by revolutions. The two weakest states on its border — Gaza and Lebanon — are controlled by Hamas and Hezbollah. » Read more

Stories from the Old City: 'We are not living like human beings' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Catrina Stewart - November 30, 2011 - 1:00am At the top of a steep and ramshackle street in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan, a rusty, battered gate opens into an unremarkable house. Less than a quarter mile away, though, stand the Al Aqsa mosque and the Wailing Wall, two of Jerusalem's most venerated holy sites, making it a very attractive piece of real estate indeed. » Read more

Hamas's Al-Zahar in hot water ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Ali El-saleh - November 29, 2011 - 1:00am London, Asharq Al-Awsat- Informed Palestinian sources have revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Hamas Movement has been imposing severe disciplinary measures on Mahmud al-Zahar, member of the movement's Political Bureau, over remarks he made criticizing Khalid Mishal, head of Hamas Political Bureau. Al-Zahar has been critical of Mishal over his acceptance of a Palestinian State within the 1967 borders, and giving another time-limit period for the negotiations with Israel in his address to the ceremony of signing the reconciliation agreement in Cairo on 4 May 2011. » Read more

A Jerusalem embassy creeps closer toward becoming law ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - November 29, 2011 - 1:00am Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), appointed to his job when his predecessor John Ensign resigned in scandal, faces a tough election battle next year against Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.). His is one of only two likely Dem pickups (the other is Massachusetts). Now he's got a Jerusalem bill that, barely noticed, just might become law. One of Berkley's fortes is her uncompromising pro-Israelism. Which may help explain (I've asked Heller's office for an interview) his decision in September to introduce a bill that would move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. » Read more

ACLU sues bus agency over refusal of ‘Boycott Israel’ ad ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) November 29, 2011 - 1:00am NEW YORK (JTA) -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against a Michigan bus agency that refused to post an advertisement calling for a boycott of Israel. The lawsuit was filed Monday in Detroit federal court, the Detroit Free Press reported. The suit claims that the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority is violating the free-speech rights of Blaine Coleman, who attempted to purchase the ads on buses in that city. The agency's board rejected the ad at a Nov. 17 meeting because of a standing policy against ads that ridicule people or groups. » Read more

StandWithUs Draws Line on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - November 27, 2011 - 1:00am Washington — A decade ago, during the height of the second intifada, Roz Rothstein, a family therapist and child of Holocaust survivors, watched the news coming from Israel from her home in Los Angeles with growing frustration. Feeling that Israel was not getting the backing it deserved in the United States, she and her husband, Jeremy, set up their own small group, with a stated mission of “supporting people around the world who want to educate others about Israel.” » Read more

Iceland becomes first Western European country to recognize Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press November 29, 2011 - 1:00am Iceland's parliament voted on Tuesday in favor of recognizing the Palestinian Territories as an independent state, the first Western European country to do so according Iceland's foreign minister. The measure passed symbolically on the United Nation's annual day of solidarity with the Palestinian people. The vote paves the way for formal recognition by the small north Atlantic island, which led the way in recognizing the independence of the three Baltic states after the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991. » Read more

Gaza official: Palestinian president opposes unity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Associated Press - November 30, 2011 - 1:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas is not serious about reconciling with political rival Hamas despite public statements to the contrary, a senior Hamas official said in an interview published Wednesday. The official, Mahmoud Zahar, said Abbas "is not interested in achieving" a deal with Hamas, allegedly because the U.S. and Israel oppose it. "Reconciliation will not be achieved at all," Zahar told the London-based daily Asharq al-Awsat. » Read more

Palestinian Economy Minister charged with embezzlement, insider trading ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Reuters - November 29, 2011 - 1:00am Palestinian Economy Minister Hassan Abu Libdeh has been charged with financial wrongdoing, court sources said on Tuesday, piling pressure on Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's beleaguered government. There was no immediate comment from Abu Libdeh, who has always denied accusations of corruption. Under Palestinian law he will no longer be able to work as a minister and his functions will be frozen pending a verdict. » Read more