Palestinian minister steps aside to fight charges ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - November 29, 2011 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian economics minister on Tuesday said he was suspending himself from office in order to battle corruption charges. Hassan Abu Libdeh, who holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University, is set to go on trial on Dec. 12, according to chief public prosecutor Ahmed Mughanni. In a statement, Abu Libdeh professed his innocence and vowed to defend himself "before the judiciary against these false accusations." » Read more

Israel releases frozen Palestinian tax funds ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters November 30, 2011 - 1:00am JERUSALEM, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Israel announced on Wednesday it was releasing millions of dollars in tax revenues it owes the Palestinian Authority, lifting a month-old freeze that had threatened to undermine the West Bank government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had come under international pressure to hand over the funds, about $100 million a month that includes import duties Israel collects on behalf of the PA. The money is vital for paying civil servants employed by the PA. » Read more

At last, ‘Occupation Zionists’ and Israel-loathing U.S. Jews can agree ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - (Blog) November 29, 2011 - 1:00am We're a people that can appreciate nasty, us Jews. Chalk it up to survivor guilt or oppressor guilt, put it down to a legacy of Talmudic and tribal disputation, to a legacy of abuse, or to a tradition of stand-up, the evidence is clear: Two Jews, Three Zingers – barbed, caustic, and intentionally so. » Read more

On My Mind: Employing Israeli Arabs ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Kenneth Bandler - (Opinion) November 29, 2011 - 1:00am American Jews rightly marvel at Israel’s remarkable economic success, achieved despite the conflict with her neighbors, most of whom continue to deny Israel’s right to exist. But part of Israel’s labor pool, Arab Israeli citizens, do not participate as fully as they should in the nation’s workforce. Increasing the rate of Arab employment over the next 20 years “is the top economic issue for Israel’s survival,” says Eytan Biderman, chairman of the Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development in Israel (CJAED). » Read more

A Jewish role model ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Editorial) November 30, 2011 - 1:00am On November 29, 1947, when the UN General Assembly, in a 33-13 vote, supported the creation of a Jewish and an Arab state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, Israel was already a fait accompli. Resolution 181 essentially gave international recognition to what was already a fully operating Jewish sovereign entity. » Read more

Both sides are to blame ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) November 28, 2011 - 1:00am Israeli politics are becoming increasingly right-wing and nationalist. Israel's Arab citizens, along with its human rights community and democratic society in general, are the victims of the resultant legislation. » Read more

The rules of the game are being changed ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Haneen Zoubi - (Interview) November 28, 2011 - 1:00am bitterlemons: What is driving the push for right-wing legislation in Israel? Zoubi: Israel is engaging in a struggle between the Jewishness of the state and democracy. She perceives that she is in a position to choose between "Jewish values" and "democratic values". She is making a very clear statement that she intends to defend the Jewishness of this country and to place obstacles in the path of the true struggle for democracy. » Read more

Reiterating need for peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times (Opinion) November 30, 2011 - 1:00am Just as His Majesty King Abdullah was discussing with visiting Israeli President Shimon Peres the need to stop unilateral actions which “pose a major and real obstacle to peace efforts”, Israel declared that 100 more housing units will be constructed in the West Bank settlement of Shilo. To say the least, settlements - which are illegal under international law - on occupied Palestinian lands remain a major hurdle to achieving progress in the already stalled peace process. » Read more