A Warning Call ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post by Ephraim Sneh - (Opinion) December 19, 2011 - 1:00am In light of the damning IAEA report released in November, showing no equivocation regarding Iranian intentions for producing nuclear weapons, it is high time that the United States and Israel abandon their current policies and adopt a new joint strategy. Since 1993 I have been calling attention to the potential of a nuclear Iran, perhaps the most dangerous development in our region. Today we all understand that if Iran achieves nuclear military power, it is only a matter of time, a few years, before Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey will reach nuclear capacity as well. » Read more

Hamas on the move ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) December 20, 2011 - 1:00am Hamas is on the move, both literally and figuratively, but how far it can and will go very much remains to be determined. Hamas is in an impossible position, given the regional realignments following from the Arab uprisings, and is frantically trying to adjust without paying too high a price. » Read more

Encountering Peace: Normalizing anti-normalization ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) December 19, 2011 - 1:00am The Al Quds al Arabi newspaper, published in London, gave voice to senior Fatah member Hatem Abdel Qader Eid from Jerusalem announcing that Fatah has decided to boycott and prevent all meetings between Palestinians and Israelis, official and non-official. Being one of the leading Israeli advocates of such meetings and someone who has organized more than 2,000 of them over the past 24 years, many people have asked my opinion of the move. » Read more

Israel’s problem isn’t Thomas Friedman ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by James Adler - (Opinion) December 19, 2011 - 1:00am There is a common thread linking The Jerusalem Post’s attack on Thomas Friedman last week, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s refusal to write an opinion column for The New York Times and an attack on my views by Haifa resident Ella Berkovitz on the Post letters page last Thursday. In all three instances, the individuals in question showed they prefer to take the easy road of crowd-pleasingly attacking the New York Times and one of its senior columnists, without addressing the fact that similar views are held by the United States government and most Western democracies. » Read more

Ex-Palestinian prisoner: No regrets on Yosef plot ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters December 20, 2011 - 1:00am A Palestinian jailed by Israel for plotting to kill one of Israel's most influential rabbis said after his release on Sunday that he had no regrets about the path he had chosen. Salah Hamouri, 26, was one of 550 prisoners freed to complete a deal in which Israel released 1,027 prisoners for soldier Gilad Shalit, who was held captive in the Gaza Strip for more than five years. Many of the 450 prisoners freed on Oct. 18 under the Egyptian-brokered swap for the soldier had been serving life sentences for deadly attacks. » Read more

A short history of Arab feelings toward Zionism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Salman Masalha - (Opinion) December 19, 2011 - 1:00am The Arab attempt since the start of the 20th century to understand the Zionist movement has long produced mixed feelings. A new Arabic monthly, Lughat al-Arab ("the Arabic language"), began publication in Baghdad 100 years ago. The third issue, from September 1911, contains an investigative report by the editor called "The Founder of Zionism." » Read more

Democracy is favorable for right of self-determination ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Amal Jamal - (Opinion) December 19, 2011 - 1:00am The Arab Spring has been a source of pride and happiness for many Arab citizens of Israel. Most of the Arab public in Israel has expressed unequivocal support for the courage shown by thousands of Arab civilians around the region in calling for the ouster of corrupt regimes, endangering themselves and their families. » Read more

Israeli leaders are also advocates of 'Greater Israel' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Aner Shalev - (Opinion) December 20, 2011 - 1:00am It is easy to perceive terror. It is easy to perceive a terrorist wave. It is easy to discern a breach in the Jordanian border fence. It is easy to see a brick thrown into a military jeep. It is easy to discern a mass raid on a brigade base. It is easy to discern torched mosques. It is easy to detect black letters sprayed on a wall. But is it easy to understand their meaning? » Read more

London 2012: Gaza blockade threatens Olympic hopes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Jon Donnison - December 20, 2011 - 1:00am Nader el Masri feels the loneliness of a long distance runner. The 32-year-old 5,000 metre specialist is the fastest man in Gaza but he has few places to train and few people to train with. "I have a coach but there's nobody at my level in Gaza," says Nader. "I have to do most of my training sessions on my own." And the facilities in Gaza are far from great. There is not a single tartan track in the Palestinian territory and Nader does much of his training on the pot-holed cinder track that loops around the football stadium in Gaza City. » Read more

Salem Jubran, Israeli Arab poet and journalist, dies at 71 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ido Blass - December 20, 2011 - 1:00am Israeli Arab poet and journalist Salem Jubran died Sunday at his home in Nazareth at the age of 71. He was laid to rest in his hometown yesterday. Born in 1941 in the Galilee village of Peki'in, Jubran published three books of poetry, the last of which appeared about 30 years ago. Poet Marwan Makhoul said Jubran's poetry was the most important ever published by an Israeli Arab author. » Read more