December 15th

Israel has never been so ugly ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ari Shavit - (Opinion) December 15, 2011 - 1:00am We have never been so ugly. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu seeks to silence the call to prayer over the loudspeakers of the country's mosques, and to shut down Channel 10 television. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman expresses support for the Russian "democtator" who has just rigged elections. Defense Minister Ehud Barak stands by while Jewish settlers victimize Palestinians and ultra-Orthodox religious nationalists victimize female soldiers. » Read more

Palestinian rivals united by drift ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Tom Perry - (Analysis) December 15, 2011 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Hamas and Fatah are Palestinian rivals facing the same dilemma: how to justify their role as leaders of the Palestinian people while making little headway in achieving their national goals. With elections overdue, questions over their legitimacy are only likely to increase unless they find a way to galvanise the Palestinians' struggle with Israel. » Read more

December 14th

Amid tensions with allies abroad, Netanyahu shoring up power at home ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Matthew Wagner - December 13, 2011 - 1:00am JERUSALEM (JTA) -- He may be a lightning rod for criticism abroad, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is consolidating power at home. On Dec. 5, Netanyahu announced that elections for leadership of his Likud Party would be held Jan. 31. The decision came as something of a surprise; primaries in Israel were expected to be held closer to the next general elections, which are set for October 2013. » Read more

Erdan, PA agree: Increase water cooperation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Sharon Udasin - December 14, 2011 - 1:00am While clashing on most issues fundamental to the Israeli-Palestinian water crisis, Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan and Palestinian Water Minister Dr. Shaddad Attili agreed that today’s operations must change and that cooperation between the two entities must grow stronger, at a conference in Ashdod on Tuesday. Since the Oslo Interim Agreement of 1995, the Joint Water Committee has served as the body responsible for allocating water to the Palestinians and managing the treatment of West Bank sewage. » Read more

'Record number of Palestinians being displaced' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Ben Hartman - December 14, 2011 - 1:00am An all-time high number of Palestinians have been displaced from their homes as a result of house demolitions east of the Green Line, a consortium of left-wing groups said on Tuesday. “Israeli authorities have stepped up unlawful demolitions in the West Bank including east Jerusalem over the past year, displacing a record number of Palestinian families from their homes,” the statement released by over 20 groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam International said. » Read more

Barak: Israel must treat Jewish extremists like a terror group ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Tomer Zarchin - December 14, 2011 - 1:00am Israel needs to see if the actions of right-wing extremist could be legally defined as terror, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday, as Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman weighed emergency measures in the wake of recent price tag attacks and assaults on IDF troops. » Read more

Israel right-wing activists clash with Jerusalem police following price tag attack ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Oz Rosenberg - December 14, 2011 - 1:00am Dozens of right-wing activists clashed with police officers in Jerusalem on Wednesday, amid attempts to arrest suspects linked to recent so-called price tag attacks. The rioters, some of whom reside in the capital's Kiryat Moshe neighborhood after being forced to leave the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar, slashed the tires and smashed the windows of several police cars. Six rioters were arrested and taken under custody. » Read more

Hamas' Gaza anniversary draws tens of thousands ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ibrahim Barzak - December 14, 2011 - 1:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Tens of thousands of Gazans turned out Wednesday for an anniversary rally of the ruling Hamas, a demonstration of strength for the Islamic militant movement ahead of Palestinian general elections tentatively set for the spring. The annual rally has become an increasingly elaborate exercise in stagecraft since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 following internal fighting with forces loyal to Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. » Read more

Israel razing more Palestinian homes, wells-monitors ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Allyn Fisher-Ilan - December 13, 2011 - 1:00am JERUSALEM, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Israel has stepped up its demolitions of Palestinian property in occupied land this year, razing double the number of homes and water wells from 2010, human rights groups said on Tuesday. The statement endorsed by 20 organisations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch further said Jewish settler violence against Palestinians had risen in 2011 and that Israel had sped up its expansion of settler enclaves. » Read more

Zahhar: No elections in May ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 14, 2011 - 1:00am GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar said Tuesday it was unlikely that elections would be held in May as scheduled. In an interview with Egyptian media, Zahhar said a unity government and security committee needed to be formed to ensure a transparent vote, Cairo-based Al-Ahram reported. He questioned on what basis elections could be held as neither of these prerequisites had been met, according to the newspaper report citing the Middle East News Agency. » Read more