February 22nd

Novelist Ian McEwan criticizes Jewish settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press February 20, 2011 - 1:00am Renowned British novelist Ian McEwan has accepted an Israeli literary prize in Jerusalem with harsh criticism of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. At an acceptance ceremony for the Jerusalem Prize, McEwan praised Israel's technological and artistic advances but asked: "Where is Israel's political creativity?" He criticized Israel's 1967 annexation of east Jerusalem, the part Palestinians claim as the capital of a future state. McEwan is the author of the best-selling book Atonement and has won numerous literary prizes for his books. » Read more

Top Netanyahu aide quits after reported jobs row ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters February 20, 2011 - 1:00am A senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resigned on Sunday after reports of a high-level dispute over whether he would be named the Jewish state's next ambassador to Britain. Uzi Arad, a former Mossad agent and ex-leader of a prestigious Israeli think-tank on foreign policy, asked to step down as national security adviser, "so that he could return to academia," a statement from Netanyahu's bureau said. » Read more

Hamas pours scorn on Fatah call for unity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from February 22, 2011 - 1:00am Hamas on Monday shrugged off calls for reconciliation with Fatah, saying its secular rival must prove its seriousness by freeing prisoners. "These declarations lack seriousness and credibility, they make no sense in light of the continued arrests and torture [of Hamas members] in Fatah prisons in the West Bank," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, in response to an appeal by Fatah for the two factions to start talking. » Read more

Israeli bulldozers bury Bedouin village ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 22, 2011 - 1:00am The five tents giving shelter to some 50 Bedouin residents of Amniyr, a tiny community north of Susiya in the south Hebron hills, were torn down on Monday, their olive trees uprooted and water sources covered over. An observer with the Christian Peacemaker Teams said Israeli demolition crews arrived before sunrise, at about 5:30 a.m., and began taking down the tents, then filled a well and a water cistern with earth. "They uprooted several olive trees and buried them under the dirt," he said. » Read more

Palestinian offers Hamas unity deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - February 20, 2011 - 1:00am The Palestinian prime minister appealed Sunday to the rival Hamas group to join him in a united government, offering to allow the Islamic militants to retain security control of the Gaza Strip until elections later this year. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's proposal to his Islamic militant rivals reflected the Palestinians' deep frustration over Washington's handling of Mideast peace efforts. That anger was underscored over the weekend when the U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. » Read more

Fear grows in Israel over backlash from Egypt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders, Batsheva Sobelman - February 22, 2011 - 1:00am Israel's so-called cold peace with Egypt is looking colder by the day. Early Tuesday, Egypt reportedly permitted two Iranian warships to enter the Suez Canal for the first time since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. During a mass prayer service Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square, anti-Israel cleric Yusuf Qaradawi— who returned to Egypt after years in exile — called for the "conquest" of Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque, Islam's third-holiest site, which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War and sits atop a Jewish holy site. » Read more

Obama's veto is the wrong side of history ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Daoud Kuttab - February 20, 2011 - 1:00am US President Barack Obama was on the right side of history when he supported the young nonviolent protesters in Egypt. The Obama administration was on the wrong side of history when Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, raised her hand vetoing a UN Security Council resolution condemning Jewish settlements. » Read more

Report: Fayyad offers Hamas Gaza, unity govt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 20, 2011 - 1:00am Appointed PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has reportedly offered space in a unity government to Hamas, the Associated Press reported Sunday. Fayyad told the news organization that the move was aimed at ensuring presidential and legislative elections would go forward by September, after Hamas earlier refused to participate in the PA-run call to vote. According to the AP report, Hamas would remain in power in Gaza under an agreement that it would see it maintain a ceasefire with Israel, while Fayyad would govern in the West Bank. » Read more

No objections from Hamas on unity govt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 21, 2011 - 1:00am Hamas has suggested the formation of a unity government several times already, but always faced opposition from the PA, a senior party member in the West Bank told Ma'an Sunday. Hamas leader Ayman Daraghma did not rule out participating in a new Palestinian Authority cabinet, and hinted that the ongoing unrest in the Arab world might give Fatah, which leads the West Bank government, the motivation to end the Palestinian political crisis. » Read more

U.S. faces rocky road ahead in Middle East Read more ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico by Aaron David Miller - (Editorial) February 18, 2011 - 1:00am When it came, President Barack Obama handled his 3 a.m. phone call from Cairo pretty well. As political turbulence sweeps the Arab world, bringing challenges to the old order and uncertainties about the new, the president’s phone may be ringing a lot. Bahrain today. Jordan tomorrow? At the heart of those calls will be the challenge of keeping up with, pre-empting and staying ahead of violent change. That could prove to be a mission impossible: Can we fashion a coherent policy when U.S. interests and values are at odds with its policies? » Read more