December 8th

In subtle messages, Palestinians promote statehood bid in Christmas celebrations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press December 8, 2011 - 1:00am BETHLEHEM, West Bank — At Christmas time the world looks to Jesus’ traditional birthplace of Bethlehem, and this year the Palestinians hope to use some of that attention to boost their quest for independence. They’re trying to be subtle about it, with just a hint of politics in this year’s Christmas slogan, “Palestine celebrating hope,” a veiled reference to their bid this fall to win U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state. » Read more

Hamas uncertainty as Syria slides closer to civil war ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Bill Law - December 8, 2011 - 1:00am The unrest in Syria has raised serious questions over whether the political leadership of the militant Islamist group Hamas can remain in Damascus. However, the group's options are limited. The assumption that Hamas is poised to exit its headquarters in Damascus and sees Cairo as a likely new home may be based more on wishful thinking than fact. Hamas, the largest Palestinian militant Islamist organisation, was formed in 1987 at the beginning of the first intifada, or Palestinian uprising against Israel's occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. » Read more

December 7th

Why Is the Obama Administration So Devoted to Criticizing Israel? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Human Events by Newt Gingrich - (Opinion) December 7, 2011 - 1:00am At a fundraiser in New York last week, President Obama said his administration “has done more in terms of the security of the state of Israel than any previous administration.” Is the President looking at the same record we are? Last week’s news abounded with evidence that his administration often coddles forces opposed to Israel’s very existence while his officials publicly brutalize Israel in the diplomatic arena. » Read more

Already having an impact ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Mohammed Najib - (Opinion) December 7, 2011 - 1:00am The Palestinian Authority's latest financial crisis--which Palestinians widely believe was punishment for President Mahmoud Abbas' request for statehood at the United Nations in late September--has seriously impacted various sectors within the Palestinian community, including both civil sector employees and West Bank security personnel. » Read more

Israel's war drums over Iran drown out common sense ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Tony Karon - (Opinion) December 7, 2011 - 1:00am It has become an article of faith among Israeli leaders and their neoconservative partners in Washington that the only way Iran can be persuaded to back down in the nuclear standoff is if Tehran believes it's in real danger of being bombed. Hence the relentless war drums pounded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak, despite the obvious misgivings of the Obama administration. » Read more

Israel rift roils Democratic ranks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico by Ben Smith - December 7, 2011 - 1:00am Two of the Democratic Party’s core institutions are challenging a bipartisan consensus on Israel and Palestine that has dominated American foreign policy for more than a decade. The Center for American Progress, the party’s key hub of ideas and strategy, and Media Matters, a central messaging organization, have emerged as vocal critics of their party’s staunchly pro-Israel congressional leadership and have been at odds, at times, with Barack Obama’s White House, which has acted as a reluctant ally to Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government. » Read more

A tin ear during a shifting political landscape leaves Israel in fearful isolation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - (Opinion) December 7, 2011 - 1:00am The public scolding of Israel by a top US defence official last week represented more than just frustration with the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for its refusal to resume peace talks with the Palestinians. Leon Panetta's demand that Israel "get to the damn" negotiating table, made during a speech at a Washington think tank on Friday, was the most overt sign yet of the Obama administration's impatience with what it views as Israel's refusal to adapt to the Middle East's shifting political landscape. » Read more

Israel's chilling relations with the US ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Jonathan Guyer - (Opinion) December 6, 2011 - 1:00am The Israeli government has come under criticism from both the Obama administration and American Jewish communities over the past week – the latter focused on a bizarre advertisement campaign aimed at the US diaspora. The current Israeli government's insensitivity toward American Jews has gotten their attention, but whether forthcoming Knesset bills that are an affront to democratic values will cause similar alarm is yet to be seen. » Read more

Was Howard Gutman Right?: Israel and Antisemitism, What Do We Know ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Journal by Michael Berenbaum - (Opinion) December 6, 2011 - 1:00am We are hearing an awful lot of nonsense about the remarks of Howard Gutman, the US Ambassador to Belgium regarding whether Israel treatment of the Palestinians is to “blame” for the increase in antisemitism. A summary of Gutman’s remarks, not a direct quote appeared in an Israeli newspaper and American bloggers took them as gospel and Republican political candidates called for Howard Gutman’s ouster. Abraham Foxman himself condemned the remarks as an excuse for inaction on antisemitism and the headlines blared American Ambassador blamed Israel for antisemitism. » Read more

Scary US views ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Editorial) December 7, 2011 - 1:00am In recent days, there has been a truly frightening articulation of the US administration’s perception of Israel vis-à-vis the Muslim world. On Friday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta essentially blamed Israel for its own “increasing isolation,” urging the Jewish state to reach out to its neighbors. » Read more