December 6th

Our World: An ally no more ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Caroline Glick - (Analysis) December 5, 2011 - 1:00am With vote tallies in for Egypt’s first round of parliamentary elections in it is abundantly clear that Egypt is on the fast track to becoming a totalitarian Islamic state. The first round of voting took place in Egypt’s most liberal, cosmopolitan cities. And still the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists received more than 60 percent of the vote. Run-off elections for 52 seats will by all estimates increase their representation. » Read more

The common cause of Netanyahu and Ahmadinejad ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Khaled Diab - (Opinion) December 6, 2011 - 1:00am Netanyahu and Ahmadinejad are gifts to each other but curses on their nations. Rather than attack Iran, Israel should commit to a nuclear-free Middle East. One may be the heir apparent of Israeli right-wing royalty and the other the son of a poor, provincial Iranian jack-of-all-trades, but Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad behave like mutant clones when it comes to their international brinkmanship and their uncanny knack of furthering their peoples' international isolation. » Read more

Human rights in Israel are in jeopardy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) December 6, 2011 - 1:00am Today, December 6, the Israeli legislature will mark Human Rights Day (scheduled for December 10 ) ahead of many parliaments in the world with a series of events, meetings and debates. On this date in 1948 the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration was drafted in the shadow of the Holocaust horrors and in view of millions of homeless refugees. » Read more

Come Home to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Roger Cohen - (Opinion) December 5, 2011 - 1:00am When Israeli actions seem arrogant or insulting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is capable of rapid action to repair the damage — provided those offended are American Jews. That is the lesson of the brouhaha over a now-aborted Israeli advertising campaign intended to shame Israeli expatriates in the United States into returning home by suggesting that America is no place for real Jews and that Diaspora life leads to loss of Jewish identity. The Jewish Federations of North America called the ads “outrageous and insulting.” » Read more

Come Home to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Roger Cohen - (Opinion) December 5, 2011 - 1:00am When Israeli actions seem arrogant or insulting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is capable of rapid action to repair the damage — provided those offended are American Jews. That is the lesson of the brouhaha over a now-aborted Israeli advertising campaign intended to shame Israeli expatriates in the United States into returning home by suggesting that America is no place for real Jews and that Diaspora life leads to loss of Jewish identity. The Jewish Federations of North America called the ads “outrageous and insulting.” » Read more

December 5th

Politics not ripe for Palestinian statehood bid - Fayyad ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Taylor Luck - December 5, 2011 - 1:00am AMMAN - Global and regional politics are not yet ripe for a Palestinian state, according to Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, as leadership in Ramallah eyes a less than certain future. The Palestinian premier, a champion of institution-building as a path to statehood, said the current political conditions within Israel, the Palestinian territories and across the world are not favourable to lead to concrete steps towards a Palestinian state. » Read more

U.S. warns Palestinians: Stop leaking content of Quartet talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - December 3, 2011 - 1:00am The U.S. government has asked senior Palestinian officials to refrain from leaking details of talks that took place recently between Middle East Quartet envoys, Israeli representatives and the Palestinian Authority. According to a senior U.S. official, the Quartet agreed with Israel and the Palestinians that the content of the talks would remain confidential. “Quartet members and parties have agreed to preserve confidentiality in their discussions. So frankly, we're somewhat disturbed by the fact that many of these details have appeared in the press,” the official said. » Read more

Israel rights group attacks government for curbing freedon of speech ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Vita Bekker - December 5, 2011 - 1:00am TEL AVIV // Israel's biggest civil rights group yesterday blasted the country for curbing the freedom of speech and freedom of assembly for Jews and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. A report by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) said the country was stepping up action to stifle dissent. It claimed the government has warned political activists not to participate in protests and allowed local authorities to repress demonstrations. » Read more

Netanyahu calls for Likud vote in move linked to US outlook ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Reuters - December 5, 2011 - 1:00am JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a snap Likud party leadership vote, officials said on Monday, a contest he is expected to win and which could pave the way for an early national election in Israel. Some commentators said Netanyahu was quietly preparing for the possibility that US President Barack Obama, with whom he has had a testy relationship, will win a second term in November, a year before Israel's currently scheduled ballot. » Read more

Iran threatening to cut Hamas funds, arms supply if it flees Syria ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - December 5, 2011 - 1:00am Iran had applied intense pressure to Hamas in an effort to persuade it not to leave Damascus, threatening even to cut off funds to the organization if it did so, Palestinian sources have told Haaretz. The Iranian pressure also included an unprecedented ultimatum - namely, an explicit threat to stop supplying Hamas with arms and suspend the training of its military activists. » Read more