November 30th

A Jerusalem embassy creeps closer toward becoming law ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - November 29, 2011 - 1:00am Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), appointed to his job when his predecessor John Ensign resigned in scandal, faces a tough election battle next year against Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.). His is one of only two likely Dem pickups (the other is Massachusetts). Now he's got a Jerusalem bill that, barely noticed, just might become law. One of Berkley's fortes is her uncompromising pro-Israelism. Which may help explain (I've asked Heller's office for an interview) his decision in September to introduce a bill that would move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. » Read more

ACLU sues bus agency over refusal of ‘Boycott Israel’ ad ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) November 29, 2011 - 1:00am NEW YORK (JTA) -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against a Michigan bus agency that refused to post an advertisement calling for a boycott of Israel. The lawsuit was filed Monday in Detroit federal court, the Detroit Free Press reported. The suit claims that the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority is violating the free-speech rights of Blaine Coleman, who attempted to purchase the ads on buses in that city. The agency's board rejected the ad at a Nov. 17 meeting because of a standing policy against ads that ridicule people or groups. » Read more

StandWithUs Draws Line on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - November 27, 2011 - 1:00am Washington — A decade ago, during the height of the second intifada, Roz Rothstein, a family therapist and child of Holocaust survivors, watched the news coming from Israel from her home in Los Angeles with growing frustration. Feeling that Israel was not getting the backing it deserved in the United States, she and her husband, Jeremy, set up their own small group, with a stated mission of “supporting people around the world who want to educate others about Israel.” » Read more

Iceland becomes first Western European country to recognize Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press November 29, 2011 - 1:00am Iceland's parliament voted on Tuesday in favor of recognizing the Palestinian Territories as an independent state, the first Western European country to do so according Iceland's foreign minister. The measure passed symbolically on the United Nation's annual day of solidarity with the Palestinian people. The vote paves the way for formal recognition by the small north Atlantic island, which led the way in recognizing the independence of the three Baltic states after the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991. » Read more

Gaza official: Palestinian president opposes unity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Associated Press - November 30, 2011 - 1:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas is not serious about reconciling with political rival Hamas despite public statements to the contrary, a senior Hamas official said in an interview published Wednesday. The official, Mahmoud Zahar, said Abbas "is not interested in achieving" a deal with Hamas, allegedly because the U.S. and Israel oppose it. "Reconciliation will not be achieved at all," Zahar told the London-based daily Asharq al-Awsat. » Read more

Palestinian Economy Minister charged with embezzlement, insider trading ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Reuters - November 29, 2011 - 1:00am Palestinian Economy Minister Hassan Abu Libdeh has been charged with financial wrongdoing, court sources said on Tuesday, piling pressure on Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's beleaguered government. There was no immediate comment from Abu Libdeh, who has always denied accusations of corruption. Under Palestinian law he will no longer be able to work as a minister and his functions will be frozen pending a verdict. » Read more

Palestinian minister steps aside to fight charges ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - November 29, 2011 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian economics minister on Tuesday said he was suspending himself from office in order to battle corruption charges. Hassan Abu Libdeh, who holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University, is set to go on trial on Dec. 12, according to chief public prosecutor Ahmed Mughanni. In a statement, Abu Libdeh professed his innocence and vowed to defend himself "before the judiciary against these false accusations." » Read more

Israel releases frozen Palestinian tax funds ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters November 30, 2011 - 1:00am JERUSALEM, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Israel announced on Wednesday it was releasing millions of dollars in tax revenues it owes the Palestinian Authority, lifting a month-old freeze that had threatened to undermine the West Bank government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had come under international pressure to hand over the funds, about $100 million a month that includes import duties Israel collects on behalf of the PA. The money is vital for paying civil servants employed by the PA. » Read more

At last, ‘Occupation Zionists’ and Israel-loathing U.S. Jews can agree ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - (Blog) November 29, 2011 - 1:00am We're a people that can appreciate nasty, us Jews. Chalk it up to survivor guilt or oppressor guilt, put it down to a legacy of Talmudic and tribal disputation, to a legacy of abuse, or to a tradition of stand-up, the evidence is clear: Two Jews, Three Zingers – barbed, caustic, and intentionally so. » Read more

On My Mind: Employing Israeli Arabs ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Kenneth Bandler - (Opinion) November 29, 2011 - 1:00am American Jews rightly marvel at Israel’s remarkable economic success, achieved despite the conflict with her neighbors, most of whom continue to deny Israel’s right to exist. But part of Israel’s labor pool, Arab Israeli citizens, do not participate as fully as they should in the nation’s workforce. Increasing the rate of Arab employment over the next 20 years “is the top economic issue for Israel’s survival,” says Eytan Biderman, chairman of the Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development in Israel (CJAED). » Read more