Qatar Emir's Gaza Visit Shifts Focus Onto Palestinian Unity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Ayyam by Mohannad Abdel Hamid - (Opinion) October 23, 2012 - 12:00am The visit of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, to the Gaza Strip raises big questions: Will Qatar and its Emir reinforce the separation between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and abandon the efforts to end the state of division which culminated in the Doha Agreement? Or will the visit carry a surprise? » Read more

Hamas policy on attacking Israel has changed ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - (Analysis) October 24, 2012 - 12:00am Maybe it's the support it received from the official visit of the Qatari emir, maybe it's Hamas' feeling that it has restrained itself for too long in light of the Israeli assassinations of extremist Jihad activists in Gaza – what is apparent, based on the heavy rocket attack from the Strip on Wednesday morning, is that Hamas has changed its policy on attacks against Israel. » Read more

That Poll's Apartheid Problem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Noam Shelef - (Opinion) October 23, 2012 - 12:00am The front page of today's Haaretz featured an article by Gideon Levy about a dramatic survey of Israeli Jewish public opinion. I admire Gideon Levy. He's had the courage over the years to document some of the ugliest aspects of the occupation. » Read more

Who's the Bigger Friend of Israel — And Do Voters Really Care? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Shibley Telhami - (Opinion) October 23, 2012 - 12:00am One of the striking aspects of the third presidential debate was the frequent mention of Israel (34 times). Western Europe and the challenges facing the European Union, or Mexico and Latin America hardly registered. It is as if the Israel issue is a burning one in American politics, or that the American public is dying to see which candidate supports Israel more. Neither is close to the truth. » Read more

Christians’ letter was reasonable, worded sensitively ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Brant Rosen - (Opinion) October 23, 2012 - 12:00am CHICAGO (JTA) -- There has long been an unwritten covenant between the Jewish establishment and Christian leaders when it comes to interfaith dialogue: “We can talk about any religious issues we like, but criticism of Israel’s human rights violations is off limits.” » Read more

The death of the Israel-Palestine two-state solution brings fresh hope ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Rachel Shabi - (Opinion) October 23, 2012 - 12:00am We could argue over who killed it, but what's the point? It's increasingly obvious that a continued insistence on zombie peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians is deluded, because the two-state principle framing them is dead. » Read more

Improving Arab education ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Editorial) October 23, 2012 - 12:00am As the academic year kicked off this week, the Hebrew University honored the incoming freshman who received the highest grade on the psychometric entrance exam. The winner was Hamza Morad, of the Arab-Muslim town Bu’eine Nujeidat in the North. » Read more

Lesson in arrogance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Hagai Segal - (Opinion) October 24, 2012 - 12:00am The fascinating turnarounds in the US election campaign should have been an important lesson in humility for Likud, but instead the ruling party's arrogance is reaching new heights. It has learned nothing from the sad case of Obama, who in one debate managed to lose his significant lead in the polls. » Read more

Contempt for peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Merav Michaeli - (Opinion) October 23, 2012 - 12:00am "It would be best for the European Union to concentrate now on the problems arising between the various peoples and nationalities on European soil," Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in response to the EU's condemnation of Israel's plan to build 800 new housing units in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo. "When those problems are satisfactorily solved, we will be happy to hear proposals from the EU on how to solve the problems with the Palestinians." » Read more

Heading toward an irreparable rift between U.S. Jews and Protestants ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Eric H. Yoffie - (Opinion) October 24, 2012 - 12:00am There have always been ups and downs in the relations between mainline Protestants and American Jews, but they have now hit a 45-year low.  And this time, they may not recover. » Read more