Disappointing Palestine Elections Point to Fundamental Issues ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Ayyam by Talal Awkal - (Opinion) October 22, 2012 - 12:00am The results of the municipal elections did not meet the expectations of election officials in the West Bank. In fact, the outcome of the elections reflects the worsening political scene across the Palestinian territories. These local elections, which were supposed to be a cause for celebration for Palestinians, were a far cry from the 2006 legislative elections, which many Arabs wish to witness again. These were the first municipal elections to take place in seven years, and only occurred following repeated delays. » Read more

The Spymaster ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Aaron David Miller - (Interview) October 24, 2012 - 12:00am In December 1998, then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright sent me to Israel and the West Bank to monitor the first phase of the recently concluded Wye River Memorandum, a soon-to-be-forgotten agreement President Bill Clinton had brokered between then Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. » Read more

Meet the Israelis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) October 25, 2012 - 12:00am Nice to make your acquaintance, we're racist and pro-apartheid. The poll whose results were published in Haaretz on Tuesday, conducted by Dialog and commissioned by the Yisraela Goldblum Fund, proved what we always knew, if not so bluntly. It's important to recognize the truth that has been thrown in our faces and those of the world (where the survey is making waves ). But it's even more important to draw the necessary conclusions from it. » Read more

Qatar initiative in Gaza signals a regional shift ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) October 25, 2012 - 12:00am For a visit that last just six hours - the same as a return flight from Doha to Cairo - the visit of the Emir of Qatar to the Gaza Strip could have remarkable consequences for long-term regional events. For Palestinians hammered by Israel's blockade since 2007, it represented a victory: not merely a challenge to the blockade by an Arab state, but a reminder that Gazans are not alone and not forgotten. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was the first Arab leader to visit the Strip since Jordan's King Abdullah in 1999. » Read more

Gaza and Qatari guardianship ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) October 24, 2012 - 12:00am The visit of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, to the Gaza Strip has raised some criticism, specifically from the Palestinian Authority. However this visit also raises a lot of questions, most importantly: Does the visit of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa mean that Gaza is now under Qatari guardianship, after it was previously under the guardianship of Iran and Bashar al-Assad? » Read more

Hamas Rising? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) October 24, 2012 - 12:00am Is everyone conspiring to undermine the Palestinian Authority and promote Hamas? This morning, in the context of yesterday's visit of the Emir of Qatar to Gaza, with his pledges of massive financial and diplomatic support, it sure looks that way. The biggest threat to the PA is a fiscal crisis originating in its quixotic U.N. membership bid of September 2012, which produced a confrontation with its main donors, particularly the United States. » Read more

American Elections Matter and the System is Open ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Hayat by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) October 25, 2012 - 12:00am The silly season, the protracted multibillion dollar period of escalating frenzy leading up to US national elections, is coming to a close. All that is said or done in this season is fair if it is deemed legal. The game ends with one winner while two parties share the uneven pie of diffuse power across the nation.  The United States and its elections matter. What other countries do not know about the US system, including elections, cost them. » Read more

Palestinian Authority Hotels Boast A 90% Room Occupancy Rate ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'ariv by Gidi Lipkin - October 22, 2012 - 12:00am Over 90% occupancy has been recorded in the Palestinian Authority hotels, and 95% of the guests are tourists. It has thus been reported by the Palestinian Hotel Association. In Bethlehem and its environs, for instance, 3,000 hotel rooms are available in 30 hotels — an increase of 1,000 rooms since September 2011. In 2013, 700 additional hotel rooms are expected to be built. » Read more

Palestinians Stage Elections; Young Voters Shrug ATFP World Press Roundup Article from 972 Magazine by Lena Odgaard - October 24, 2012 - 12:00am Ramallah, West Bank — Despite Hamas’ boycott of the Palestinian municipal elections and a discouraging 55% turnout, candidates and observers alike saw the Oct. 20 poll as essential to re-establish political legitimacy in the city councils after a seven-year voting hiatus. But among the young electorate, Al-Monitor found few who believed their vote mattered. » Read more

ZOA Cancels Annual Fundraising Dinner ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Josh Nathan-Kazis - October 24, 2012 - 12:00am The Zionist Organization of America has canceled its annual fundraising dinner because of the loss of its tax-exempt status, the organization has confirmed. The fundraiser, usually held in late November or early December, is a key annual event for the group. Recent galas have drawn such high-profile speakers as conservative talk show host Glenn Beck and Republican Rep. Eric Cantor, the House majority leader. » Read more