When Michael Oren irked Bob Simon ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya - (Opinion) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli Knesset members and diplomats have a long-term grudge against the CBS flagship program, "60 Minutes", over several critical reports that deal with the issues of Jewish settlements, the City of David and the Stuxnet computer worm. But Suday's segment of the program, dedicated to the exodus of the Palestinian Christians from cities like Bethlehem and Jerusalem, seemed to bring about record tensions. » Read more

The failings of Israel's mainstream ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am The election of Shaul Mofaz, former Israeli minister of defense, as head of Israel's Kadima party is not surprising news, at least for Palestinians. Polls continue to show right-wing trends in Israeli public opinion, and despite differences between Mofaz and the Israeli mainstream, there remains a rift between his politics and the international consensus over the basic requirements of a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. » Read more

In the right direction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am Judging by accepted standards for Israeli election or party-primary candidates, Shaul Mofaz of Kadima did something fairly unique. He actually presented a detailed platform to back up his candidacy to lead Kadima in that party's leadership primary in late March. Mofaz, a former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff and minister of defense under Ariel Sharon, defeated incumbent party leader Tzipi Livni by a landslide. » Read more

Rashid Khalidi Responds to Avra Shapiro and Gil Troy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Rashid Khalidi - (Opinion) April 20, 2012 - 12:00am It was disappointing to read Avra Shapiro’s letter on behalf of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Sadly, it was full of red herrings, distortions and falsehoods. Firstly, Ms. Shapiro claims, “the campaign to stop construction of the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem was…intended to undermine the sovereignty and authority of Israel and its juridical institutions.” She cites as evidence the role of “a declared Muslim extremist,” in initiating “the petition to Israel’s Supreme Court.” » Read more

For Israel, Assad's Regime Lesser of Two Evils ATFP World Press Roundup Article from An-Nahar by Randa Haidar - (Opinion) April 20, 2012 - 12:00am It seems that Israel would prefer that Bashar al-Assad’s regime survive rather than see Syria turn into another “failed state” like its neighbors Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. These states suffer from a weak central authority and the collapse of state institutions as a result of internal fighting, chaos and competition among armed groups over control of political life. » Read more

Why Europe should reject Israeli deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Kataryzna Lemanska, Stuart Reigeluth - (Opinion) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am From tomorrow, the Committees on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and International Trade (INTA) at the European Parliament will decide on the fate of the controversial proposed Agreement between Europe and Israel on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA). The meetings end on April 26. Those in favour of this agreement argue correctly that it will bring economic benefits to Europe as it would lift barriers to trade and lower the prices of specific industrial products entering the European market. » Read more

Is the Campaign Against Grand Mufti Gomaa Justified? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Elias Harfoush - (Opinion) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am It was only natural for the visit of Grand Mufti of Egypt Sheikh Ali Gomaa to East Jerusalem and his prayer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque to arouse the controversy that it did among Palestinians and among Muslims in general. Such a controversy is justified by the man’s religious position, and by Jerusalem’s political position at the heart of the conflict between the Palestinians and the Arabs on the one hand and Israel on the other, being the promised capital of the Palestinian state and the alleged “eternal capital” of the Israeli entity. » Read more

The PLO's Ahmad Quray ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Kifah Zaboun - (Interview) April 22, 2012 - 12:00am Jerusalem, Asharq Al-Awsat - Ahmad Quray, member of the PLO Executive Committee and former chief negotiator, describes the Palestinian mentality as experimental, and says that the mechanism that the Palestinians have tried for many years at the negotiations has failed, and he calls for changing it by including Arab and international sides in negotiating the most important dossiers, such as Jerusalem, the refugees, and security. The following is the full text of the interview: » Read more

The Message From Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward (Editorial) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am The Forward’s exclusive interview with Mousa Abu Marzook, who is widely considered the second most important leader of Hamas, sends a message that is stunning and sobering. The very fact that the meeting happened will empower those who believe — or need to believe — that the terrorist organization is softening and maturing as it seeks wider acceptance and a more productive role in the new Middle East. » Read more

Termination of Israeli-Egyptian natural gas agreement serves dangerous precedent ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am Mohamed Shoeb, head of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company, announced Sunday evening that the company will terminate its agreement to provide natural gas to Israel, after a decision had been made on Thursday due to what he termed “Israel’s repeated breaching of the agreement.” Shoeb, in interview on Al-Hayat television, stressed that the termination of the deal was due to failure on the part of the Israeli side to transfer the payments owed by Israel for some months and “had nothing to do with the repeated attacks on the pipeline.” » Read more