April 16th

In Israel, pro-Palestinian activists get attention, if not entry ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Karin Brulliard - April 15, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Israel blocked or detained all but a handful of hundreds of pro-Palestinian foreign activists who planned to gather here Sunday, and the event appeared to be something of a bust. Or maybe not. A media scrum stood alongside a phalanx of hundreds of police officers deployed at the airport in Tel Aviv, where travelers participating in the fly-in were scheduled to arrive. Present at an evening news conference in this biblical city were one French woman who had made it past immigration authorities and about a dozen cameras. » Read more

Israel Moves to Block Activists From Entering ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - April 15, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Hundreds of police officers fanned out at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Sunday as Israel moved to block scores of pro-Palestinian campaigners from entering the country. » Read more

April 13th

Irving Moskowitz, Controversial Backer Of Israeli Settlements, Gives $1 Million To Anti-Obama Super PAC ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post by Paul Blumenthal - (Blog) April 12, 2012 - 12:00am WASHINGTON -- Even in the era of unbridled campaign contributions, Irving Moskowitz's $1 million donation in February to American Crossroads, the Karl Rove-linked super PAC, is eye-catching. » Read more

Palestinian Authority affirms its commitment to 1967 borders ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Nabeel Shaath - (Analysis) April 13, 2012 - 12:00am For a few years, international leaders have voiced concerns about the stalemate in the Middle East peace process. After 20 years of negotiations, we still hear calls to go back to the table for negotiations. At the same time, Israeli bulldozers continue to change Palestine's landscape. » Read more

The case for a West Bank settlement boycott ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Chronicle by Michael Zigmond - (Opinion) April 12, 2012 - 12:00am Imagine that a well-known American journalist publishes a book entitled, “Saving Israel.” His thesis: Israel must hold on to Judea and Samaria. He notes that Israel is the only country in the world dedicated to providing a safe haven for Jews and the only true democracy in the Middle East. He points out that Arabs living in Judea and Samaria, or “Palestinians,” are among the most prosperous in the Middle East. » Read more

Will Israel and Lebanon's new naval partnership last? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Allison Good - (Blog) April 12, 2012 - 12:00am Although the Arab Spring hasn't won Israel many friends in the Middle East, Haaretz reported yesterday that its navy "recently strengthened its cooperation with the Lebanese Navy in the Mediterranean." The partnership, Israel hopes, will prevent provocations in the form of possible pro-Palestinian flotillas to Gaza on May 15, or Nakba Day, which commemorates "the displacement of Palestinians following the establishment of Israel in 1948, and on Naksa Day, which takes place in June and commemorates the displacement of Palestinians after the 1967 war." » Read more

Waste of time ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Oman Tribune (Editorial) April 13, 2012 - 12:00am Time and money has again been wasted on the Middle East conflict and its dead peace process. And it’s high time, instead of indulging in these futile exercises, some thing concrete were done. Instead of making some firm moves, the Middle East Quartet’s top diplomats, after a meeting in Washington on Wednesday, came up with a number of appeals that included one to foreign donors to deliver promised aid to the Palestinians. They also urged Israelis and Palestinians to build trust to revive peace talks. » Read more

How to Evacuate 100,000 Israelis From the West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic by Zvika Krieger - (Opinion) April 12, 2012 - 12:00am A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still possible. As part of my debate on this question with Robert Wright, who says "it's too late" as "there are just too many settlements," I offered some proposals on how to include the vast majority of settlers within a new Israeli border that would still allow for a viable and contiguous Palestinian state. Wright was not convinced, arguing that there are practical and political barriers to implementing those proposals. I still think he's wrong, and here's why. » Read more

Jewish Americans Embrace Israeli Leaders, US Identities ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Yedioth Ahronoth by Sever Plocker - (Opinion) March 27, 2012 - 12:00am A Jewish American intellectual was interviewed recently and asked how he would respond if Israel would be annihilated — wiped off the map. His answer was, “I would not feel like a complete Jew.” Something would be missing from the fellow’s identity if and when Armageddon comes to the holy land and Israel disappears off the face of the earth. » Read more

Jordan to Revoke Citizenship ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) April 12, 2012 - 12:00am AMMAN, Jordan, April 12 (UPI) -- In a move to restrict Palestinian representation in Parliament, Jordan plans to revoke the citizenship of some Palestinians, officials said. The decision coincides with a new electoral law, The Jerusalem Post said Thursday. The move will affect Palestinian Authority officials as well as members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, The Post said. Palestinian leaders will receive temporary Jordanian passports to facilitate travel. Nearly half of the Hashemite Kingdom's 6 million people are of Palestinian origin, The Post said. » Read more