April 25th

The Crisis of Zionism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Paul Krugman - (Blog) April 24, 2012 - 12:00am Something I’ve been meaning to do — and still don’t have the time to do properly — is say something about Peter Beinart’s brave book The Crisis of Zionism. » Read more

IDF Chief to Haaretz: I do not believe Iran will decide to develop nuclear weapons ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel - April 25, 2012 - 12:00am "If Iran goes nuclear it will have negative dimensions for the world, for the region, for the freedom of action Iran will permit itself," Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz told Haaretz in an Independence Day interview. » Read more

Israel Releases Palestinian Protest Leader ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Amy Teibel - April 25, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Activists say an Israeli military court has ordered the release of a prominent Palestinian protest leader. The European Union and rights group Amnesty International had condemned the detention of Bassem al-Tamimi because he was charged based on evidence obtained through confessions extracted by interrogating children. Activist Jonathan Pollak says Al-Tamimi was freed late Tuesday evening. He had been held since March 2011 on charges of inciting youths to throw rocks at Israeli soldiers and organizing demonstrations against Israeli activities in the West Bank. » Read more

April 24th

Hamas Still Not Ready for Prime Time ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Hussein Ibish - (Blog) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am In a wide-ranging interview with the Jewish Daily Forward, Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook again demonstrated the difficult position in which his organization finds itself. Due to the Arab uprisings, the region’s strategic landscape is now primarily defined by sectarian allegiances. As a result, Hamas's external leadership is trying to reintegrate the organization into the mainstream Sunni Arab fold, cultivating closer ties with states like Qatar, Jordan and Egypt, while distancing itself from Iran and abandoning Syria altogether. » Read more

Both sides will reject it ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Efraim Inbar - (Opinion) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am Having recently won the struggle for the Kadima party leadership, Shaul Mofaz now plans to position himself as a serious alternative to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. While the polls so far do not show any significant increase in Kadima's appeal to voters, Mofaz is a focused, hardworking politician who cannot easily be dismissed as a mere irritant to the Likud and Netanyahu, which seem to have a hold on the Israeli electorate. He has the necessary national security experience--as former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff and minister of defense--to take on the prime ministerial quest. » Read more

Israeli Foreign Minister: I Worry More About Egypt Than Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'ariv by Ben Caspit - (Analysis) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am Israel is worried that the Egyptian revolution may turn against Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman sent a warning document to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, recommending that three or four special divisions be designated to protect the southern border with Egypt. In his view, the situation in Egypt is worsening and may create pressure on the leadership to unite the nation around an external enemy — Israel. » Read more

Israel's strategy to seize Jerusalem on display for all to see ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Joseph Dana - (Opinion) April 25, 2012 - 12:00am By now, news of Palestinian being evicted from their homes in East Jerusalem is routine. Last week, two more Palestinian families were thrown into the street to make way for Jewish settlers in the neighbourhood of Beit Hanina. The mechanism of land confiscation in East Jerusalem and the West Bank has become a near science for Israeli authorities, ensuring that the exact borders of Israel remain unclear and constantly shifting. » Read more

‘One state’ means no state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Zalman Shoval - (Opinion) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am The next round of Israeli-Palestinian talks is in the offing, but it will probably turn out to be as futile as the last one. At least as long as the Palestinian leadership persists in its unrealistic preconditions, i.e. Israel to accept a priori the 1967 armistice line as the border of the proposed Palestinian state, and stopping all construction beyond that line, including in Jerusalem. » Read more

Bill seeking to bypass Supreme Court aims to end democracy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Sefi Rachlevsky - (Opinion) April 24, 2012 - 12:00am If you spent time as a child in a crowded chicken coop, you will have had difficulty forgetting the scene. When one of the hens is injured, her "sister" hens immediately begin forming a cloud overhead. The entire coop is engulfed in a whirlwind of dust. Within half a minute, all that is left of the injured hen is the dust of its bones. A few seconds later, it is business as usual in the coop. (In nature, where chickens are not locked up, there are no scenes like that.) » Read more

The sunshine over the horizon ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am The unilateral Egyptian decision to cancel the gas deal with Israel is another sad benchmark in the deterioration of relations between Israel and its neighbors. This cancelation is a clear violation of the agreement between the two countries, which beyond its economic importance to both sides is a blow to status of the peace between Israel and Egypt. » Read more