April 23rd

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

The Israeli government's badge of shame ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am The behavior of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and most of his ministers with regard to Beit El's Givat Ha'ulpana neighborhood recalls that of a career criminal who is undaunted by condemnation or punishment. » Read more

Palestinian hunger strikes draw attention to Israeli detention practice ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Karin Brulliard - April 23, 2012 - 12:00am ARRABA, West Bank — A stream of visitors passes through a simple concrete house in this sleepy village, bearing tribute plaques, floral bouquets and plaudits for a soft-spoken man who has become the latest icon for the Palestinian cause. » Read more

When Gaza’s Doctors Err, Remedies Are Rare ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Omar Ghraieb - (Analysis) April 19, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Manal Al-Turk Seidam, was 32 and pregnant when she entered a maternity hospital in July 2006 suffering from sharp abdominal pains. Her doctor told her that the fetus’ heart had stopped beating and it would have to be aborted. The procedure is common and simple to do medically, but in Seidam’s case it turned deadly. Her doctor accidentally opened holes in her uterus and intestines, and then tried to fix the problem surgically. He told the family the problem was cleared up. » Read more

'State, Liberman likely moving on to plea bargain' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post April 22, 2012 - 12:00am Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and the prosecution are likely to formally open plea bargain negotiations in the near future, Israeli media sources indicated on Monday. Liberman is under investigation for charges of fraud, breach of trust, obtaining certain items or benefits through deceit, money-laundering and witness harassment. According to an earlier draft indictment, Liberman is suspected of receiving millions of dollars from private business people, through straw companies, between the years 2001 and 2008, while he was a member of Knesset and a cabinet minister. » Read more

Peres to Haaretz: Israel could reach a peace deal with Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yossi Verter - April 23, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is a worthy and serious partner, and it was certainly possible to reach a peace agreement with him during the past three years, President Shimon Peres told Haaretz. "I am aware that there are other opinions [about whether Abbas can or wants to make peace], but I don't accept them, and I have a little experience," Peres said during an interview last week in the President's Residence in Jerusalem. » Read more