Hamas and the Arab Spring ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Council On Foreign Relations by Elliott Abrams - (Blog) May 3, 2012 - 12:00am It would be logical to assess that Hamas (a part of the Muslim Brotherhood) must be a winner from the “Arab Spring.” The various revolts have brought Islamists into power in several Arab countries, and most importantly the Muslim Brotherhood has attained a predominant position in Egypt’s parliament and may win the presidency in the forthcoming election. » Read more

Palestinian Christians Against the Occupation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post by Philip Farah - (Blog) May 3, 2012 - 12:00am In a recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren claimed that Christians in Israel are better off than their brethren anywhere else in the Middle East. Two Sundays ago, "60 Minutes" made clear he attempted to intimidate Bob Simon by going over Simon's head to speak to Jeff Fager, the head of CBS News and executive producer of "60 Minutes," to complain that Simon's story on Christian Palestinians was "a hatchet job" against Israel. » Read more

Back to Square One ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Akhbar by Robert Blecher - (Opinion) May 1, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran, an Arab citizen, recently set off a controversy when he stood – but did not sing – as the Israeli anthem was played at a court ceremony. For the far right, his silence was an act of betrayal. The chairman of the Knesset's Constitution Law and Justice Committee, Knesset member David Rotem, demanded his dismissal. Israel’s Palestinian citizens, meanwhile, fêted Joubran – the court’s only Arab – for his subtle defiance of a prominent state symbol. » Read more

'We've gone way beyond Apartheid' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English by Frank Barat - (Interview) May 2, 2012 - 12:00am Frank Barat: I'd like to start by talking about what's happening in Jerusalem. When I came in 2007, you took us to Silwan, explaining the huge house demolition plan the Israeli government had in mind, telling us that thanks to the efforts of many and including an intervention by the US, the demolitions didn't happen. Today, nonetheless, it looks like the demolitions will take place. Could you give us an update on this, and also give us a broader view of what people now often refer to as the 'ethnic cleansing' of Jerusalem? » Read more

The Dumb Idea Hall of Fame ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) May 2, 2012 - 12:00am In my 25 years of government service, I came up with more than my fair share of bad or just plain dumb ideas (see Arafat, Yasir, invitation to the Holocaust museum). In fact, I consider myself something of an expert on the subject. But life's about learning, right? And like Justice Potter Stewart's famous 1964 opinion on pornography, these days I've come to know a bad idea when I see one. » Read more

The landscape of the Arab spring ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Sadegh Zibakalam - (Opinion) May 3, 2012 - 12:00am The "Arab spring" is well into its second year. What is the broad outcome of this gigantic struggle and, more importantly, what can be sketched so far for the future of the Middle East? » Read more

Israel's prime minister is considering early elections. Why the hurry? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - (Analysis) May 3, 2012 - 12:00am Even the sombre news of the death of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's highly influential father at the age of 102 could not quell the febrile atmosphere in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, this week. There was one topic of conversation among MKs, their aides and political journalists at crowded canteen tables: the sudden almost-certainty of a general election being brought forward from autumn 2013 to late summer this year. » Read more

An alternate agenda for elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Jonathan Rosen - (Opinion) May 2, 2012 - 12:00am The Knesset and the local media have been abuzz these past few months with talk about the likelihood of a general election being held well before the designated date of October 2013. That buzz first became audible immediately after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced his surprise decision to hold the Likud primary at the end of January, sparking a flurry of speculation among politicians and journalists that this was a sign of the prime minister’s intention to call a general election as early as the second half of 2012. » Read more

The House That Sabri Built ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Rajah Shehadeh - (Blog) May 3, 2012 - 12:00am BEIT IJZA, West Bank — One of the first statements under oath that I took for Al Haq, a human rights organization I helped establish, was from Sabri Garaib, a farmer from Beit Ijza, a Palestinian village ten miles northwest of Jerusalem. » Read more

A marathon runner with a long-distance goal for Palestinian freedom ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Danna Harman - May 3, 2012 - 12:00am Besides the obvious, what do people do while they run? Some listen to music and get lost in the beat. Some pipe in podcasts. Some, usually those with the big fancy sports watches, pass the time calculating times and distances or monitoring heart beats. And then some just let their minds wander. » Read more