Back to school: Ben-Gurion for beginners ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Tom Segev - (Opinion) June 22, 2012 - 12:00am Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar has decided that during the next academic year, schools will concentrate on the leadership of David Ben-Gurion and Menachem Begin. This week it was reported that principals of Arab schools and several Arab intellectuals are upset about the decision, claiming that it's designed to impose the Zionist narrative on Arab students. But if the teachers know how to deal with the subject matter, Sa'ar could well come to regret his initiative. » Read more

Fatah leader in Gaza resigns over new appointments ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 23, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- A top Fatah leader and several other officials in the Gaza Strip submitted their resignations on Friday following the appointment of new officials within the party, Fatah sources said. Yazid al-Huweihi tendered his resignation because he objected to changes within the Fatah movement in Gaza, sources said. » Read more

Hamas 'could get world recognition' after Mursi win ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 26, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The victory of Muhammad Mursi in the Egyptian presidential elections could enable Hamas to secure international recognition, an official in the party said Monday. The election of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, the historic parent movement of Gaza-rulers Hamas, in neighboring Egypt was received with jubilation in the Gaza Strip. Ahmad Yousef, widely regarded as a Hamas moderate, told Ma'an the Mursi presidency could help end the West's isolation of the movement, as well as ending Israel's blockade on the coastal enclave. » Read more

Election of Islamist as Egyptian president raises concerns in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - June 25, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — The election of an Islamist as president of Egypt has heightened concerns in Israel about the future of relations between the two countries — ties that have been increasingly tested since the overthrow of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. » Read more

Settlements threaten American Jews' connection with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Eric Yoffie - (Opinion) June 26, 2012 - 12:00am I spoke a few weeks ago with someone who works with American Jewish organizations in planning programs for their meetings and conventions. “Israel is out,” he told me. The demand for speakers about Israel or from Israel has dropped dramatically over the last decade. American Jews are simply interested in other things. » Read more

Abbas: negotiations only way for peace with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 26, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday said that peace with Israel can happen only through negotiations. "We still insist on holding the International peace conference in Russia," Abbas said during a joint press conference with visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin in the holy city of Bethlehem. » Read more

Israel not top priority for new Egyptian president ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Adam Gonn - (Analysis) June 26, 2012 - 12:00am A new era in the Israeli- Egyptian relations has started as the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate Mohamed Morsi was declared the winner of Egypt's presidential election. While Egypt's former leader Hosni Mubarak, toppled in February 2011, was a secularist and military man, Morsi is a member of the Islamist Brotherhood, which maintains close ties with Hamas, the ruler of the Gaza Strip, a haven of anti-Israel militants. » Read more

Israel arrests 3 for attack on Holocaust memorial ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press June 26, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli police have arrested three ultra-Orthodox Jewish suspects in connection with hate graffiti sprayed at the national Holocaust memorial and two Israeli army memorials. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the suspects admitted to vandalizing the sites. The Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial complex was sprayed earlier this month in 12 different places with slogans such as "Hitler, thank you for the Holocaust." One was signed "world ultra-Orthodox Jewry." » Read more

The perils of alienation over Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Ghaith Al-Omari - (Opinion) June 26, 2012 - 12:00am Critics of the American Task Force on Palestine get one thing right: Palestinian Americans have largely failed to make their voices heard in the mainstream American political and foreign-policy conversation. However, this is the fault of self-styled “pro-Palestinian” advocates who operate in a cult-like echo-chamber and advocate an approach that does considerable harm to the Palestinian cause. » Read more

Putin visits West Bank, tours key Christian shrine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - June 26, 2012 - 12:00am Visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin praised his Palestinian counterpart Tuesday for what he said was a "responsible" position in negotiations with Israel, frozen for nearly four years, and said Russia has no problem recognizing a Palestinian state. Putin also offered veiled criticism of Israel, saying unilateral actions — an apparent reference to continued Israeli settlement expansion on war-won land — is not constructive. » Read more