December 17th

Israeli foreign minister officially resigns ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press December 16, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

Palestinian premier: Boycott Israeli goods ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - December 16, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

Abbas calls on warring Syrians to avoid Palestinian refugees ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua December 17, 2012 - 1:00am   alestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday urged combatants in Syria to avoid Palestinian refugees and their camps. » Read more

Palestinian faction leader Jibril leaves Damascus –rebels ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters December 15, 2012 - 1:00am   Ahmed Jibril, veteran leader of a Damascus-based Palestinian faction that backs President Bashar al-Assad, has left the Yarmouk district of the Syrian capital after 12 days of clashes, Syrian rebels and Palestinian sources said on Saturday. » Read more

PA condemns Syrian regime after Yarmouk attack ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters December 16, 2012 - 1:00am The Palestinian Authority leadership condemned the Syrian regime on Sunday after Bashar Assad's forces attacked a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, killing at least 25 people. "We hold Bashar Assad and his regime responsible for this crime in Yarmouk camp, which clearly reveals that this regime knows no limits in its approach to criminal murder and destruction," Senior PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo told Reuters. » Read more

December 14th

Meshal's folly ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Henry Siegman - (Opinion) December 14, 2012 - 1:00am Just as the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly recognized Palestine as a state in the occupied territories beyond Israel's pre-1967 borders, providing new hope and encouragement to those who have not given up on the struggle for a Palestinian state living in peace alongside the State of Israel; and as major European countries condemned in unprecedentedly strong terms Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to enlarge the settlement project in the Jerusalem area and elsewhere, a move that would prevent such a two-state outcome, Hamas' political bureau chief Khaled Meshal las » Read more

After Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Jonathan Schanzer - (Opinion) December 13, 2012 - 1:00am Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas went to the United Nations last month and brought his people one step closer to statehood. But amid all the fanfare, Western diplomats quietly conceded that the General Assembly vote to upgrade the Palestinians' U.N. mission was not simply a step taken to advance their national project. It also reflected a desire to counter Hamas's growing influence, particularly after the Gaza-based terrorist group claimed victory in its war with Israel in November. » Read more

How Unilateral Moves Can Help ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Ami Ayalon - (Opinion) December 13, 2012 - 1:00am Several signs lately reinforce the conclusion that the direct negotiations paradigm for resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict has failed and must be replaced. The recent U.N. vote accepting Palestine as a non-member state is one such sign: 138 states supported the Palestinians’ resolution, only 9 voted against it, including the United States (a prisoner of the old paradigm). » Read more

On Israel, Obama brings Moynihan to mind ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Gil Troy - (Opinion) December 13, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM (JTA)  -- Those who view American-Israel relations through a dualistic “are you pro-Israel or anti-Israel” lens must be confused. In one week, the United States stands virtually alone with Israel against the Palestinians’ upgrade of their status at the United Nations, then immediately condemns Israel’s settlement expansion. Similarly, despite Republican warnings that a reelected Barack Obama would “throw Israel under a bus,” the president backed Israel during the recent Gaza War. » Read more

Palestine: Diary of a historic month ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Raja Shehadeh - (Opinion) December 14, 2012 - 1:00am 9 November It was inevitable that at some point Jewish settlements in the West Bank would endanger even the trees. This was the thought I had as I was driven through the northern part of the West Bank on a field trip organised by Oxfam, which is working with Palestinian NGOs to help local cooperatives improve their agricultural practices and open up local and international markets to them. The villagers told us that tens of thousands of olive trees have been uprooted to make way for the construction of the Israeli separation barrier. » Read more