February 8th

Is Hamas Trying to Change its Stripes? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Mati Wagner - (Analysis) February 7, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Is Hamas trying to change its stripes? Terrorist attacks against Israelis appear to be on pause, and rocket fire from Gaza is down significantly. The Hamas leader in Damascus, Khaled Meshaal, is trying to distance himself from the Assad regime and align Hamas with the forces of the Arab Spring. Hamas’ parent organization in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, has entered mainstream politics in Cairo, and U.S. officials have met with Brotherhood leaders. » Read more

‘Elections Won’t Keep DC From Pushing Peace’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - (Interview) February 8, 2012 - 1:00am If Washington feels a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians is possible in the near future it will become actively involved in securing an agreement even during an election year, former ambassador to the US Sallai Meridor said Tuesday. Senior Israeli officials have said in recent weeks they did not feel Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was interested in serious negotiations with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu now because of the assumption that US President Barack Obama could not press Netanyahu to make concessions during an election year. » Read more

The New Palestinian Prime Minister ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Council On Foreign Relations by Elliott Abrams - (Opinion) February 7, 2012 - 1:00am Once upon a time, progress toward Israeli-Palestinian peace was thought to require reform of Palestinian political institutions. Creation of the post of Palestinian Authority (PA) prime minister, separate from that of PA president, was viewed as a milestone. On March 14, 2003, President Bush marked creation of the prime minister post in a press conference: » Read more

Israeli, Syria, and the Double Standard of the Free World ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Carlo Strenger - (Opinion) February 8, 2012 - 1:00am I have for years opposed Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, and I continue to be appalled by Israel’s continuing expansion of settlements. But I'm running into a linguistic problem: if I use ‘appalled’ for Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, what term is left for Assad’s butchering of his own people for almost a year? » Read more

West Does Not Have Monopoly On Veto Morality ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) February 8, 2012 - 1:00am "At the end of last week we received a reminder about the environment we're living in. We heard Iran's ruler talk about Israel's destruction, we saw the Syrian army massacring its own people. Some leaders have no compunctions about harming their people or their neighbors," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the start of the cabinet meeting. True, it's a lousy environment. Only one sentence is needed to complete the picture: "And there are governments that don't mind continuing to occupy other nations for nearly 50 years." » Read more

By Avoiding Peace, Netanyahu is Punishing Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) February 8, 2012 - 1:00am In a Pavlovian response to the reconciliation agreement signed by the rival Palestinian factions, under which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will also serve as temporary prime minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented Abbas with a simplistic ultimatum - peace with Hamas, or peace with Israel. » Read more

Palestinian Committee Suspends Work as Demands Neglected ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 8, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian committee pushing for public freedom suspended its work Wednesday because rival Hamas and Fatah parties did not consider its recommendations, sources said. The committee will soon write to the Palestinian president and Fatah head, Mahmoud Abbas, and all the other Palestinian factions to inform them of its decision, the sources told Xinhua. » Read more

2 Brothers Shot Dead in Central Nablus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 8, 2012 - 1:00am NABLUS (Ma’an) – Two Palestinian men were shot dead Wednesday after unidentified gunman opened fire in a store on Amman Street in Nablus in the northern West Bank. Locals said a gunman opened fire from point-blank range at the head of Munadil Nasasra, 36. The victim was evacuated to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus where medics announced his death shortly after he arrived. His brother, Muhammad Nasasra, 18, suffered critical injuries to the abdomen and legs. Medics pronounced him dead later Wednesday. Both victims were from the village of Beit Furik east of Nablus. » Read more

Who is Hamas? 5 Questions About the Palestinian Militant Group ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Arthur Bright - February 8, 2012 - 1:00am 1. What are the origins of Hamas? Hamas emerged as the Palestinian wing of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood after the outbreak of the first intifada in 1987 and is the largest Palestinian militant organization, as Kristen Chick wrote in a 2009 Monitor briefing. An Arabic word that means zeal or enthusiasm, "Hamas" is also an acronym for the group's official Arabic name, the Islamic Resistance Movement. » Read more

Israel’s National Photo Collection Being Released For Free Use ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Batsheva Sobelman - February 8, 2012 - 1:00am REPORTING FROM JERUSALEM -- The Israeli government is gradually releasing its National Photo Collection from copyright restrictions. It's an online treasure trove of 150,000 photographs compiled and scanned from around half a million pictures and put on a searchable website in honor of Israel's jubilee year in 1998. » Read more