January 19th

The Palestinians and the Arab Spring ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal by Adbdullah II bin Hussein - (Opinion) January 19, 2012 - 1:00am Amman A year has passed since the Arab Spring began to change our region, showing the determination of Arab men and women, especially youth. But a key issue remains unresolved: peace between Palestinians and Israelis. This month, in Amman, the parties sat across the negotiating table for the first time in 16 months. What message will the United States now send to them and to the people of the region? » Read more

Arabs Deserve a Party of the Citizen ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) January 19, 2012 - 1:00am As the Arab uprisings enter their second year, a new political movement based on the concept and values of citizenship is needed. A lacuna now exists on the Arab political scene. The Arab uprisings shattered the old order but have yet to coalesce into a clear model for the future. A movement of citizens, expressed in organized political parties with clearly articulated programs, would tap into the patriotic and ecumenical grassroots protest movements and ensure that a historic opportunity for progress is not squandered. » Read more

In Gaza, Mabhouh's grieving family still in search of answers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - January 19, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA CITY // Two years after his brother Mahmoud, a Hamas arms-broker, was assassinated in Dubai by suspected Mossad agents, Fayek Al Mabhouh still wants answers. He scours the internet for any news about progress in the efforts to bring Mahmoud's killers to justice. » Read more

College Leaders Balance Israel and Speech ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Naomi Zeveloff - January 17, 2012 - 1:00am As the debate about Israel rages on college campuses across America, there is one figure for whom the conversation takes on strikingly personal dimensions: the Jewish college president. About 20 Jewish men and women hold the highest positions at universities across the country, including campuses that have become hotbeds of political activism on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For these individuals, the role of president entails a constant balancing act between encouraging free speech on campus and honoring their personal, often supportive, views of Israel. » Read more

JINSA Leadership in Flux After Ouster ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - January 18, 2012 - 1:00am Washington — Torn by internal strife, a leading conservative Jewish organization known for its hawkish views is struggling to find its footing after firing a key staffer and losing prominent members of its advisory board. » Read more

Netanyahu denies saying Israel’s biggest enemies are N.Y. Times, Haaretz ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) January 19, 2012 - 1:00am (JTA) – The Israeli Prime Minister's Office denied that Benjamin Netanyahu told the editor of The Jerusalem Post that Israel’s two greatest enemies are The New York Times and Haaretz. On Wednesday, the editor, Steve Linde, addressing a conference in Tel Aviv of the Women's International Zionist Organization, said that Netanyahu made the remark to him about the newspapers at a private meeting "a couple of weeks ago" at the prime minister’s office in Tel Aviv. The Prime Minister's Office told JTA on Thursday morning that Netanyahu "did not make the remarks attributed to him." » Read more

UN: Gaza blockade – collective punishment ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yitzhak Benhorin - January 18, 2012 - 1:00am WASHINGTON - The United Nations' submitted its annual report on the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories on Wednesday, painting a grim picture that includes food insecurity, isolation, violence and failing health and education services – all courtesy of the Israeli "occupation." The report, which was presented during a Security Council session upon the Palestinians' request, asserted that the number of civilian casualties rose by more than 30% in Gaza and the West Bank compared to 2010. » Read more

UN Security Council to meet on Jewish settlements next week ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua January 19, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council will hold an open session next week to discuss Israeli settlement activities in occupied Palestinian territories, a Palestinian envoy said Thursday. The council's member states will present their stances regarding the settlement activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Riad Mansour, Palestinian UN observer, told Voice of Palestine Radio. » Read more

Egypt Brothers mix pragmatism, ideology on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Maggie Michael - January 18, 2012 - 1:00am CAIRO — The Muslim Brotherhood is trying to maneuver its way between its fierce anti-Israel ideology and the realities of governing as it ascends to leadership in Egypt for the first time in its history and faces the key question of how to deal with the country's peace treaty with the Jewish state. » Read more

Israeli forces demolish illegal settler outpost ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 19, 2012 - 1:00am TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Israeli military forces evicted settlers from an outpost early Thursday leading to clashes between residents and the army, Israeli media reported. Hundreds of security force personnel arrived at the Mitzpeh Yeriho settlement east of Jerusalem early Thursday, Haaretz quoted army radio reports as saying. Six houses were demolished and three Israeli police officers wounded as violent clashes broke out, the Israeli daily said. Last week, Israeli forces dismantled the illegal settler outpost of Mitzpe Avichai, near Hebron. » Read more