January 28th

Ehud Barak at Davos: U.S. Could Strike Iran to Block Nuclear Progress ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast (Interview) January 25, 2013 - 1:00am Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is confident, he says, that the United States has plans for surgical strikes against Iran as a last-ditch measure if Tehran refuses to stop its development of a nuclear weapons capability. » Read more

Israel's Decision To Withhold Tax Money From Palestinians May Impact Security ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Ben Lynfield - January 26, 2013 - 1:00am In August 2011, a report by the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee hailed the Palestinian Authority’s “comprehensive security coordination” with Israel in thwarting terrorist attacks — a judgment echoed in May 2012 by the chief of the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency. “The security coordination with the P.A. is good,” Yoram Cohen told the same committee then. » Read more

Israel gave birth control to Ethiopian Jews without their consent ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Faisal J. Abbas - January 27, 2013 - 1:00am Israel has admitted for the first time that it has been giving Ethiopian Jewish immigrants birth-control injections, often without their knowledge or consent. » Read more

Gaza university introduces dress code for women ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 27, 2013 - 1:00am A university in the Gaza Strip announced this week that female students must abide by an "Islamic" dress code, causing uproar from Palestinian groups and students themselves. Al-Aqsa University in Gaza City will implement the dress regulations when the new semester begins. University president Salam al-Agha clarified to Ma'an that the code does not require the jilbab (full-length coat) or niqab (face-veil), but rather what he termed dress befitting of the university. He said students would not be expelled for violations of the dress code. » Read more

Mashaal to meet Jordan king, sources say ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 28, 2013 - 1:00am Hamas' chief-in-exile Khalid Mashaal will meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday, Jordanian sources said. Senior Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishiq told Ma'an Sunday that Mashaal had arrived in Amman for an official visit to Jordan, without providing further details. Jordanian sources told Ma'an that the Hamas chief is expected to discuss Palestinian reconciliation with the Jordanian king and other officials. » Read more

Official: Gaza security to release detained journalists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 28, 2013 - 1:00am The public freedoms committee, a body set up to implement national reconciliation, has secured an agreement from Gaza's security services to free journalists recently detained in the coastal strip, a representative said Monday. The detention of six reporters in Gaza over two days last week raised concerns about a setback in the reconciliation process. As part of the 2011 deal, Hamas in Gaza and the Fatah-led government in the West Bank agreed to stop media harassment and politically-motivated arrests. » Read more

Israeli security forces nab suspected Palestinian militants in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua January 27, 2013 - 1:00am Israeli security forces arrested on Sunday morning two Palestinians suspected of plotting to carry out an armed attack, Army Radio reported. The two were detained at the Hawara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus. A search of their belongings yielded improvised grenades, petrol bombs and knives. Bomb squad officers disarmed the grenades and security forces were scouring the area, according to the report. The suspects, whom police estimated were members of a local militant cell, carried a letter which indicated their intention to commit suicide, the report said. » Read more

Mahmoud Abbas attends AU summit, reiterates position on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua January 27, 2013 - 1:00am Leader of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday attended the African Union Summit as a special guest and restated Palestine's policy, calling Israel's withdrawal from occupied territory. Abbas was speaking in Addis Ababa during the opening of the 20th African Union Summit at which some 40 African heads of state and government and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon were present. » Read more

Mahmoud Abbas attends AU summit, reiterates position on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua January 27, 2013 - 1:00am

Israeli cabinet approves plan regulating Bedouin lands ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua January 28, 2013 - 1:00am The Israeli cabinet approved on Sunday a controversial plan regulating Bedouin lands in the southern Negev Desert, local media reported. The plan, which was approved in principle by cabinet in September 2011, aimed at resolving the issue of unrecognized Bedouin communities and their ownership of lands before the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. The plan recommends allocation of NIS 1.2 billion (about 300 million U.S. dollars) to expand current Bedouin communities and build new ones. » Read more