December 19th

Israel plans for more than 1,000 new housing units on disputed land ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - December 18, 2011 - 1:00am Israel's Housing Ministry announced Sunday that it would construct more than 1,000 housing units in the West Bank and Jerusalem area on land it seized during the 1967 Mideast war. The expansion includes 500 units in Har Homa, 348 in Beitar Ilit and 180 in Givat Zeev. “Some countries around the world may not be happy about this but they shouldn’t be surprised,” Housing Minister Ariel Atia told the Israeli news site Ynet. He said the move would lower home prices and increase supply, assisting young Israeli couples looking for affordable housing. » Read more

Israel can be Jewish without being racist ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) December 19, 2011 - 1:00am What's easier for a secular person to hate than an ultra-Orthodox Jew who sets fire to an Israeli flag on the holiday of Lag Ba'omer? The answer is a religious West Bank Jewish settler who torches a mosque on any old day. The shared revulsion of those thugs who have acquired the nickname "hilltop youth" and whose hate crimes have euphemistically come to be called "price tag" attacks assuages the consciences of those who consider themselves secular liberals. » Read more

Why we're celebrating hope this Christmas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Victor Batarseh - (Opinion) December 18, 2011 - 1:00am It all started in Bethlehem. From here, the Christmas message was revealed to mankind; a message of joy, love and peace. And here we are today, after more than 2,000 years, reviving this eternal remembrance in faith and love, happily cheering and singing songs of joy and triumph. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." This verse spreads joy in our hearts and proves for us that nothing is impossible for God, not even realizing peace. » Read more

Israel Frees Palestinians in 2nd Stage of Exchange ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - December 18, 2011 - 1:00am Israel released about 550 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday night in the second half of a swap that freed one of its soldiers, Gilad Shalit, who had been held by Hamas in Gaza for more than five years. The prisoners left Ofer Prison in Israel by bus shortly after 10 p.m., with a dozen buses going to the West Bank and one to Gaza. Some prisoners were also going to East Jerusalem and Jordan. » Read more

What ‘pro-Israel’ should mean ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jeremy Benami - (Opinion) December 16, 2011 - 1:00am Jeremy Ben-Ami is president of J Street, a Washington-based nonprofit that advocates a diplomatic resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the author of “A New Voice for Israel.” Advocates of strong U.S.-Israel relations have aimed for decades to keep Israel from being a divisive issue in American politics. Yet Israel is one of very few foreign policy issues already rating attention in the 2012 presidential election. » Read more

December 16th

Gingrich’s lie reveals his bigotry ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Boston Globe by John. E. Sununu - (Opinion) December 16, 2011 - 1:00am When bigots speak, their words have purpose. They intentionally choose phrases that inflame, denigrate, and marginalize other races, religions, or nationalities. They employ distortions and stereotypes to bolster false arguments. Which brings us to Newt Gingrich, who in an interview last week derided “an invented Palestinian people.’’ His comments were a calculated — but demonstrably false — slander, designed to curry favor with a constituency for which he cares by insulting one for which he does not. » Read more

Will Hamas Now Abandon Syria and Assad? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Business Times by Palash R. Ghosh - (Interview) December 16, 2011 - 1:00am The ongoing rebellion (and brutal government crackdown) in Syria has presented an embarrassment for Hamas, the Palestinian militant organization which was embraced by President Bashar al-Assad and given a home in Damascus for several years. Reportedly, some lower-tier Hamas members have already fled Syria, although the leadership has insisted it will stay. Moreover, Hamas groups on Gaza and West Bank have not (to any significant degree) staged protests against Assad, the way they did for former Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi. » Read more

The Belated Awakening to Settler Extremism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post by Lara Friedman - (Blog) December 15, 2011 - 1:00am Recent attacks on the IDF have led to an abrupt awakening in Israel and abroad. Suddenly people are realizing the danger posed to Israel by a generation of settlers who respect neither Israeli law, nor Israel's army, nor the Israeli state, and who are prepared to use violence against not only Palestinians (which has long been the case) but also against fellow Jews. » Read more

‘Inventing’ reasons to please Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) December 16, 2011 - 1:00am It would be a fine thing to believe what he says, except that Netanyahu himself leads a government that is one of the most extreme since Israel’s 1948 creation. The reality is that the views and attitude of the gang of settlers who have just been arrested and charged with these appalling and deliberately inflammatory crimes are merely a logical extension of the Eretz Israel (Greater Israel) policies that underpin Netanyahu’s Likud Party and his no-less radical coalition allies. » Read more

In regard to Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Ahmad Majdoubeh - (Opinion) December 16, 2011 - 1:00am The Arab League has been in hibernation for years, content only with routine and symbolic meetings or statements that did not make any difference. At present, however, it has emerged as an active, effective player in the region. In light of such an emerging role, shouldn’t it help the Palestinians who desperately need help? The Arab Spring has brought with it not only a new role for the peoples of the region but also, it would seem, a new role for the Arab League. » Read more