October 13th, 2011

Reconciliation after prisoner exchange ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) October 13, 2011 - 12:00am The prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel - announced but not yet concluded - could not have come at a more urgent moment. The fate of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has caused friction between Hamas and Fatah since he was kidnapped on Israeli soil in 2006. Removing such a stumbling block to unity can only be a good thing. » Read more

Hamas trades Shalit for a new lease on its political standing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Taufiq Rahim - (Opinion) October 13, 2011 - 12:00am When Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas spoke to the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York last month, he demanded the release of about 6,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. At the time he was riding a wave of momentum due to the bid for recognition of a Palestinian state at the world body. » Read more

Palestinian prisoner swap: Rare outbreak of common sense ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian (Editorial) October 13, 2011 - 12:00am It is hard to read the prisoner swap agreement to free Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held in Gaza for five years, as anything less than a victory for his captors, Hamas. But it is a qualified one. Of the 1,027 prisoners Israel has agreed to release, 479 of the names have been nominated by Hamas (the rest will be chosen by Israel). Of the 479, 315 were serving life sentences for involvement in some of the bloodiest attacks on Israel, and most served over 20 years. » Read more

Palestinians should vote in Jerusalem elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avraham Burg - (Opinion) October 13, 2011 - 12:00am It was depressing to see American President Barack Obama's weak appearance at the United Nations. It was depressing to see this talented man, who brought such great hope to the world, presenting the pitiable position of a feeble empire. It was embarrassing to see him defending positions and people whom only a few months earlier he had attacked with fury. His obsequiousness is shameful, and this weakness is a real danger to the world. Therefore anyone who wants peace cannot make do merely with accusing Obama. One cannot allow his desperation to have veto power over our hope. » Read more

Why the president was right ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Gabi Fahel, John Quigley - (Analysis) October 13, 2011 - 12:00am President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to request UN membership for Palestine at the Security Council is the right decision. It is the right decision if you believe in two states. It is the right decision if you believe in one state. It is the wrong decision if you believe in the status quo. The status quo is the continuing occupation of Palestine and its people, daily human rights violations, denial of access to Jerusalem and Palestinian holy sites, as well as settlement construction without end. The status quo also means no tangible remedy for Palestinian refugees. » Read more

Barghouti's fate now firmly in Israel's hands ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet (Opinion) October 13, 2011 - 12:00am Left out of a prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel, the Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti must now wait for a different type of deal to get him out of the Israeli jail where he is serving multiple life sentences. It may never happen. Hamas's indirect negotiations with Israel to exchange the soldier Gilad Shalit for 1,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails were seen over the last few years as Barghouti's best hope of release. » Read more

Hezbollah praises prisoner deal as victory for 'resistance' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post October 13, 2011 - 12:00am Hezbollah on Wednesday said that the deal to release over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for the kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit was a victory for the resistance, Lebanon's Daily Star reported. According to the report, Hezbollah released a statement praising the agreement and saying that it showed that Palestinian resistance is "effective in regaining land, freeing prisoners, and preserving its freedom, dignity, and independence." The Hezbollah comments echoed Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, who spoke on Tuesday when news of the deal broke, calling it a "great achievement." » Read more

Palestinians aim to join U.N. bodies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Tom Perry - October 13, 2011 - 12:00am The plan is likely to generate more criticism from the United States, which has pledged to veto a Palestinian request last month for full membership of the United Nations, if it comes to a vote in the Security Council. The Palestinians have been preparing their drive for membership of the U.N. agencies over the past two years as part of a plan to get ready for statehood, said Omar Awadallah, who heads the U.N. department at the foreign ministry. » Read more

U.S.: Israel move to legalize West Bank outposts 'unhelpful to peace efforts' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz October 13, 2011 - 12:00am The U.S. State Department criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's newly launched attempt to legalize West Bank outposts on Wednesday, saying the move was "unhelpful" to Mideast peace efforts. On Tuesday, Netanyahu's office announced instructed Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman to set up a task force to explore ways to legalize houses in the settlements that were built on private Palestinian land. » Read more

Israeli settlers attack Palestinian school amid fears for more violence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua October 13, 2011 - 12:00am Jewish settlers attacked on Thursday a Palestinian school, raising fears that conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians may increase when the U.N. Security Council was debating on a Palestinian bid for statehood, witnesses and security sources said. The witnesses said that several Jewish settlers threw stones and empty bottles at Kortoba females school in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. » Read more