September 6th, 2011

Palestinian official: Abbas met Israel's Barak ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Analysis) September 6, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Abbas met Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak last week, Palestinian officials said on Monday, his first publicly declared meeting with an Israeli government official for almost a year. Abbas told members of Fatah's Revolutionary Council that Barak had requested the meeting in Jordan to discuss the possibility of resuming negotiations which broke down a year ago because of a row over Jewish settlement expansion. » Read more

Israel vows 'tolerance' for Palestinian protests ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Analysis) September 6, 2011 - 12:00am TEL AVIV, Israel (Reuters) -- A senior officer said on Monday that Israeli soldiers would show "much more tolerance" towards Palestinian demonstrations than in the past thanks to riot-control training and new equipment designed to reduce injuries and deaths. Israel is wary of large-scale protests by Palestinians as their leaders sidestep stalled peace talks by appealing for United Nations statehood recognition this month. A similar deadlock in 2000 triggered a Palestinian revolt that Israel fueled with military crackdowns, resulting in a heavy death toll among unarmed protesters. » Read more

Abbas Affirms Palestinian Bid for U.N. Membership ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - (Analysis) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority said Monday that he was going to the United Nations this month to seek membership for a state of Palestine, not instead of negotiations with Israel, but in addition to them. His goal, he said, was for a Palestinian state and Israel to live in peace and security next to one another. Even after any recognition by the United Nations, Mr. Abbas said, his hope is to negotiate with Israel. » Read more

Leak Offers Look at Efforts by U.S. to Spy on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Scott Shane - (Analysis) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am WASHINGTON — When Shamai K. Leibowitz, an F.B.I. translator, was sentenced to 20 months in prison last year for leaking classified information to a blogger, prosecutors revealed little about the case. They identified the blogger in court papers only as “Recipient A.” After Mr. Leibowitz pleaded guilty, even the judge said he did not know exactly what Mr. Leibowitz had disclosed. » Read more

September 2nd

The Makings of History / Septembers to remember ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Tom Segev - (Opinion) September 2, 2011 - 12:00am In the weekly newspaper I read as a child, Mishmar Layeladim, there was a regular feature called "Did You Know?" From it I learned - and to this day have not forgotten - that in British history there were 11 days during which nothing at all happened: from Friday, September 3, 1752 to Wednesday, September 13, 1752. My newspaper explained: In that month the British Empire adopted the Gregorian calendar. The transition from the Julian calendar, which dated back to the days of ancient Rome, necessitated a "jump" from September 2 to September 14, thus producing 11 days "with no history." » Read more

There is something very ugly about this attempt to ghettoise Israeli musicians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Telegraph by Brendan O'Neill - (Opinion) September 2, 2011 - 12:00am Last night’s protest at the Proms against the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra represented a new low in anti-Israel agitation. It confirmed that everything and everyone connected with Israel is now looked upon by certain – mostly middle-class – radicals as toxic, diseased, a potential pollutant which must be kept out of decent Britain, perhaps by passing anti-Israeli quarantine laws. Not content with refusing to buy evil Israeli products and refusing to engage with evil Israeli academics, the anti-Israel lobby now wants to prevent people from hearing music played by evil Israeli musicians. » Read more

Why I Wrote That Palestinian Terror Is Justified ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Forward by Larry Derfner - (Opinion) September 2, 2011 - 12:00am Why did I do it? Why did I write that the occupation justifies Palestinian terror, even the recent killing of eight Israelis near Eilat? It wasn’t inevitable, but I suppose it wasn’t exactly accidental, either. » Read more

Palestinian statehood opinion causes uproar ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English by Nour Samaha - (Analysis) September 1, 2011 - 12:00am A legal opinion recently leaked to Al Jazeera highlighting serious ramifications for Palestinians' planned bid for statehood at the UN in September has created further divisions between "pro" and "anti" statehood camps, with each side claiming the other is damaging future prospects for the Palestinians. The leaked opinion, written by Oxford University law professor Guy Goodwin-Gill, was designed to "flag the matters requiring attention, if a substantial proportion of the people are not to be accidentally disenfranchised". » Read more

Palestinian statehood bid 'dangerous': France ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) by Agence France Press (AFP) - September 2, 2011 - 12:00am PARIS — French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Friday that a bid by Palestinians to win UN recognition as a state would risk triggering a dangerous diplomatic confrontation. Palestinians, frustrated by the failure of the frozen US-sponsored peace process with Israel, plan to campaign for recognition at the UN General Assembly later this month. "France hopes that they use the occasion for reopening the path to dialogue rather than risking a futile and dangerous diplomatic confrontation," Juppe told an annual gathering of French ambassadors. » Read more

A State of Palestine would backfire on its own people ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Medhi Hasan - (Opinion) September 2, 2011 - 12:00am Rejoice! On 20 September, the United Nations will welcome a new member: the "State of Palestine". Senior Palestinian Authority (PA) officials believe they have secured the support of enough countries to pass a resolution in the UN general assembly recognising a Palestinian state. There is, however, little to celebrate. For the first time in my life, I find myself in agreement with Binyamin Netanyahu. The loathsome Israeli prime minister is opposed to the Palestinian bid for statehood – and so, reluctantly, am I. But for very different reasons to "Bibi". » Read more