Give Israel's secular liberals their own state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Carlo Strenger - (Opinion) January 9, 2012 - 1:00am

The two-state solution is history, and I was both sad and happy to see that A.B. Yehoshua has come to the same conclusion. Now we need to think ahead: How will the piece of land west of the Jordan River become a place that enables its population to live decent lives?

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Israel rethinking position on prisoner swaps
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
January 5, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM — Israel is rethinking its policy on prisoner swaps to avoid the kind of lopsided deals that saw Israel recently trade more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for a lone Israeli soldier. A government-appointed panel submitted its recommendations in a secret report Thursday and details were not divulged. But Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel has "no choice but to overhaul the rules" now that Sgt. Gilad Schalit has been freed after five years in captivity in Gaza. Barak told Israel Radio, "We have to get off the slippery slope we ventured on 25 years ago."

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I miss Ariel Sharon
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Tzipi Livni - (Opinion) January 5, 2012 - 1:00am

Arik Sharon sank into a coma six years ago. All of us followed it and prayed with hope as the ambulance disappeared into the hospital. When today I try to think about the essence of the public longing for Sharon, six years later, it appears that the longing for Arik has turned into longing for a prime minister who does not fear domestic politics and who sees the welfare of the nation of Israel before him when making decisions.

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Danon Sets Agenda for Rising Right Wing
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Jeffay - January 5, 2012 - 1:00am

Tel Aviv — Lawmaker Danny Danon pauses during an interview to scribble an important note to himself. A question about a derogatory portrayal of him in the left-leaning daily newspaper Haaretz gave him an idea: “I must remember to use this article in my campaign.”

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I miss Ariel Sharon
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Tzipi Livni - (Opinion) January 5, 2012 - 1:00am

Arik Sharon sank into a coma six years ago. All of us followed it and prayed with hope as the ambulance disappeared into the hospital. When today I try to think about the essence of the public longing for Sharon, six years later, it appears that the longing for Arik has turned into longing for a prime minister who does not fear domestic politics and who sees the welfare of the nation of Israel before him when making decisions.

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PostScript: Time to get smart
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Hirsh Goodman - (Opinion) January 5, 2012 - 1:00am

Israel’s legitimacy, over the past few years, has become the battle cry of Israel and its supporters. With no wars, suffering, mass immigration and other heart-wrenching situations to flesh donor dollars out of ever-tightening wallets, saving Israel from those who seek to delegitimize it has become the new cause; the new war.

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Former Israeli Leader Indicted on Bribery Charge
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - January 5, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM — Ehud Olmert, who resigned as prime minister of Israel in 2008 amid corruption charges, was indicted on Thursday for allegedly taking bribes in the construction of a huge residential complex while he was mayor of Jerusalem.

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Our World: Is Israeli society unraveling?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Caroline Glick - (Opinion) January 2, 2012 - 1:00am

On balance, Israeli society is extremely healthy. Unemployment is at record lows. At a time of global recession, the Israeli economy is growing steadily. Israeli Jewish women have the highest fertility rate in the Western world with an average of three children per woman. Education levels have risen dramatically across the board over the past decade with dozens of private colleges opening their doors to more and more sectors of the population.

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Ghost of Israel’s Future
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
(Editorial) January 2, 2012 - 1:00am

We know that Avigdor Lieberman is following events in Russia closely. After the December 4 parliamentary elections there were tainted by ballot stuffing and other violations roundly condemned by Western election monitors, Lieberman offered his own assessment of whether democracy had been harmed: “The outcome of the elections reflects the mood in Russia,” he said. “Maybe there were some errors in several areas in Russia…but that is not different from what happens in Israel in various Arab and Druze villages.” In other words, no big deal.

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Lieberman’s fury
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Musa Keilani - (Opinion) January 1, 2012 - 1:00am

It is an understatement to say that Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is hopping mad at some of his European counterparts because of their objective observations about Israel’s practices and policies against not only the Palestinians living under its occupation but also its own Arab citizens.

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