Report: Cyprus recognizes Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
January 31, 2011 - 1:00am

Palestinian news agency claims Abbas received letter from President Christofias saying his country hopes for 'peaceful solution ensuring independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.' Cyprus: Our position hasn't changed since 1988, it coincides with EU's stance Cyprus has recognized a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, Ramallah-based news agency WAFA reported Sunday.

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Exit the Israel Alibi
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Roger Cohen - (Editorial) January 31, 2011 - 1:00am

One way to measure the immense distance traveled by Arabs over the past month is to note the one big subject they are not talking about: Israel. For too long, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the great diversion, exploited by feckless Arab autocrats to distract impoverished populations. None of these Arab leaders ever bothered to visit the West Bank. That did not stop them embracing the justice of the Palestinian cause even as they trampled on justice at home. Now, Arabs are thinking about their own injustices. With great courage, they are saying “Enough!”

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For Palestinians, Egyptian Unrest Is Bittersweet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by David Miller - January 31, 2011 - 1:00am

Ordinary people cheer on protestors, but Hamas and Fatah are both hesitant to take sides Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank expressed both hope and anxiety as unrest went into its seventh day in Egypt, a country that has acted as a lifeline to besieged Gaza and a patron to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank but also as the object of anger and resentment.

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Turkish action film set to worsen ties with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
January 30, 2011 - 1:00am

A new Turkish film in which an action-man hero avenges the death of Turkish activists in Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship is likely to put new strain on already tense relations between Turkey and Israel. "Valley of the Wolves: Palestine", one of the most expensive Turkish films ever made, has drawn accusations at home of excessive violence and abroad of anti-Israeli propaganda, but it attracted big audiences at its opening this weekend.

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Israel Shaken as Turbulence Rocks an Ally
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - January 30, 2011 - 1:00am

The street revolt in Egypt has thrown the Israeli government and military into turmoil, with top officials closeted in round-the-clock strategy sessions aimed at rethinking their most significant regional relationship.

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British author Ian McEwan says no to boycott call
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Jonny Paul - January 27, 2011 - 1:00am

The English novelist and screenwriter Ian McEwan has refused to heed a call from a pro-Palestinian group that has questioned his decision to accept this year’s Jerusalem Prize, which they call “a cruel joke and a propaganda tool for the Israeli state.” A group of writers and academics – members of British Writers in Support of Palestine – many of whom are active in the delegitimization campaign against Israel, signed a letter in Monday’s Guardian calling on the acclaimed writer to boycott the prize and join the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel.

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PLO: US credibility at stake in UN settlement vote
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by Abdullah Rebhi - January 26, 2011 - 1:00am

Palestinian negotiator Nabil Sha'ath warned that Washington risks losing "any credibility as a peace broker" if it vetoes a UN Security Council resolution calling for a halt to Israeli settlement building. The Palestinians will address the 15-member Security Council "whether or not the United States wants it," Sha'ath told reporters late on Monday in Doha, where he was speaking to Al-Jazeera TV, and confirming the authenticity of the leaked "Palestine Papers" on peace talks with Israel.

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Warily Eyeing Egypt, Israelis Feel Like Spectators
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - January 26, 2011 - 1:00am

After the Tunisian revolution and the emergence of a Hezbollah-backed government in Lebanon, Israelis are confronting another jolt to the system as mass protests rock Egypt, the partner in Israel’s oldest and most important Middle East relationship. While the recent upheavals have not been about Israel, they could have a potentially momentous impact on its future. Yet Israel, often a major player, now finds itself in the less familiar, and somewhat unnerving, role of spectator.

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Peru recognizes 'free and sovereign' Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 25, 2011 - 1:00am

Peru recognized a "free and sovereign" Palestinian state Monday, joining a wave of Latin American countries. "Today the government communicated to the ambassador of Palestine in Lima recognition of the Palestinian state as free and sovereign," said Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Belaunde. The Peruvian foreign minister contacted the Palestinian ambassador to Peru, Walid Abdul-Rahim, to inform him that his country decided to recognize a Palestinian state.

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Turkish president: Israeli report has no credibility
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
January 25, 2011 - 1:00am

Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Monday that the report prepared by Israel on its attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla had no international credibility. Gul made the statement at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul prior to his departure for the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg. Replying to questions on the Israeli report, Gul said, "what Israel did has nothing to do with the international law. The report issued by Israel does not have credibility and legitimacy."

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