Saudi prince’s handshake with Israeli minister ‘does not change policy’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Caryle Murphey - February 7, 2010 - 1:00am

A senior Saudi Arabian prince said yesterday that his public handshake with Israel’s deputy foreign minister after a testy exchange of words in Germany on Saturday does not signal a change in Saudi government policy. “This event should not be taken out of context or misunderstood,” Prince Turki al Faisal said in a statement. “My strong objections and condemnations of Israel’s policies and actions against the Palestinians remain unchanged.”

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Israel is shooting itself in the foot
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Jay Bushinsky - (Opinion) February 7, 2010 - 1:00am

No country could possibly be more obsessed about its image abroad than is Israel. Understandably, Israelis want to be liked and where appropriate, admired. But in recent years, especially since Operation Cast Lead – the poorly-planned and badly-executed assault on the Gaza Strip that began December 27, 2008 – they have been the butt of international criticism, much of it unwarranted.

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Israel’s hypocrisy in Haiti
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Aijaz Zaka Syed - (Opinion) February 5, 2010 - 1:00am

Israeli hypocrisy would be comical, if its consequences weren’t so tragic. These days, Israeli media and Israel’s powerful friends in the US media have been tomtomming about the noble help and rescue mission Israelis have undertaken in the remote, quake-hit island of Haiti.

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Gazans Denied Justice as Rights Take a Beating
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Mel Frykberg - February 5, 2010 - 1:00am

Gazans hoping for a modicum of justice following Israel’s indiscriminate military assault on the coastal territory during December 2008 and January 2009 - which left 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, dead - could be waiting in vain. The Israeli government has taken the offensive in the propaganda battle and attacked United Nations-appointed Justice Richard Goldstone’s report into war crimes committed during the war. The report alleges that Israel was responsible for the lion’s share of human rights abuses.

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Silver lining?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Editorial) February 5, 2010 - 1:00am

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak seems to have suddenly had the revelation that unless there is peace with Syria, war with it could easily happen, with the potential of escalating into a wider armed conflict. What Barak has just come to realise has been common knowledge in the region for the past four or five decades, including the time when he was prime minister of his country. Maybe he can also remember that it was he who scuppered the peace accord with Syria during the term in office of US president Bill Clinton.

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Mixed Views of Hamas and Hezbollah in Largely Muslim Nations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Pew Research Center
February 4, 2010 - 1:00am

Across predominantly Muslim nations, there is little enthusiasm for the extremist Islamic organizations Hamas and Hezbollah, although there are pockets of support for both groups, especially in the Middle East.

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U.S.: Easing Gaza siege would help counter Goldstone
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - February 4, 2010 - 1:00am

The United States has suggested to Israel that easing the Gaza blockade would help counter the fallout from the Goldstone report on alleged war crimes during Operation Cast Lead a year ago. Friday, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is expected to present a report to the General Assembly on the implementation of the report's recommendations by Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

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Israel's dual reality
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Aluf Benn - (Opinion) February 4, 2010 - 1:00am

Israel's image problem abroad is down to one issue: the stark and growing difference between how Israelis view their country, and how it is seen from outside. This explains the anger and insult that Israelis feel when they watch themselves on the BBC or CNN. It can't possibly be us, they protest, the networks must be biased and pro-Arab.

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Time for accountability
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Editorial) February 4, 2010 - 1:00am

When a senior Hamas operative was assassinated in a Dubai hotel, a murder that the UAE authorities have now said bears all the hallmarks of a Mossad operation, it is to be expected that something will happen in return. Already, other Palestinian factions tried to smuggle a bomb into Israel by way of seeking vengeance. The attempt failed, but more will likely be made again. Hamas, meanwhile, announced an end to prisoner-swap negotiations, at least for the time being, citing not only negative interference from Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, but also the murder in Dubai.

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A Fresh Attempt at Negotiations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed - (Opinion) February 4, 2010 - 1:00am

It was not accidental that US President Barack Obama ignored the Middle East issue in his annual speech known as the State of the Union address. He did not refer to the issue at all as part of his administration’s activities, which is worrying, as last year following his presidential victory, he began his speeches by speaking optimistically about the peace process.

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