Mideast Din Drowns Out Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - March 7, 2012 - 1:00am


RAMALLAH, West Bank — In the 14 months since revolution has spread across the Middle East and tension has soared over Iran’s nuclear program, the Palestinian leadership has found itself orphaned. Politically divided, its peace talks with Israel collapsed and its foreign support waning, the Palestinian Authority is sidelined, confused and worried that its people may return to violence.


Hamas Unclear about Role in Israel-Iran Fighting
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Karin Laub - March 7, 2012 - 1:00am


GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza's ruling Hamas on Wednesday sent conflicting signals on whether it would stay on the sidelines if war breaks out between Israel and Iran. A Hamas spokesman said the group didn't have enough firepower the enter a regional war, while a senior official later reportedly threatened "retaliation with utmost power."


Time for Palestinians to speak out
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Oudeh Basharat - (Opinion) March 4, 2012 - 1:00am


A hurricane the size of Katrina has hit the Middle East coastline - a hurricane of hypocrisy. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who represents a country that has been making regular use of its veto in the United Nations Security Council in support of the Israeli occupation, is disgusted by the veto cast by Russia on a resolution condemning the Syrian regime. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who imprisons Palestinians under a 45-year wall of occupation, sheds tears over human rights in Syria.


Destabilised, disintegrated Syria benefits Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Musa Keilani - (Opinion) March 3, 2012 - 1:00am


The Israelis are having an ongoing debate over the anti-regime uprising in Syria, with participants saying that the world is not doing anything about the carnage against the Syrian people by security forces loyal to the government. Many Israelis use the opportunity to thrash the Arabs, in the process, accusing them of doing nothing to help the Syrian people.


Let us compare al-Assad to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) March 1, 2012 - 1:00am


When considering much of what is being repeated in our region, on all levels about Syria, one is struck by confusion, for one party justifies what is happening, whilst another casts doubt, and a third attempts to be clever. Therefore you feel as if you are looking at a situation that is impossible to understand, namely an Arab case par excellence, which is a problem with no solutions, or in the desperate manner of Nabih Berri, a case where there is ‘no winners and no losers”, which is what I term a case of political fluidity.


Israeli: Syrian rebels want peace with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
February 29, 2012 - 1:00am


JERUSALEM — An Israeli lawmaker says Syrian opposition leaders have told him they want peace with Israel after Syrian President Bashar Assad falls. Israel and Syria are bitter enemies. They have fought several major wars, and Syria backs violent anti-Israel groups. Isaac Herzog said Wednesday that the Syrian opposition want to "be friends" with Israel. He refused to name his sources because he said they fear retribution by Assad. He said they are aligned with the main rebel factions. There was no confirmation from the Syrian opposition figures.


The Jerusalem Conference in Doha: Day 2
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Lara Friedman - (Opinion) February 28, 2012 - 1:00am


Yesterday I posted at the Forward with some of my concerns at the end of day one of the Arab League conference on Jerusalem in Doha. Below are my comments at the end of day two. ?Given my frustrations over day one's speeches and discussion, I steeled myself today to speak up. I did so in the closing round of comments in the committee I was attending (the Civil Society Group). When the moderator called on me I introduced myself as follows (not verbatim, but close):


Israel Criticizes Palestinians’ Invitation to Security Council to Visit Occupied Territories
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
February 28, 2012 - 1:00am


UNITED NATIONS — The Palestinians have invited the U.N. Security Council to visit the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, a move Israel says is an attempt to try to divert attention from getting back to direct negotiations to settle the decades-old conflict. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. observer, told reporters after a council meeting on the Mideast on Tuesday that he sent a letter inviting the 15 council members “to see with their own eyes the reality of the Palestinian people in the occupied territory” including Israel’s “illegal” settlement building.


Pro-Israel Voices Joining Bid to Get Iranian Dissidents Group off U.S. Terror List
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - February 28, 2012 - 1:00am


WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Famed attorney Alan Dershowitz, former Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel -- three prominent Jewish activists who have joined with other prominent people in a bid to remove a group with a blood-soaked history from the State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations. The names on the growing list of influential American advocates to de-list the Mujahedin-e Khalq, or MEK -- known in English as the National Council of Resistance of Iran -- suggest an effort to give the bid a pro-Israel imprimatur.


Egypt increases power supply to Gaza Strip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 27, 2012 - 1:00am


GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Egypt increased its energy supply to the Gaza Strip on Sunday, director of the Hamas-run energy authority told Ma'an, adding that more is required to solve the crisis. "In light of the serious power shortage in the Gaza Strip, the additional five Megawatts have not resulted in a major improvement, and so further steps from Egypt would be necessary," Abu al-Amreen said on Monday. Egypt increased its power supply to the Gaza Strip from 17 to 22 megawatts in the first stage of an agreement reached last Thursday with Gaza's energy authority.



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