EU on Verge of Abandoning All Hope for a Viable Palestinian State
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald MacIntyre - (Editorial) January 12, 2012 - 1:00am

The Palestinian presence in the largest part of the occupied West Bank – has been, "continuously undermined" by Israel in ways that are "closing the window" on a two-state solution, according to an internal EU report seen by The Independent.

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‘Hamas Can Have Officials in all Arab Capitals’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
January 12, 2012 - 1:00am

Hamas has the right to have political representatives in all Arab capitals, Hamas-affiliated news outlet Al Resalah reported a senior Hamas official as saying, after Jordanian Prime Minister Awn Al-Khasawneh said Jordan is planning to allow Hamas leaders to reside in his country but not practice politics. "One cannot prevent the Hamas leadership from practicing politics because its aim is to protect the rights of the Palestinian people," Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk said.

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Hamas PM Arrives in Gaza, Says Foreign Visits Broke Political Blockade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
January 11, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya arrived in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday night after his first tour in years, saying that he managed to break the political blockade imposed by Israel on the enclave. "The tour broke the siege imposed on the government, on the Gaza Strip and on Palestine," Haneya said, adding that he visited the four countries mainly for the issues of "Palestine and al-Aqsa Mosque."

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Israel prepares for fall of Assad, Syria refugees
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Ori Lewis, Ari Rabinovitch - January 10, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Israel is making preparations for the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and a flood of refugees from his minority Alawite sect into the Golan Heights, Israel's military chief told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday. "Assad cannot continue to hold onto power," a committee spokesman quoted Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz as saying. "On the day that the regime falls, it is expected to result in a blow to the Alawite sect. We are preparing to take in Alawite refugees on the Golan Heights."

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A Saudi-Israeli-Palestinian negotiation table
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Abdulateef Al-Mulhim - (Opinion) January 10, 2012 - 1:00am

The Palestinians met the Israelis in Jordan for the first time in 16 months. And these days there is talk about what is the best solution to end the issue of the Palestinian refugees before the UN withdraws its financial support. In addition to serious talks about a two-state solution. But, the whole world heard this many times before. So, is the Palestinian issue solvable and who can really have a solution? Could it be some one the Israelis never met? Here is my humble opinion:

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Two Mideast Democracies, Side by Side
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by J.J. Goldberg - (Opinion) January 9, 2012 - 1:00am

Advocates of democracy in the Middle East have been deeply alarmed since December 29, when Egyptian security forces staged lightning raids on the offices of three American nonprofits that work to promote democracy and fair elections overseas. Egyptian officials say they seized the organizations’ books and computers because they suspect them of fomenting the unrest that led to the overthrow of the Mubarak dictatorship last year and the imposing of Egypt’s first open, democratic election, which the army has pledged to support after it’s done arresting the people who started it.

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Jordan seeks to defend its strategic interests, boost image by hosting Palestinian-Israeli talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
(Analysis) January 6, 2012 - 1:00am

AMMAN, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- As Israeli and Palestinian negotiators convened in Jordan's capital Amman this week, analysts says Jordan is seeking to bring the Palestinian issue back onto the international agenda as it has been overshadowed by the unrest across Middle East and North Africa in the past year.

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Israel must salvage its last refuge in the Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) January 5, 2012 - 1:00am

ISTANBUL - The conveyor belt at Istanbul Ataturk Airport spit out only two bags. The Turkish Airlines flight from Tel Aviv was packed full, but only two people got out. The Turkish airline is still used by Israelis, but almost exclusively for connecting flights. They've been boycotting Turkey - a preferred destination until recently - and fearing it.

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Jordan King Abdullah's Christmas Eve initiative
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - (Blog) January 5, 2012 - 1:00am

Last week, Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh arrived in Bethlehem for the traditional Christmas Eve mass in the Church of the Nativity. Just before services began, Judeh met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and updated him on the recent push by Jordan and the Quartet on the Middle East – which includes the United States, Russia, the EU, and the UN – to organize a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian representatives in Amman.

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Saudi hacker steps up campaign against Israel, calls it payback
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Batsheva Sobelman - (Blog) January 5, 2012 - 1:00am

REPORTING FROM JERUSALEM -- Earlier this week, a computer hacker broke into an Israeli sports website and redirected viewers to a page linking to a file claiming to contain personal and credit card details of 400,000 Israelis. Credit card companies said the lists actually compromised about 15,000 valid credit cards, and the Bank of Israel announced the situation was under control. But authorities considered it a wake-up call. And Tuesday's assault on credit card numbers may be just the tip of the iceberg.

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