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October 15, 2012

Middle East News: World Press Roundup

NEWS: The Romney Campaign announces the formation of an “Arab-Americans for Romney” coalition. An all-female ticket is making its presence felt in upcoming local Palestinian elections. New Israeli airstrikes bring the number killed in Gaza during the ongoing round of violence to five. Former Hamas prisoner Shalit recalls his captivity in Gaza. The US cancels scholarships for students in Gaza after Israel refuses to allow them to travel. Islamists in Egypt play on anti-Israel sentiment. Pres. Abbas says he was “two months” away from a peace agreement with former PM Olmert. Salafists in Gaza complain Hamas is preventing them from establishing a new political party. The Emir of Qatar is reportedly planning to visit Gaza. A former senior aide to the late Pres. Arafat says Israel is reaching out to potential future Palestinian leaders, including those in Israeli prison. Israel is planning an international PR campaign to improve the image of settlers. PM Netanyahu is in a strong position for upcoming Israeli elections, but faces numerous uncertainties. Palestinians in the West Bank are holding weekly nonviolent protests against the latest expansion of the Gush Etzion settlement bloc. COMMENTARY: Saliba Sarsar and Hussein Ibish point to vital lessons for the Middle East conflict from events during past Novembers. Barak Ravid says, as Israel's elections loom, Palestinians feel nothing but despair. Harriet Sherwood thinks Netanyahu is on the right track to victory. Ha'aretz interviews PLO official Ashrawi. Ari Shavit says new reports on secret Israeli-Syrian negotiations reflect well on Netanyahu. Amos Harel says extremists in Sinai are making a Hamas-Israel conflict, which neither party wants, more likely. Jeff Barak says the next American president will find a pressing need to get the parties to return to the negotiating table. Khaled Diab says Israeli settlers can prove to be unlikely peace activists. Zohar Nevo says the new head of Magen David has a long history of ugly anti-Arab racism. Pierre Klochendler looks at the struggle over neighborhoods in occupied East Jerusalem.


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Romney Campaign Announces “Arab-Americans for Romney”

Media Outlet: 
The Arab American Institute
Article Type: 
Press Release
Date: 
October 15, 2012

Washington, DC – On Friday, October 12, 2012, the Romney campaign announced “Arab Americans for Romney,” a national coalition of Arab American supporters of Gov. Mitt Romney’s bid for the presidency of the United States.



All-Female Ticket Aims to Be Heard, if Not Seen

Article Author(s): 
Jodi Rudoren
Media Outlet: 
The New York Times
Date: 
October 14, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/world/middleeast/all-female-ticket-a-first-in-... [6]

HEBRON, West Bank — The faces of five men in business suits and one woman in a white head scarf beam under the slogan “Modern Hebron” on campaign banners along the streets of this famously conservative city ahead of local elections scheduled for Saturday. Other banners saying “Hebron Independents” feature 12 less formal photos, including three women, with looks more stern than smiling.



Palestinian militant dies in continuous Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, putting death toll to 5

Media Outlet: 
Xinhua
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-10/15/c_131905807.htm [7]

GAZA, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian militant died Sunday shortly after he was injured in the continuous Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza Strip, putting the number of Palestinians killed in the round of violence to five, according to medics.



US drops Gaza scholarships after Israel travel ban

Media Outlet: 
Associated Press
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/top-news/us-drops-gaza-scholarships-after-israel-... [8]

JERUSALEM —

Amal Ashour, 18, loves Shakespeare and American pop music. One of the brightest students in the Gaza Strip, she studied her senior year of high school in Minnesota through a U.S.-government funded program.



Israeli Ex-Soldier Recalls Captivity Under Militants

Article Author(s): 
Isabel Kershner
Media Outlet: 
The New York Times
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/world/middleeast/ex-israeli-soldier-shalit-rec... [9]

JERUSALEM — Almost a year after he was released from five years of captivity in Gaza, Gilad Shalit, the former Israeli soldier, has revealed more details of how he coped with the ordeal and his fears of being forgotten.



Egypt's Islamists play to anti-Israel sentiment

Article Author(s): 
Aya Batrawy
Media Outlet: 
Associated Press
Date: 
October 13, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/top-news/jewish-group-condemns-egypts-muslim-brot... [10]

CAIRO —

A fiery tirade against Jews by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's leader highlights one of the foremost diplomatic challenges facing the country's new Islamist President Mohammed Morsi as he balances popular sentiment with the need for security relations with Israel.



Abbas says Olmert was "two months" from peace deal

Media Outlet: 
Reuters
Date: 
October 14, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/abbas-says-olmert-was-two-months-from-peace-d... [11]

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Oct 14 (Reuters) - In comments that may stir Israel's election campaign, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday that he and Ehud Olmert were "two months" away from a peace deal before Olmert had to resign as Israeli prime minister.



Salafis say Hamas security preventing new political party

Media Outlet: 
Ma'an News Agency
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=529069 [12]

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The founders of a new Salafi political party said Monday that their official launch is being obstructed by Hamas security forces, not legal regulations as the government in Gaza has claimed.

Last week, Salafis announced the Al-Nur party, or 'party of the light', would start officially operating in the coming days. It said it would work on similar lines to an Egyptian party of the same name, which follows an ultra-conservative Islamic ideology.



Report: Emir of Qatar set to visit Gaza

Media Outlet: 
Ma'an News Agency
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=528807 [13]

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The Emir of Qatar is set to visit the Gaza Strip in the coming few days, the first visit by an Arab leader since Hamas took power in the coastal enclave, a Gaza TV channel said on Sunday.

Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his wife Sheikha Mozah are slated to come to Gaza following the arrival of Qatari delegates on Sunday, al-Kitab satellite channel said.



Arafat aide: Israel reaching out to Abbas successors

Media Outlet: 
Ma'an News Agency
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=528710 [14]
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- A former adviser to President Yasser Arafat on Saturday accused Israel of working to replace the current president behind the scenes.

Bassam Abu Sharif said Israeli officials were making calls to Palestinian figures in Israeli jail to scope out a successor to President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as to people close to the president.



Diplomacy Ministry seeks to boost settlers' global image

Article Author(s): 
Itamar Fleishman
Media Outlet: 
Ynetnews
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4292169,00.html [15]

Against the backdrop of the upcoming Knesset elections, the Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs is set to launch a campaign aiming to boost the West Bank settlements' global image.



Analysis: Israel's Netanyahu faces wild cards

Article Author(s): 
Dan Perry
Media Outlet: 
Associated Press
Date: 
October 14, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/religion/analysis-israels-netanyahu-faces-wild-ca... [16]

TEL AVIV, Israel —

The Israeli government has called a general election for Jan. 22, and polls suggest Benjamin Netanyahu's rightist-religious coalition is likely to win a renewed majority — but an array of wild cards make the outcome of this campaign unpredictable nonetheless.



Palestinians plan protest to halt Shadma development

Article Author(s): 
Tovah Lazaroff
Media Outlet: 
The Jerusalem Post
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=287845 [17]

Palestinians on Sunday held the first of what they hope will be weekly protests meant to halt any attempt by settlers to develop a small Gush Etzion hilltop, known to Israeli as Shadma and to Palestinians as Oush Ghrab.

Several dozen Palestinians holding flags and signs stood in the parking lot behind the hill, which is sandwiched between the Palestinian village of Beit Sahur and the Nokdim road.



The Lessons of Novembers Past

Article Author(s): 
Hussein Ibish
Article Author(s): 
Saliba Sarsar
Media Outlet: 
The Daily Beast
Article Type: 
Opinion
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/15/the-lessons-of-novembers-past.h... [18]

Historically, November often signifies numerous crucial turning points in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The lessons of Novembers past demand close attention. Palestinians and Israelis can learn from them to address their differences and common future, and American leaders to be more balanced.



As Israeli elections near, Palestinians feel nothing but despair

Article Author(s): 
Barak Ravid
Media Outlet: 
Haaretz
Article Type: 
Analysis
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/diplomania/as-israeli-elections-near-palestinians-f... [19]

RAMALLAH - On Monday, Yossi Beilin sat alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas  in a convention hall in Mukataa, and waxed nostalgic. “We used to work without the Americans,” he said. “Clinton heard about Oslo two weeks before the White House ceremony." Abbas, a bitter smile on his face, corrected him. “A week before,” he said.



Why Binyamin Netanyahu is on the right track for victory

Article Author(s): 
Harriet Sherwood
Media Outlet: 
The Guardian
Article Type: 
Opinion
Date: 
October 13, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/14/netanyahu-seen-as-israel-election-wi... [20]

One end is a Jewish settlement across the Green Line, the other is close to Israel's haunting memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, Yad Vashem.



World powers will soon support our cause, says top Palestinian official

Article Author(s): 
Amira Hass
Media Outlet: 
Haaretz
Article Type: 
Opinion
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/world-powers-will-soon-support-our-cause-sa... [21]

Twice during an hour-long interview, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi let out a laugh that sounded embarrassed. The first time was when she explained what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did in his UN General Assembly address: a speech she deemed patronizing, cut off from reality, stuck in an outdated Manichean perception. The doctor of comparative literature suggests that he did not convince his audience.



In praise of Netanyahu

Article Author(s): 
Ari Shavit
Media Outlet: 
Haaretz
Article Type: 
Opinion
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/in-praise-of-netanyahu.premium-1.470018 [22]

Yedioth Ahronoth and diplomatic correspondent Shimon Shiffer deserve all possible praise for their sensational story on Friday. Israel and Syria conducted peace negotiations in 2010 and 2011.



Gaza extremists endanger the balance of terror along border with Israel

Article Author(s): 
Amos Harel
Media Outlet: 
Haaretz
Article Type: 
Opinion
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/gaza-extremists-endanger-the-balan... [23]

For several months now, Israel and Hamas are maintaining a complex balance of terror along the Gaza Strip border. The relative calm is kept despite rockets being fired at Israel by extremist groups supporting al-Qaida (sometimes with a nod from Hamas, sometimes with its indirect assistance), and despite Israeli airstrikes against members of these groups. It is true that lately the lulls between escalation to escalation have become shorter, but still there is no room for comparison to the situation along the border during the years that preceded Operation Cast Lead in 2008.



Getting back to the negotiating table

Article Author(s): 
Jeff Barak
Media Outlet: 
The Jerusalem Post
Article Type: 
Opinion
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=287819 [24]

Guess who wrote this and where it was first published: “The Arab Spring showed the world that the Palestinians are happier and in [a] better situation than their Arab brothers who fought to liberate them from the Israelis. Now, it is time to stop the hatred and wars and start to create better living conditions for the future Arab generations.”



The Israeli settlers who make unlikely peace activists

Article Author(s): 
Khaled Diab
Media Outlet: 
The Guardian
Article Type: 
Opinion
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/12/israeli-settlers-peace-activ... [25]

In his recent speech [26] to the UN general assembly, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas warned that Israel's ongoing settlement construction in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank would make the creation of a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel "extremely difficult if not completely impossible".



Michael Bloomberg and Magen David's Anti-Arab Rabbi

Article Author(s): 
Eshkol Nevo
Media Outlet: 
The Jewish Daily Forward
Article Type: 
Opinion
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://forward.com/articles/164093/michael-bloomberg-and-magen-davids-anti-arab-... [27]

When one enters Jerusalem, two structures immediately catch the eye. The first is a digital sign informing the traveler when the next Sabbath begins and ends. The second is a building bearing a sign identifying it as the William H. Bloomberg MDA Jerusalem Station.



Caged in the Great City

Article Author(s): 
Pierre Klochendler
Media Outlet: 
Inter Press Service (IPS)
Article Type: 
Opinion
Date: 
October 15, 2012
Source Link(s): 
http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/10/caged-in-the-great-city/ [28]

AR-RAM, Occupied East Jerusalem, Oct 15 2012 (IPS) - Ali Shuruf turns on the lights, that shine into a gaudy living room. Beyond the window, the dominant colour is uniformly grey: the house stands literally against a wall. Not just any wall – the infamous eight-metre cement wall separates Palestinians from Israelis.

Source URL (retrieved on Dec 18 2024 - 12:26am): http://www.americantaskforce.org/world_press_roundup/20121015t000000

Links:
[1] http://www.americantaskforce.org/print/28233
[2] http://www.americantaskforce.org/printmail/28233
[3] http://www.americantaskforce.org/printpdf/28233
[4] http://www.americantaskforce.org/rss/wpr
[5] https://www.americantaskforce.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=1
[6] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/world/middleeast/all-female-ticket-a-first-in-palestinian-territories-campaigns-in-hebron.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast
[7] http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-10/15/c_131905807.htm
[8] http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/top-news/us-drops-gaza-scholarships-after-israel-travel-ban/nSc25/
[9] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/world/middleeast/ex-israeli-soldier-shalit-recalls-captivity-under-militants.html?ref=middleeast
[10] http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/top-news/jewish-group-condemns-egypts-muslim-brotherhood/nScNC/
[11] http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/abbas-says-olmert-was-two-months-from-peace-deal/
[12] http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=529069
[13] http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=528807
[14] http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=528710
[15] http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4292169,00.html
[16] http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/religion/analysis-israels-netanyahu-faces-wild-cards/nScp9/
[17] http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=287845
[18] http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/15/the-lessons-of-novembers-past.html
[19] http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/diplomania/as-israeli-elections-near-palestinians-feel-nothing-but-despair.premium-1.470042
[20] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/14/netanyahu-seen-as-israel-election-winner
[21] http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/world-powers-will-soon-support-our-cause-says-top-palestinian-official.premium-1.470031
[22] http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/in-praise-of-netanyahu.premium-1.470018
[23] http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/gaza-extremists-endanger-the-balance-of-terror-along-border-with-israel.premium-1.469970
[24] http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=287819
[25] http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/12/israeli-settlers-peace-activists
[26] http://www.cfr.org/palestinian-authority/abbas-remarks-un-general-assembly-september-2012/p29168
[27] http://forward.com/articles/164093/michael-bloomberg-and-magen-davids-anti-arab-rabbi/
[28] http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/10/caged-in-the-great-city/