Middle East News: World Press Roundup

NEWS: Likud and Kadima leaders agree to cancel the planned September election in Israel and create a coalition government. PM Netanyahu says the move will enhance "stability." Palestinians express pessimism about the prospects for a peace agreement with the new Israeli government. Israel's Supreme Court refuses to release two Palestinian “administrative detainees” on hunger strike. Palestinian negotiator Erekat sufferers a non-fatal heart attack. Israel's Supreme Court says that an “unauthorized” settlement outpost must be demolished by June 1, in spite of government resistance to the order. Israeli occupation forces raid the offices of a Palestinian watchdog organization on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The EU expresses concern about the condition of Palestinian hunger striking detainees. The PA reportedly agrees on a new cabinet in which Salam Fayyad will remain prime minister but Nabil Qassis will become finance minister. COMMENTARY: Hussein Ibish says ATFP President Ziad Asali has pioneered a genuine and indispensable Palestinian-American willingness to openly and honestly talk with pro-Israel Jewish Americans and Israeli officials. Amir Oren says Israel's new coalition government might pave the road to an attack on Iran. Bradley Burston says Israel's hand-picked government cannot last and will be soon challenged at the polls. Rep. Howard Berman says Israel's “Iron Dome” antimissile system is a strategic imperative for Israel, and also important for the United States. Meir Margalit explains what it's like working as an Israeli against the demolition of Palestinian homes and other occupation abuses. Gershon Baskin says Israeli activists are right to worry about “social justice” but should also have peace as a priority. Jonathan Marcus says Netanyahu has strengthened his political hand with the new coalition deal. Peter Joseph says a moderate middle ground must be staked out in the debate about the relationship between Jewish Americans and Israel. Khalaf Al Habtoor says there has to be a "Plan B" for Israel and the Palestinians. Nati Sharoni says Israel certainly does have a Palestinian negotiating partner, if it wants one.

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Leader of Israel Centrist Party Kadima Agrees to Join Netanyahu’s Coalition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Jodi Rudoren - May 8, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the chairman of the opposition Kadima Party struck a deal early Tuesday morning to form a unity government, a surprise move that staves off early elections and creates a new coalition with a huge legislative majority. » Read more

Netanyahu, stunning Israel by forging unity bloc, defends move as pro-stability ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz May 8, 2012 - 12:00am The newly formed unity government was created to advance the main issues facing Israel today, including a "responsible peace process," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a joint press conference with Kadima head Shaul Mofaz on Tuesday, while the leader of Israel's Labor Party Shelly Yacimovich - thought likely to be become leader of the opposition - slammed the pair's pronouncements in her own press conference later on Tuesday. » Read more

Palestinians don’t have high hopes for Mofaz ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - May 8, 2012 - 12:00am Kadima Chairman Shaul Mofaz's decision to join Benjamin Netanyahu's government caught many in the Palestinian Authority by surprise but did not raise hope that the political change will lead to a resumption of peace talks. » Read more

Palestinians not optimistic about peace with new Israeli unity cabinet ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 8, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, May 8 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian official on Tuesday said he has no big hope in reviving stalled peace talks with Israel after the latter's parties agreed to form a unity government. Considering the deal an Israeli internal affair, Nabil Shaath of the Palestinian mainstream Fatah party said this agreement " will bring nothing new to the Palestinian-Israeli relations as long as Benjamin Netanyahu's policies remain in place." » Read more

Israeli Court Rejects the Release of Hunger Strikers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - May 7, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals for the release of two Palestinian prisoners who have been on a » Read more

Top Palestinian negotiator suffers heart attack ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press May 8, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — A senior medical official says a top Palestinian peace negotiator has been hospitalized after suffering a heart attack. Dr. Ahmed Bitwai, head of Ramallah hospital in the West Bank, says Saeb Erekat had a "sharp" attack early on Tuesday and was taken to the hospital for a heart catheterization. He says the 57-year-old Erekat will remain in hospital for three days for supervision. Erekat has been a leading negotiator with Israel in talks over Palestinian independence during the past two decades. » Read more

Israeli Supreme Court orders outpost demolished ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press May 7, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel's Supreme Court has set a new deadline for the demolition of an unauthorized Jewish outpost in the West Bank. The court on Monday ruled that the Ulpana outpost must be dismantled by July 1. A May 1 deadline for its removal was postponed so that the court could hear an appeal by the government, which asked for a 90-day delay. About 30 Jewish families live in Ulpana. The court has ruled that the outpost was illegally built on private Palestinian land. » Read more

Israel raids office of Palestinian anti-settlement organization ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 8, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces on Tuesday seized computers and cameras from the office of a Palestinian organization that organizes public activities against Jewish settlement activities, Palestinian witnesses said. The soldiers smashed the doors of the Public Campaign against Settlements and Wall's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, seized the equipment and left. The incident took place before the workday started. » Read more

EU: Israel must allow medical, family visits to hunger-strikers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 8, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The European Union offices in the Palestinian territory on Tuesday expressed concern about the deteriorating health condition of Palestinian prisoners on hunger-strike for over two months. Israel's Supreme Court on Monday rejected the appeals of administrative detainees Bilal Diab, 27, from Jenin, and Thaer Halahla, 33, from Hebron -- who have refused food since Feb. 29. » Read more

Abbas, Fayyad agree on new PA cabinet ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - May 7, 2012 - 12:00am A new Palestinian Authority cabinet is expected to be announced within the next 48 hours, sources in Ramallah said Monday evening. They said that the new cabinet will be headed by current Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The sources said that Nabil Qassis, the former president of Bir Zeit University in the West Bank, will replace Fayyad as finance minister. The new cabinet will be formed in accordance with an agreement recently reached between Fayyad and PA President Mahmoud Abbas. » Read more

We Need to Talk ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) May 7, 2012 - 12:00am It's a simple dictum, but one that many still have trouble accepting: Israelis and Palestinians have to talk to each other if they're going to get anywhere. » Read more

Mofaz-Netanyahu cabinet may pave the way for an Israeli strike on Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amir Oren - May 8, 2012 - 12:00am A "prime ministers' forum" was held as part of the unity government of 1984-1990: Shimon Peres, first as prime minister, later as vice-prime minister and foreign (or finance minister); Yitzhak Shamir, first as former and future prime minister and then as incumbent; and Yitzhak Rabin, as former prime minister and incumbent defense minister. » Read more

Netanyahu's next Israel: Bad for the Right, good for the Jews ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - (Opinion) May 8, 2012 - 12:00am Israelis don't change, unless someone or something creeps up on them from a direction they never look, and slips the comfort zone rug out from under them. The rug may be frayed to the floor, faintly gummy to the touch, it may be mined with thorns and shards of shattered glass. But they'll hang onto it for what passes for dear life. Unless … » Read more

Iron Dome: Israeli necessity, American priority, strategic imperative ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Howard Berman - (Opinion) May 8, 2012 - 12:00am For years, Sderot was a city under siege, the target of non-stop rocket attacks launched by Palestinian terrorists from Gaza. School was halted, synagogues were silenced and in a community defined by courage, the fragments of rockets and mortars – the vehicles of attempted murder aimed at innocent Israelis – were plain for all to see. Sderot became a living museum of terror. » Read more

It’s time for civil disobedience ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Meir Margalit - (Opinion) May 8, 2012 - 12:00am I was questioned under caution! Not in a gloomy cellar, without blinding projectors like in the movies, and without Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) interrogators who shouted and caressed alternately. The questioning was conducted by officials from the Interior Ministry’s Construction Inspection Unit in Jerusalem. The suspicion – “illegal construction” that I allegedly carried out in east Jerusalem, and on more than one occasion. » Read more

Not social justice, peace! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) May 7, 2012 - 12:00am Everyone is in agreement; this election season will be about social justice. Shaul Mofaz has suddenly discovered the economy and wants to be the hero of the under classes in Israel. Shelly Yacimovich had propelled into the public eye and has doubled the support for the Labor Party by being the champion of the working class. Yair Lapid wants to parade in front of the middle class camp. Shas always claims to represent the Israeli poor. Binyamin Netanyahu wants to convince us how much better off we are economically now than three years ago with him at the helm. » Read more

Netanyahu's power play pays off ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Jonathan Marcus - (Opinion) May 8, 2012 - 12:00am Having created one surprise in pushing for an early general election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now delivered an even greater bomb-shell. The plan for early elections has been abandoned. Instead a new broadly-based governing coalition has been called into existence with the opposition centre-right Kadima party of Shaul Mofaz joining the government. Many of Kadima's members of parliament were facing defeat in any early general election: they will breathe a great sigh of relief. » Read more

Moderate middle must be heard on Israel debate ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Peter Joseph - (Opinion) May 7, 2012 - 12:00am NEW YORK (JTA) -- The intellectual food fight over Israel that has played out over the Op-Ed pages of virtually all Jewish and many mainstream newspapers in recent weeks may have settled down, but the passion of the discussion has made one thing very clear: The boundaries dividing American Jewish opinion on Israel, and its policies regarding Palestinians, have become as contentious as the borders between Israel and the West Bank. » Read more

Plan B needed to halt Palestinian suffering ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Khalef Al Habtoor - (Opinion) May 8, 2012 - 12:00am There is no cause dearer to my heart than that of the Palestinians and it saddens me that international efforts towards a Palestinian state are on the backburner. Since the 1980s when I got together with Emirati friends to form associations committed to supporting the Palestinians, their right of return is less viable now than it was then. Unfortunately, the idea of a Palestinian state is at the point of being shelved as a mythical Shangri-La unless we take advantage of space in a closing window. » Read more

Israel Does Have a Partner At the Negotiating Table ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'ariv by Nati Sharoni - (Opinion) May 2, 2012 - 12:00am This is the first time that former chiefs of Israeli security Meir Dagan of the Mossad and Yuval Diskin of the General Security Services (GSS or Shin Bet) have issued such a scathing warning about flawed analyses of major security risks. This is also the first time that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have been accused of "messianic impulses" and of portraying a false picture of the situation. » Read more

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