Middle East News: World Press Roundup

NOTE: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, ATFP's World News Round-Up will resume service on Monday, Nov. 26. NEWS: Several Israelis are wounded in a bus bombing in Tel Aviv. Gaza continues to come under heavy Israeli bombardment. The US steps up efforts to help mediate a cease-fire, which is proving elusive. Haaretz details its account of Tuesday's negotiations. UNSG Ban calls for an end to the violence. Israeli airstrikes kill three Palestinian journalists, and attack international media centers. The conflict may be returning the Palestinian issue to center stage in the Middle East. Palestinian mourners clash with Israeli forces during several protests in the occupied West Bank. The PA appears sidelined by the conflict. PM Erdogan accuses Israel of "ethnic cleansing." A major challenge facing Hamas in a truce would be convincing or coercing smaller groups to cooperate. A 15-year-old Egyptian cyber activist helps Gaza residents prepare for a possible Internet shutdown. COMMENTARY: Israeli Amb. Oren explains his country's policies towards Gaza as self-defense but Seumas Milne says Palestinians are the ones who have a right to defend themselves. David Makovsky says Egypt has a crucial role to play in forging a truce. Lara Friedman highlights the American role. David Ignatius says conflict is only inevitable if peace is ignored. The Washington Post says the conflict highlights the importance of American engagement. Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff say neither Israel nor Hamas think a truce would last indefinitely. Nahum Barnea says although Israel has achieved its goal, its government is looking to convey a sense of "victory." Leonard Fein says Israel and the Palestinians seem trapped in an endless cycle of violence. Tariq Alhomayed says the conflict has restored Khalid Mishal's role as Hamas' leader and regional figure. Rami Khouri says if it's just a temporary fix, a cease-fire will be futile. Alsir Sidahmed says Israel's goals in the operation go far beyond Gaza. Bassem Sabry says Egypt is trying to forge a new role for itself through the cease-fire negotiations. Brent Sasley says Israel has an interest in Palestinian national reconciliation. Hussein Ibish, looking mainly at Israeli examples, says demonization doesn't justify violence, and David Pollock looks at similar coverage in Palestinian media.

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Amid Gaza diplomacy, bomb blasts Tel Aviv bus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press (Analysis) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   A bomb exploded aboard an Israeli bus near the nation's military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, wounding 27 people, delivering a major blow to diplomatic efforts to forge a truce to end a week of fighting between Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers. Thousands of Palestinians fled their homes in Gaza fearing Israeli airstrikes. » Read more

Missile’s Firing, Bomb Blasts and Sirens Shatter Gaza Calm ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Jodi Rudoren - (Analysis) November 20, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

Cease-Fire Deal Elusive in Gaza Conflict as U.S. Widens Its Role ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - (Analysis) November 20, 2012 - 1:00am To a backdrop of airstrikes and mounting casualties, American efforts to negotiate a cease-fire in the latest Gaza » Read more

As Israel and Hamas grapple with cease-fire, Barak and Netanyahu disagree on terms ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - (Analysis) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   Following a day of intense diplomatic efforts, and grueling negotiations in Cairo, a statement on a cease-fire in Gaza, due to come into effect midnight Tuesday, was postponed in the last minute. Egyptian officials and senior Hamas operatives indicated that an Israeli request was the reason for the delay, and that talks would resume on Wednesday morning. » Read more

UN Chief in Mideast: "Stop the Violence" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press November 21, 2012 - 1:00am UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza. Ban met with leaders in the Mideast Wednesday. (video)

Israeli airstrikes kill 3 Palestinian journalists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ibrahim Barzak - (Analysis) November 20, 2012 - 1:00am     » Read more

Israel's aggression on Gaza brings Palestinian cause back to top of Arab agenda ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua (Analysis) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

Clashes across West Bank as 2 protesters buried ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Analysis) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am Mourners clashed with Israeli troops at two funerals on Tuesday as Palestinians across the West Bank continued to protest Israeli attacks on Gaza. » Read more

Palestinian Authority sidelined in Hamas-Israel conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Maher Abukhater - (Analysis) November 20, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

Erdogan accuses Israel of 'ethnic cleansing' in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews (Analysis) November 20, 2012 - 1:00am Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing" in Gaza.   "Israel is committing ethnic cleansing by ignoring peace in this region and violating international law," » Read more

Hamas must make peace with Gaza militants to make truce work with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - (Analysis) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   A lasting truce between Hamas and Israel hinges in part on the network of smaller armed Islamist groups in Gaza, say analysts. » Read more

15-Year-Old Egyptian Cyber Activist Takes on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Eli Lake - (Analysis) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am Last week, when the Israel Defense Forces threatened to pull the switch on the Internet in Gaza, Nour Haridy wanted a backup plan. So the 15-year-old high-school student from Cairo went on Twitter and asked in Arabic and English for help on how Gazans could get back online in the event of a shutoff. » Read more

Hamas Left Israel No Choice but to Strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Michael B. Oren - (Opinion) November 20, 2012 - 1:00am   CRITICS of Israel’s campaign to defend millions of its citizens from deadly Hamas rocket fire claim that it lacks a clear objective. Israel has bombed Gaza in the past, they argue, and received only rockets in return. Is there any logic, much less an end, to the cycle of violence? Can it lead to negotiations and peace? » Read more

It's Palestinians who have the right to defend themselves ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Seumas Milne - (Opinion) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

Cairo’s Crucial Role ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by David Makovsky - (Opinion) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton begins her Middle East visit today, she will undoubtedly discover that cease-fires do not come in only one shape or size. » Read more

Only the U.S. Can Broker Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Lara Friedman - (Opinion) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

The never-ending war in the Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by David Ignatius - (Opinion) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

Israel-Hamas fight highlights role for U.S. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post (Editorial) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

Neither Israel nor Hamas thinks a truce would last forever ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel - (Opinion) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   Negotiations lasted into the night, but the cease-fire was elusive. Under mounting international pressure, Israel and Hamas agreed to stop fighting in principle but continued to argue over the details. » Read more

The way out is the hardest ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Nahum Barnea - (Opinion) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am Of all the merits of the Iron Dome system, my favorite is its ability to distinguish between a malignant missile and a benign missile, between a dangerous enemy and an insignificant enemy, between the wheat and the chaff. » Read more

Israel and Gaza Trapped in Tragic Tape Loop ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Forward by Leonard Fein - (Opinion) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   How much collateral damage is too much? » Read more

Now, Khalid Mishal is the leader ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   Why is everybody now seeking a truce or ceasefire in Gaza, particularly Israel and Hamas, as is evident from their statements, not to mention Egypt, of course? The answer is very simple, and becomes clearer day after day, namely that Israel has achieved its objectives, as has Hamas, whilst Egypt – which is in the eye of the storm – has other motives. » Read more

A Gaza cease-fire: historic or futile? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

Netanyahu’s game plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Opinion) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am The Israeli attack on Gaza seems to be more of an attempt to draw lines and affect the emerging Middle East following the Arab Spring than just retaliating against Hamas.In fact, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to engage into a bigger military operation could be seen as sending a message to the newly re-elected President Barak Obama, a test to Egypt’s President Muhammad Mursi and the emerging Islamist forces in the region and on the top of that to ser » Read more

The New Egypt Confronts An Old Crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor (Opinion) November 20, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

Unite, Don’t Divide, The Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Brent Sasley - (Opinion) November 20, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

Demonization Is No Excuse ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) November 21, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

Palestinian Media on Gaza: Contrasting the PA and Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (Opinion) November 20, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

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