April 8th

Genie out of the bottle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) April 8, 2010 - 12:00am The taboo was finally broken and the genie is out of the bottle, despite some attempts to force it back. America's military leaders have had enough and decided to speak out about the liability that a hardline Israel causes to America's national interest. Popular American General David Petraeus finally said the words that many have been saying behind closed doors for decades. The statement of the star-studded general puts American blind support for Israel in direct opposition to the country's most sacred institution, the military. » Read more

Al Arifi and the Visit to Jerusalem! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) April 7, 2010 - 12:00am It’s not the controversy surrounding the announcement made by the Saudi preacher Dr. Mohammed al Arifi to visit Jerusalem to film an episode of his weekly program there that bothers me. Rather, what worries me is the following question to al Arifi, his supporters and others; what about the Arab journalists who want to cover the Sheikh’s visit and the moment he enters Israel? Will they be held accountable for normalizing [ties] with the enemy or not? Will the [news] agencies and the press of slogans launch attacks against the journalists? » Read more

Statehood bid forces Israel to pay attention ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) April 7, 2010 - 12:00am There are several sure-fire ways for Palestinians to get Israel’s attention to their grievances. One is to carry out military attacks, including suicide bombings. Another is to threaten to abolish the Palestinian Authority, saying in effect to Israel: “You want to collect our garbage and clean our streets? Go ahead.” It’s a third way, however, that has succeeded in really getting under Israel’s skin recently. By again floating the idea of unilaterally declaring an independent state, Palestinian officials have sent their Israeli counterparts into convulsions. » Read more

The real moral of the Anat Kam story ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Daniella Peled - (Opinion) April 8, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli reporter Anat Kam – whose long period of house arrest has been subject to a stringent gagging order that has been lifted only today – was not arrested for doing her job as a journalist. She was arrested for stealing and passing on classified military documents. Not that that makes her case any less unjust. » Read more

Rattling The Cage: Nyetanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Larry Derfner - (Opinion) April 8, 2010 - 12:00am Which way will Bibi go? This seems to be the big question – whether Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will bow to American pressure, exchange his right-wing/religious government for a “peace coalition” and start taking down the occupation, or whether he will dig in. I don’t think there’s any doubt about it – he’s going to dig in. This is not the prime minister who’s going to divide the land with the Palestinians. » Read more

Golan, not Jerusalem, is key to Mideast peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ari Shavit - (Analysis) April 8, 2010 - 12:00am The solution to the Jerusalem problem is widely known: The Jewish neighborhoods stay in Israel, the Arab ones are given to Palestine and the Holy Basin becomes part of a special regime. The solution to the refugee problem is also commonly known: Palestinians' right of return will apply to the territory of the Palestinian state, while such claims will not apply to the territory of the Jewish state. Just as well known is the solution to the settlement problem: Territory swaps and annexing large settlement blocs to Israel, and the eviction of isolated settlements. » Read more

What would happen if Israel stopped fighting the world? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) April 8, 2010 - 12:00am So where did you spend Passover? Tens of thousands of Israelis were in Sinai. They ignored the Counter-Terrorism Bureau's warning, yet returned home safe and sound. Other Israelis - wait until you hear this - visited Cairo. I repeat: Cairo! They too returned tired but happy. They too did not heed the warnings. Haaretz's foreign news editor, for example, went to Egypt with his wife and four small children for the holiday. He identified himself as an Israeli everywhere he went, and believe it or not, was made to feel welcome. » Read more

Berkeley's Israel boycott: The occupation's new friend ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - (Opinion) April 8, 2010 - 12:00am If I were a person who wanted to see the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land continue for as long as possible, I would be beside myself with relish at the thought of the current Boycott,Divestment,Sanctions (BDS) campaign at the school I love, the University of California, Berkeley. A word of background. At the time when I was an undergraduate at Berkeley, to talk with Palestinian peace activists and to back a two-state solution was to risk arrest in Israel. » Read more

Israel main threat to Mid-East peace: Turkish PM ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 7, 2010 - 12:00am Israel was the main threat to peace in the Middle East, the visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said here on Wednesday before meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "Israel represents now the main threat to regional peace," Erdogan said before his around an-hour meeting with Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace, local media reported. "If a country makes use of disproportionate force in Palestine and use phosphorous bombs in Gaza ... We demand that how can it do that," the Turkish Prime Minister was quoted by local media. » Read more

Israel lifts gag order on ex-soldier spy case ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Aron Heller - April 8, 2010 - 12:00am Israel lifted months of censorship on a military espionage case Thursday, confirming the house arrest of a former female soldier charged with leaking more than 2,000 military documents to a newspaper. Anat Kamm, 23, has been under house arrest since December, but the case was kept under wraps by a court-imposed gag order. The restrictions were eased Thursday after details of the case were reported by foreign media, including The Associated Press. » Read more