December 13th

Israeli plan to move West Bank Bedouin stirs controversy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Joel Greenberg - December 12, 2011 - 1:00am

A plan by the Israeli authorities to relocate about 2,000 Palestinian Bedouins living in the desert hills east of Jerusalem is raising concerns among U.N. officials and human rights advocates about Israel’s aims in a strategic area of the West Bank. The hills are dotted with more than 20 encampments of Bedouins, formerly nomadic goat and sheep herders who migrated from Israel’s southern Negev region in the early 1950s to the West Bank. Their hamlets, consisting of groups of corrugated metal and wooden shacks covered with plastic sheeting, are visible from roads crisscrossing the area.

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Israeli plan to move West Bank Bedouin stirs controversy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Joel Greenberg - December 12, 2011 - 1:00am

A plan by the Israeli authorities to relocate about 2,000 Palestinian Bedouins living in the desert hills east of Jerusalem is raising concerns among U.N. officials and human rights advocates about Israel’s aims in a strategic area of the West Bank. The hills are dotted with more than 20 encampments of Bedouins, formerly nomadic goat and sheep herders who migrated from Israel’s southern Negev region in the early 1950s to the West Bank. Their hamlets, consisting of groups of corrugated metal and wooden shacks covered with plastic sheeting, are visible from roads crisscrossing the area.

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December 12th

Gingrich calls Palestinians an ‘invented’ people
Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Washington Post - December 12, 2011 - 1:00am

Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich said in a cable TV interview that Palestinians are an “invented” people with no apparent right to their own state, a rejection of a decade of bipartisan U.S. foreign policy. In the interview, which was taped Wednesday in Washington and will be broadcast Monday on The Jewish Channel, Gingrich spoke about his mistrust of Palestinian leaders, his admiration for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his view that the Obama administration is “favoring the terrorists” with its foreign policy.

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Gingrich: Palestinians 'invented,' promises Netanyahu-style foreign policy
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In Politico - December 12, 2011 - 1:00am

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich dismissed the Palestinian bid for statehood as the effort of an "invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, and were historically part of the Arab community." Gingrich also said the Palestinian Authority, which has typically represented the moderate wing of Palestinian leadership and formally accepts Israel's right to exist, is motivated by "an enormous desire to destroy Israel."

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NEWS: GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich claims Palestinians are “an invented people.” A Palestinian protester is killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, and an Israeli military spokesman appears to mock his death. A new Israeli ambassador is set to arrive in Egypt. Israel approves 40 new settlement housing units in occupied East Jerusalem. Some Israelis are not pleased about competition among Republican candidates to outbid each other on the issue. Settlers attack a village near Nablus. Hamas says it's moderating its social conservatism in response to the "Arab Spring." Deputy FM Ayalon launches a new YouTube video attacking Palestinian refugee rights. COMMENTARY: Sen. Carl Levin denounces Gingrich's anti-Palestinian comments. Michael Kinsley says the Palestinians' next "invention" will be their own state. David Remnick says Gingrich's comments are reminiscent of Joan Peters' notorious hoax “From Time Immemorial.” Ha'aretz says Israel holds Palestinian lives cheaply. Gideon Levy says the occupation inevitably leads to innocent deaths. Sami Michael says Israel is in danger of becoming an oppressive theocracy, and Eric Alterman agrees. Saeb Erekat says Israel is facing a moment of truth in negotiations. Daniel Goldhagen says emerging Arab democracies should take their cue from Israel, not Turkey. Afshin Molavi says Gingrich doesn't understand how history works.

Hamas in Gaza says it's learning from Arab Spring
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - December 12, 2011 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Bans on women smoking water pipes in public and male coiffeurs styling women's hair are no longer being strictly enforced in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, apparent signs of greater tolerance as the Islamic militant group acknowledges mistakes in seeking to impose a religious lifestyle.

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Hundreds of settlers attack Nablus village
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
December 12, 2011 - 1:00am

Hundreds of settlers stormed the Nablus village of Asira al-Qibliya overnight Sunday, causing damage to Palestinian property. Witnesses told Ma'an that around midnight more than 200 settlers from the notorious Yitzhar settlement entered the village and threw rocks at Palestinian homes. Local resident Ibrahim Makhlouf said that the settlers smashed the windows of a bus and tried to set it on fire. “They were armed and wearing black uniform as if it was an organized militia,” he told Ma'an.

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Why Israelis may not be thrilled by sweet nothings from Gingrich, GOP
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - December 11, 2011 - 1:00am

Israelis have grown accustomed to being the object of affection by US politicians and a stop on the campaigns of aspiring candidates over the past decade. But the recent one-upmanship in the Republican primary on Israel has taken the debate into new territory. Newt Gingrich’s declaration that the Palestinians are an "invented" people potentially put him further to the right of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, whom Mitt Romney then name dropped in promising to stay on the same page with the government. An embarrassment of diplomatic riches for Israel? Not necessarily.

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Citing public safety, Israel orders closure of controversial walkway in Jerusalem’s Old City
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
December 12, 2011 - 1:00am

Israeli authorities have ordered the closure of a pedestrian walkway in Jerusalem’s Old City that has become a flashpoint for competing religious and political claims. Jerusalem municipality spokesman Stephan Miller said Monday the temporary ramp is dangerous and the city engineer ordered it closed. The walkway leads up to the sacred enclosure known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. It is used by Jews and tourists, while Muslims use other entrances.

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A dangerous ignorance leads US Republican politics astray
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Afshin Molavi - (Opinion) December 12, 2011 - 1:00am

The half-educated man is dangerous because, as the adage goes: "Knowing a few things, he thinks he knows everything." There is bizarrely something of the half-educated man in the Republican presidential candidate and front-runner Newt Gingrich. A PhD "historian", Mr Gingrich certainly "knows" a few things. In fact, he has impressed audiences in debates with sweeping historical references and a seemingly assured command of policy details. This has partly contributed to the Gingrich surge, catapulting him into first place in many Republican polls.

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