December 9th

UNESCO to raise Palestinian flag ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 9, 2011 - 1:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- UNESCO will raise the Palestinian flag at its Paris headquarters on Tuesday to mark the admission of Palestine as a full member, a press statement said on Wednesday. President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad Malki will preside over the ceremony with UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, it said. UNESCO voted to admit Palestine as a member on Oct. 31. which triggered a funding cut by the United States, the largest contributor to the UN cultural agency. » Read more

Peter Beinart Is Right—or, a One-State Solution Is Inevitable if Settlements Continue ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg - (Opinion) December 9, 2011 - 1:00am A number of Goldblog readers have forwarded me this video of Peter Beinart speaking at the recent General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. These readers are critical of Peter's assertion that Israel is, in essence, forcing a one-state solution on itself by continuing the occupation and settlement of the West Bank. I watched the video, and, alas, I don't find much to dispute with what Peter says. This isn't the easiest thing for me to acknowledge; I disagree with much of Peter's Middle East political analysis, and I disagree with many of his peacemaking suggestions. » Read more

Israel mortified over Lieberman's latest gaffe ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 9, 2011 - 1:00am JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israeli officials were squirming in embarrassment on Friday over remarks by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman after he described Russia's contested parliamentary elections as "free and democratic." Lieberman's comments, which were reported by Russian news agency Itar-Tass, come as Moscow struggles with a wave of protests over allegations of vote rigging in Sunday's elections. Top world diplomats have also expressed grave concerns over the outcome of the vote, which observers say was marred by widespread irregularities. » Read more

Israel deputy FM: UNRWA 'morally, politically unacceptable' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 9, 2011 - 1:00am TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Israel's deputy foreign minister accused the UN agency for Palestinian refugees of perpetuating Palestine's conflict with Israel, in a speech at the UN refugee headquarters in Geneva on Thursday, Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post reported. Calling UNRWA "morally and politically unacceptable," Danny Ayalon said the UN applied double standards by not resettling Palestinian refugees through its central body for refugees, UNCHR, and creating the separate Palestinian refugee agency. » Read more

Israel’s farewell to the West ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Carlo Strenger - (Opinion) December 9, 2011 - 1:00am A few weeks ago a little noted event occurred. Germany has six political foundations funded by the German foreign ministry. They are identified with all major German parties, including, of course, the CDU, Angela Merkel’s party, that is right of center. » Read more

Signs of Israel's changing neighborhood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Saleh Abdel Jawad - (Opinion) December 8, 2011 - 1:00am Some saw as surprising Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman's remarks before the Knesset Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security in which he said that Jordan is a sovereign and independent country, and that talk about it being a substitute for Palestine was negative and destabilizing. Lieberman belongs to an ideological camp within the Israeli right that is opposed to Palestinian statehood in the West Bank and Gaza. » Read more

Jerusalem orders ramp to Temple Mount and Al Aqsa Mosque closed ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Batsheva Sobelman - December 8, 2011 - 1:00am REPORTING FROM JERUSALEM -- Jerusalem officials have ordered a ramp leading from the Western Wall plaza up to Temple Mount and Al Aqsa mosque closed immediately, a controversial move in an area of competing religious and political claims. The Mughrabi Ramp, which is used mostly by tourists and Israeli security personnel, is a temporary structure built after the previous bridge partially collapsed during the stormy winter of 2004. » Read more

Gutman in Trouble for Diagnosing Disease ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by J.J. Goldberg - (Opinion) December 8, 2011 - 1:00am I think it’s time we faced up to the hard truth about Louis Pasteur. The famed 19th century French scientist was a rank bigot. He’s been getting a free ride for too long, and it’s got to stop. » Read more

In Plain Language: Halachic terrorism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Stewart Weiss - (Opinion) December 9, 2011 - 1:00am Halachic terrorists harm three different groups: Their victims, the haredi community, and the Jewish People and the Jewish state in general. » Read more

Nationalism is isolating Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) December 9, 2011 - 1:00am The growing nationalist and religious extremism in Israel is not just a domestic problem. Over the last week, it has become clear that the efforts of the Netanyahu-Lieberman coalition to suppress freedom of expression, left-wing organizations and the Arab community, combined with growing religious coercion in the public arena and the Israel Defense Forces, are also endangering Israel's relations with its supporters in the West, and especially the American political establishment and Jewish community. » Read more