March 29th

J Street Swims Upstream in Election Year
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - March 28, 2012 - 12:00am

Washington — In this election year, even liberal Democrats are seeking to protect their flanks by touting hawkish credentials on Israel. For J Street, the dovish pro-Israel lobby whose annual Washington conference wrapped up recently, that makes 2012 a year for swimming upstream. The group is targeting its message where it believes it will have the most impact: Jewish Democrats who support President Obama.

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Palestine Exchange to List Its Own Shares
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by David Rosenberg - March 28, 2012 - 12:00am

The Palestine Exchange (PEX), which makes a market for shares in 46 local companies with a combined market capitalization of $2.9 billion, is on its way to becoming a publicly traded stock itself. Shares in the PEX will begin trading on the Ramallah-based exchange April 4, the 15th anniversary of its founding, after Palestine Development & Investment Company, PEX’s biggest shareholder, has sold the first of a planned two million shares. When all the shares are sold, a process that could take up to a year, the public will hold about 20% of the exchange.

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Journalists urged to boycott PA press freedom award
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 29, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority has launched a prize to recognize exemplary reporting, but Palestinian journalists are calling for a boycott in protest of the government's treatment of the media. The prime minister in Ramallah, Salam Fayyad, unveiled the prize Tuesday and invited journalists to submit work on all platforms during the first half of April. The winner is to be announced in May.

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Ramallah court extends arrest of Palestinian reporter
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 29, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian court has extended the remand of a journalist arrested Monday over allegations of slander and defamation, officials in Ramallah said Wednesday. The Palestinian Authority will continue to hold Yousef al-Shayeb, who was arrested Monday, for another 15 days, the court ruled. He has not yet been charged with a crime.

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Abbas: 'Unity is frozen'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 29, 2012 - 12:00am

BAGHDAD (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that the reconciliation deal between his Fatah party and Hamas has broken down. "Unity is frozen," said Abbas, who is in Baghdad to attend the Arab League summit. The president said he had agreed "on many points" with Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal during their meeting in Qatar in February. "We agreed on the vision and objectives and conditions in full," Abbas said. "I confirm that Mashaal was honest and we were ready (to proceed)." But some Hamas leaders rejected the agreements reached in Doha, the president said.

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Kadima Party in Israel Replaces Livni as Leader
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - March 27, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — Tzipi Livni, who not long ago was a popular and leading force in Israeli politics, lost the leadership of her centrist Kadima Party on Tuesday by a large margin to an archrival, according to results of the primary election.

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March 28th

Bret Stephens' Crisis of Empathy
In Print by Hussein Ibish - The Daily Beast - March 27, 2012 - 12:00am

Sometimes crude binaries can be instructive, and it's possible to distinguish two different types of people: those who seek out generous and universalist empathy with others, and those who prefer the warm cocoon of tribal solidarity.

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NEWS: At an ATFP/Carnegie event in Washington, a panel of experts warns the international community must act quickly to avert a "crisis" in Palestine. PM Netanyahu and DM Barak unite on the issue of Iran. Mofaz defeats Livni in the Kadima leadership contest. Israel may allow absentee ballots for citizens living abroad. Two 'infiltrators" are killed near Egypt's border with Israel. The Palestinian Constitutional Court refuses to rule on whether the president may also serve as the PM. The PA and Egypt sign a gas deal to end the Gaza energy crisis. Pro-Palestinian activists prepare for Land Day events, but organizers fear violence. Palestinians in Jerusalem describe being attacked by masses of Israeli football hooligans. A Brooklyn food co-op has decided not to boycott Israeli products. The PA extends the detention of a Palestinian journalist. Palestinian entrepreneurs are trying to move into the high-tech field. COMMENTARY: The New York Times says the Israeli government must obey a court ruling on evacuating the largest “unauthorized” settlement outpost. Salman Masalha says Israel's occupation is playing into the hands of regional demagogues like Iran. Bradley Burston says Israelis will have to consider the possibility of a bi-ethnic, but not unitary single, state. The Jerusalem Post says Land Day this year could be violent. Jane Eisner says Peter Beinart's idea for a pro-Israel settlement goods boycott is unworkable. Philologos says Israel's national anthem should be rewritten to include Arab aspirations. Bilal Hassan says Israel is comfortable with the status quo. Gershon Baskin says Netanyahu is the man who can make peace with the Palestinians. Samir Abdullah outlines the consequences of a collapse of the PA. Hussein Ibish says Bret Stephens has shown a total inability and unwillingness to empathize with Palestinians.

Brooklyn Food Co-op Voted Against Boycott of Israeli Products
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Associated Press - March 28, 2012 - 12:00am

A New York food co-op, servicing thousands of Brooklyn residents of varying ethnicities and backgrounds, voted against a proposed boycott of Israeli goods and produce on Tuesday night. With upwards of 15,000 members, of various ethnic and religious backgrounds, including many Jews, the Park Slope Food Co-op, established in 1973, has become a meeting point of sorts for Jews of different backgrounds and religious denominations. The idea of an ideological boycott was not new to the co-op, as a general boycott of South African goods and products was held during the 1970's.

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PA extends remand of detained journalist
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
March 28, 2012 - 12:00am

A Palestinian Authority court on Wednesday extended the remand of Palestinian journalist Yousef al-Shayeb, who was detained after writing an article about corruption in the Palestinian diplomatic mission in France, official PA news agency WAFA reported. Shayeb, who works as a correspondent for the Jordanian daily Al-Ghad, was originally detained following a complaint by the head of the diplomatic mission, Hayel Fahoum and his wife and deputy. The PA Foreign Ministry had also filed a complaint against Shayeb.

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