October 11th, 2011

Why Cutting U.S. Aid to Abbas Could Hurt Israel More Than it Hurts Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Time by Tony Karon - (Opinion) October 11, 2011 - 12:00am "This is going to hurt me a lot more than it's going to hurt you" may be a cliche once tossed out by parents about to spank their children, but it could well prove to be the case if Congress proceeds with plans to punish the Palestinians for seeking U.N. recognition by cutting off U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA). » Read more

Gaza represents the ultimate failure of politics ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by David Miliband - October 11, 2011 - 12:00am Government is all about statistics. But life is about people, and the disjunction between the two explains a lot about the cynicism and disaffection with politics. This is true for domestic policy, but also in international affairs, where the confusion and fatigue induced by distance is increased by the seemingly intractable nature of many of the problems. The people who suffer are those who most need the attention of the world. This is notably true of the 1.5 million people crowded into the Gaza Strip, locked between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean sea. » Read more

Encountering Peace: Confessions of a ‘yefeh nefesh’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) October 10, 2011 - 12:00am I admit it, I’m a yefeh nefesh or at least striving to be one, and I’m proud of it. That’s my confession from my Yom Kippur soul searching. An online dictionary definition of the term says: “(literary) sensitive, delicate, refined, noble, gentle soul; (critically) bleeding heart.” It’s the critical definition of “bleeding heart liberal” that is the accepted Israeli colloquial understanding and use of the term. One could easily add to this “leftist, radical leftist, Arab lover, self-hating Jew, post-Zionist and traitor.” » Read more

Israel must stamp out Jewish extremism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by David Newman - (Opinion) October 10, 2011 - 12:00am In his Yom Kippur sermon at Jerusalem’s Great Synagogue, former Israel chief rabbi (and current chief rabbi of Tel Aviv-Jaffa) Yisrael Meir Lau was very forthright in his condemnation of the recent “price tag” desecration of the mosque in Tuba Zanghariya. His comments were made before it became known that a Muslim cemetery in Jaffa, the area under his jurisdiction, had also been defaced, including such disgraceful graffiti on graves as “Death to Arabs.” » Read more

A burning house of God ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Edward Rettig, David Rosen - (Opinion) October 10, 2011 - 12:00am A burned house of worship, in this case a mosque in the Israeli Arab town of Tuba Zangaria, and a desecrated Arab cemetery in Jaffa, were together an ominous opening to the New Year. To be sure, the responses from the local authorities on up to the prime minister and president Israel have been exemplary. » Read more

Barak: 'Price tag' attackers operate almost like terrorists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post October 11, 2011 - 12:00am Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday that groups of settlers carrying out self-defined "price tag" attacks against Palestinians "operate almost like terrorist organizations." The attacks, carried out against Palestinians and private property, "embarrass the State of Israel," he said during a military tour. Barak also praised the West Bank settlement leadership for condemning the acts. Last week a mosque in the northern town of Tuba Zanghariya mosque was burned, causing significant damage. The attackers left the words "price tag" scrawled on nearby walls. » Read more

Netanyahu seeks to legalize outposts built on private Palestinian land ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - October 11, 2011 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman to set up a task force to explore ways to legalize houses in the settlements that were built on private Palestinian land. The instruction was issued under heavy pressure from settlers and others on the right in response to the state's decision to demolish several outposts built on private Palestinian land over the next half year. » Read more

UN rights chief urges Israel to 'protect Palestinian civilians' from settler attacks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Associated Press - October 11, 2011 - 12:00am The United Nations human rights office urged Israel on Tuesday to stop Israeli extremists from attacking Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva that Israel has a legal obligation "to protect Palestinian civilians and property in the occupied Palestinian territory." Colville said that the wave of attacks occurring since September must be properly investigated and victims compensated, adding that they were "emblematic of the phenomenon of settler violence throughout the West Bank." » Read more

Hamas: Foreigners must apply for Gaza visas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Ibrahim Barzak - October 10, 2011 - 12:00am Gaza's Hamas rulers have imposed new entry restrictions requiring most foreigners to obtain a visa to enter the coastal territory, a move that could restrict the work of some international aid organizations. Foreigners — mostly aid workers and pro-Palestinian activists — will now have to apply online or through a local sponsor a week in advance to obtain a monthlong visa, according to information posted on the Hamas Interior Ministry website late Sunday. Information posted on the Hamas website said the new procedures would take effect on Tuesday. » Read more

Palestine ready to negotiate with Israel: Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua October 11, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that he was ready to start negotiations with Israel to reach peace in the Middle East. "We are going to finish the wars, and Israel is going to live in peace not only with us but also with all the Islamic countries," Abbas told the press. Abbas said relations with Colombia would continue to be friendly although Bogota kept its decision to reject Palestine's statehood bid in the upcoming vote at the UN Security Council. » Read more