January 28th

Badge of terror ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) January 28, 2010 - 1:00am There is no way to describe the West Bank settlers' attack on the Palestinian village of Bitilu but as a well-planned terror attack. The settlers' "military" organization and violent resistance to the cabinet decision to destroy the illegal outpost of Givat Menachem, as described by Chaim Levinson in Haaretz yesterday, are no different from the activities of other terrorist organizations. » Read more

Holocaust remembrance is a boon for Israeli propaganda ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) January 28, 2010 - 1:00am Israel's bigwigs attacked at dawn on a wide front. The president in Germany, the prime minister with a giant entourage in Poland, the foreign minister in Hungary, his deputy in Slovakia, the culture minister in France, the information minister at the United Nations, and even the Likud party's Druze Knesset member, Ayoob Kara, in Italy. They were all out there to make florid speeches about the Holocaust. » Read more

Abbas: Palestinians will accept only Jerusalem as our capital ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz January 28, 2010 - 1:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared on Thursday that Palestinians would not accept any alternative to Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, despite other proposals. Abbas told Russian television that Jerusalem should not be divided and that there should be free passage for people of various faiths. The Palestinian leader added it must be made clear what belongs to the Palestinians and what belongs to Israel. » Read more

Arab MK slams Holocaust denial, wins praise from Jewish colleagues ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis - January 27, 2010 - 1:00am Israeli Arab MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List - Ta'al), one of the most vocal critics of government policy in the Palestinian territories, evoked praise from his fellow lawmakers after delivering what Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin called "one of the best speeches he has ever heard in the plenum" about the Holocaust. » Read more

Israel names new chief military rabbi ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ben Hubbard - January 27, 2010 - 1:00am Israel on Wednesday appointed a new chief military rabbi to replace a polarizing figure critics say injected a militant mix of religion and nationalism into the secular institution. The new cleric is seen as more moderate than his predecessor, but he's clearly no liberal. Lt. Col. Rafi Peretz is a former Jewish settler in the Gaza Strip and opposed Israel's 2005 withdrawal from the territory. » Read more

Netanyahu sees Israel image boost in Haiti relief ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Jeffrey Heller - January 28, 2010 - 1:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday an Israeli army field hospital that treated earthquake victims in Haiti had given Israel an image boost, after allegations of war crimes in the Gaza conflict. "Especially at a time when there are those plotting against us, distorting facts and slandering us, you showed the real face of the Israel Defence Forces," Netanyahu said at an airport ceremony welcoming home the military medical team. » Read more

Hamas clears itself of UN Gaza war crimes charges ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) January 27, 2010 - 1:00am The Islamist Hamas movement said Wednesday it has investigated allegations in a UN report into last winter's Gaza war and absolved Palestinian armed groups of any atrocities. The UN Human Rights Council report authored by the respected former international prosecutor Richard Goldstone accused both Israel and Palestinian groups of war crimes during the devastating 22-day conflict. » Read more

Palestine must be a secular state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) January 27, 2010 - 1:00am As Palestinians press the international community to live up to its commitment to ensuring the establishment of an independent Palestine alongside Israel, conversation is intensifying about the character of this new state. In their own interests, Palestinians should buck the regional trend towards religious politics and ensure, from the outset, that it is firmly and irrevocably a secular state. » Read more

January 27th

PA cabinet expresses 'regret' for not holding elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 27, 2010 - 1:00am During its weekly cabinet meeting, chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad held on Monday, members said that elections could be held in June, if the Egyptian document is signed immediately. Cabinet members expressed regret for not holding presidential and legislative elections on the constitutionally set date. Members called for a swift national reconciliation that would allow for elections to be conducted, in accordance with the constitution as well as the Egyptian proposal, considering it the guarantee for protecting the Palestinian democratic system and national achievements. » Read more

It's only human to rage at Israeli crimes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star (Editorial) January 27, 2010 - 1:00am The upcoming trip by an Israeli-Arab member of the Knesset to Auschwitz is the latest chapter in the saga of seeing accusations of anti-Semitism used to smear the Arab and Muslim world. Mohammad Barakeh of the influential party Hadash will make the trek as part of an Israeli parliamentary delegation, which has predictably angered hardline Zionists who reject the idea of an Arab being allowed to participate in an official ceremony at a place with such symbolic meaning for Jews. » Read more