February 24th

Unfairly throwing the book at the 'Irvine 11' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Mark Levine - (Opinion) February 22, 2010 - 1:00am The 11 students who each briefly disrupted Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren's speech last week at UC Irvine have no 1st Amendment protection for their actions and deserve to be punished, writes my colleague, law school Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, in his Feb. 17 Times Op-Ed article. Reading Chemerinsky's piece, you'd think a group of hysterically angry Muslim men prevented Oren from speaking at all. But the situation, as a look at a video recording of the event makes clear, was much more complicated. » Read more

Israel's 'miracle' anti-rocket defense plan raises anxieties ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - February 23, 2010 - 1:00am The rockets may not strike as often these days, but residents of this working-class town say they can't shake the anxiety that comes with living in Israel's most frequently bombed city. Pedestrians strolling downtown keep an eye out for the nearest concrete-reinforced bus-stop shelter in case public loudspeakers crackle with a 15-second warning to dive for cover. Many motorists forgo seat belts so they can ditch vehicles quickly. A playground is equipped with 5-foot-wide concrete pipes that are brightly painted to look like giant caterpillars but double as children's bomb shelters. » Read more

Declare a Palestinian State ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Jerome M. Segal - (Opinion) February 23, 2010 - 1:00am France’s foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, has alarmed the Israeli government with his recent statement that “one can envision the proclamation soon of a Palestinian state, and its immediate recognition by the international community, even before negotiating its borders.” » Read more

February 23rd

The Dubai killing and European tolerance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Michael Glackin - (Opinion) February 23, 2010 - 1:00am In diplomatic circles, Israel increasingly resembles a distant relative who drunkenly turns up at family functions, does something embarrassing, and leaves the rest of the family wringing its hands in bewilderment. Whether or not firm evidence emerges linking Mossad to the murder of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai on January 19 (and as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was at pains to point out last week, there is currently no proof of Israeli involvement), it is clear there are few better suspects if you follow the old adage of “Who benefits?” » Read more

Israel's arrogance has boomeranged ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Linda Heard - (Opinion) February 22, 2010 - 1:00am A British columnist writing in The Telegraph referred to it as “the Keystone Spooks”, while ordinary Israelis who, initially, were gleefully patting one another on the back aren’t grinning any longer. » Read more

Dubai and Hamas and the “Real Killer” ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) February 22, 2010 - 1:00am The assassination of Mahmoud al Mabhouh in Dubai has entered a new, dramatic chapter. After the Dubai Police Chief accused Israel’s Mossad of being responsible for the elimination of al Mabhouh, and following the disclosure of important details taken from images and passports used in the assassination, the story has taken on international dimensions involving Britain, France and Germany. » Read more

'PA officials involved in sale of Jerusalem assets to Jewish groups' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - February 22, 2010 - 1:00am Former Palestinian General Intelligence chief Fahmi Shabana told a press conference in Jerusalem Monday that a senior officer in the Palestinian Authority's security apparatus sold Palestinian assets in the Old City to a Jewish organization. According to Shabana, the officer was not prosecuted despite the fact that investigators were able to gather solid evidence against him. » Read more

France's Sarkozy backs 'viable' Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters February 22, 2010 - 1:00am French President Nicolas Sarkozy backed the creation of a "viable" Palestinian state on Monday but was cautious about repeating his foreign minister's support for possible recognition of a state before its borders were set. Speaking at a news conference in Paris with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Sarkozy repeated France's support for statehood for Palestinians but added: "We have always said a viable Palestinian state." » Read more

Goldstone Report back on UN agenda ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yitzhak Benhorin - February 23, 2010 - 1:00am The UN General Assembly is scheduled to convene Friday in order to vote on an extension period of five months for Israel's internal investigation of Operation Cast Lead as well as the investigation announced by the Palestinian Authority following the Goldstone Report. Outcomes According to a resolution submitted by Western countries, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will be asked to once again report on the progress of the individual probes to member states after the five month period comes to an end. » Read more

Palestinians: We thwarted suicide attack against Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - February 23, 2010 - 1:00am The Palestinian Authority thwarted a suicide attack about six weeks ago that a young woman from Nablus had planned to carry out in Israel, Palestinian security sources have told Haaretz. The woman, who belongs to the Islamic Jihad, was arrested by the Palestinian security forces. A spokesman for the Palestinian forces, Adnan Damiri, said he had no information on the subject. According to Palestinian security sources, they have recently thwarted a number of attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians. Rocket handover » Read more