Rabin knew road to peace passed through the bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Nehemia Shtrasler - (Analysis) November 18, 2011 - 1:00am


Last Saturday night, I went to the square. I do so every year, as part of my civic duty to salute the prime minister who was assassinated on the altar of peace. Everyone should devote at least one day a year to the frustrating thought that if the Shin Bet security service had done its job and arrested the murderer, we would today be living in a completely different reality - a much better one.


Attacks Target Palestinians In Israeli Towns
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from National Public Radio (NPR)
by Sheera Frenkel - (Analysis) November 18, 2011 - 1:00am


In Israel, tensions are rising between Jews and Palestinian Arabs, who make up about 20 percent of the population. Over the past few months, several Arab sites have been vandalized by militant Jews who left graffiti such as "Death to Arabs." Locals blame activists from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. At a recent demonstration on a street corner in the central Israeli town of Jaffa, protesters chant in both Hebrew and Arabic. The crowd is made up of Jews and Palestinians angry over the attacks, which have rocked their community.


Palestinians' talks over unity government likely to succeed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Adam Gonn - (Analysis) November 18, 2011 - 1:00am


An agreement between Fatah and Hamas, Palestinians' rival parties, looks likely on the formation of a unity government with Fatah's flexibility on the future role of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in the ruling body. Hamas, which established its own government in Gaza after routing out forces loyal to Fatah in 2007, has been opposed to Fayyad's playing any part in the unity government.


Fatah-Hamas meeting to focus on unified Palestinian vision
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Salah Jumaa - (Analysis) November 18, 2011 - 1:00am


Nimr Hammad, the Palestinian president's political adviser, has asserted that President Mahmud Abbas will focus at next week’s meeting with Hamas chief Khalid Mishal on the need to have a unified political program for the next government for the sake of communicating effectively with the world and so as to have a unified Palestinian vision for dealing with the world and with political issues. Hammad believes that the division and different political stands between Hamas and Fatah and the absence of a unified vision toward the strategic issues serve Israel.


Christian community divided by Israeli separation barrier
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - (Analysis) November 18, 2011 - 1:00am


Even though its concrete pillars and barbed wire have yet to be pieced together through these terraced olive orchards, Israel's separation barrier has already divided this small Christian community. Israeli authorities are expected to build a segment of its 760-kilometre fence through Cremisan, an area of verdant hills wedged between occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.


Settlers 'attempted to kill' Israeli soldiers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald MacIntyre - (Analysis) November 18, 2011 - 1:00am


Though fairly hair-raising, the blog Haim Har-Zahav wrote about how his Israel Defence Forces unit was attacked several times in the West Bank back in September would have gone almost unnoticed – except for one thing.


Top settler rabbi: Soldiers will sooner choose death than suffer women's singing
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yair Ettinger - (Analysis) November 17, 2011 - 1:00am


Israel Defense Forces soldiers should choose death before they remain at army events which include women's singing, a top settler religious leader said in an interview on Thursday. The comment made by Elyakim Levanon, the rabbi of the West Bank settlement of Elon Moreh, came after earlier this week, 19 reserve major generals sent a letter to Defense Minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, imploring them not to allow harm to come to women's service in the army as a result of religious soldiers' demands.


Israel effectively annexes Palestinian land near Jordan Valley
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from
by Akiva Eldar - (Analysis) November 18, 2011 - 1:00am


Israel carried out a de facto annexation of Palestinian land northeast of the Jordan Valley and given it to Kibbutz Merav. Merav, part of the Religious Kibbutz Movement, is about seven kilometers northwest of the parcel. The route of the separation barrier in the area was changed so that the plot in question, about 1,500 dunams (375 acres), would be on the Israeli side.


With eye on militants, Israel builds Africa ties
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Josef Federman - (Analysis) November 17, 2011 - 1:00am


Israel has identified eastern Africa as an important strategic interest and is stepping up ties with nations in the region in a joint effort to control the spread of Islamic extremists, officials said Thursday. In effect, Israel would become a player siding with Christian-led African nations in conflicts with Muslim movements, a fault line that has sharpened around the continent in recent years. Israeli moves come as the United States as well has hiked up military support for African governments, in large part to combat al-Qaida-linked groups.


Israel-Gaza tensions: Pilot program to expand Gaza exports falters
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Kristen Chick - (Analysis) November 18, 2011 - 1:00am


The Bright Star textile company in Gaza used to sew 4 million pieces of clothing a month, most of it for export to Israel and beyond – part of a humming manufacturing sector that accounted for nearly a third of Gaza's economy. But after Israel imposed a blockade in 2006, Gaza's factories fell silent, unable to import the raw materials they needed or send their finished products abroad for sale.



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