November 28th

Palestinian poll: 56% oppose armed struggle against Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - (Analysis) November 28, 2011 - 1:00am A new poll carried out by the Palestinian Jerusalem Media and Communications Center (JMCC) reveals that support for Fatah among residents of the Palestinian Authority has not been hurt by the Shalit deal , which was completed between Hamas and Israel last month. And yet, the Hamas-led Shalit deal still receives wall to wall support – 86% of those questioned expressed their satisfaction with the results of the deal – the satisfaction rate is close to that of the Israeli satisfaction rate with the deal. » Read more

Israel's backers step up efforts to win African-American support ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CNN by Heather Higgins - (Blog) November 26, 2011 - 1:00am The aroma of allspice wafted through the air as calypso melodies and gospel voices brought more than four dozen people to their feet, a typical community gathering in the heavily West Indian neighborhood of East Flatbush, Brooklyn. But no one could remember a meeting like this happening before. Inside a former Seventh-day Adventist church, there were the beginnings of what some hope is a budding relationship between American blacks and Jews, with a major assist from some Christian Zionists. » Read more

PA collapse 'not the end of the world' for Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Analysis) November 28, 2011 - 1:00am An Israeli official said Saturday evening on live television that if the Palestinian Authority collapses it would not be the "end of the world for Israel." Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, Yedioth Ahronoth columnist Shimon Sheffer, former Palestinian minister Sufian Zayda, and Dove Viziglas, who was former adviser to Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, were analyzing the possibility of the PA disbanding on the television show "Face the press." "The Palestinians have to know that they can’t scare us by threatening to disband the PA," Ayalon said. » Read more

Palestinian PM: Israeli sanctions starting to bite ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - (Analysis) November 27, 2011 - 1:00am Israeli economic sanctions against the Palestinians, in retaliation for their bid to win world recognition of a state of Palestine, have started to bite: officials said Sunday that they won't be able to pay the next round of public sector salaries that support nearly one-third of Palestinians, and that the damage to a fragile economy is devastating. » Read more

Israel to reconsider PA tax freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Analysis) November 28, 2011 - 1:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel was considering the release of Palestinian tax revenues, which it has frozen for over a month. Netanyahu is expected to announce the proposal during a Monday discussion in the Knesset's foreign affairs and defense committee, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. Netanyahu's aide said that the change in policy would be in the interest of preventing the collapse of the Palestinian Authority. » Read more

Hamas: Palestinians to skip interim government ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - (Analysis) November 27, 2011 - 1:00am The Palestinians' rival leaders have quietly decided to keep their respective governments in the West Bank and Gaza in place until elections, a senior Hamas figure told The Associated Press. This proposal would remove a major obstacle to efforts to reconcile the factions: the need to form an interim unity government. A representative of Hamas' rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, denied that such a deal was struck. Abbas envoy Azzam al-Ahmed insisted there was no agreement and "no possibility of holding elections without a unity government." » Read more

November 23rd

Jordan seeks Palestinian respect by offering Hamas a new home ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) November 23, 2011 - 1:00am Jordan's King Abdullah is not an innovative leader. But last week he surprised Arab leaders and the whole world by becoming the first Arab ruler to call on Syrian President Bashar Assad to resign. "If I were in his shoes, I'd step down," he told the BBC. » Read more

Revive the peace process ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Dan Simpson - (Opinion) November 23, 2011 - 1:00am It may seem misdirected to insist on there being in place a credible effort to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when there is so much turmoil in neighboring states. There is, however, a critical case for not letting that effort stay dormant. There is even an argument that the situations in some neighboring states would become more coherent if an Israeli-Palestinian peace effort promised a stable and just resolution. » Read more

The Death of the Arab Peace Initiative? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic by Marwan Muasher - (Opinion) November 23, 2011 - 1:00am We should all be "celebrating," in a few short months, the tenth anniversary of the Arab Peace Initiative, a collective Arab offer championed by then Saudi Crown Prince (and current king) Abdullah to help bring about a permanent resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Instead, the fate of the plan is more precarious than ever. » Read more

Activist: Israeli government won't protect its own citizens ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CNN by Rebecca Vilkomerson - (Opinion) November 23, 2011 - 1:00am On September 30, a group of Jewish Israelis from the activist groups Solidarity and Ta'ayush set out on a visit to support the Palestinian al Rifai family in the West Bank. The family's claim to their land has been recognized by the Israeli Supreme Court, but the settlement of Anatot is nevertheless built upon it. Al Rifai family members have faced harassment for years while insisting on their right to access private land. The settlers of Anatot, enraged by the Israeli support of the Palestinian family, violently attacked the family and activists alike. » Read more