September 8th

Israeli pyromaniacs are setting the Mideast on fire
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gideon Levy - (Editorial) September 8, 2011 - 12:00am


It's as if summer 2011 never happened, as if there had never been a protest here: Israel is being led with dreadful blindness by a handful of irresponsible politicians, dangerous pyromaniacs without equal, yet the public remains apathetic. The government is pregnant with danger, conducting a scandalous policy, yet there is no protest.


Netanyahu is biting off the U.S. hand that feeds him
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) September 8, 2011 - 12:00am


Robert (Bob ) Gates was one of the most experienced and sophisticated figures in the U.S. administration. Through his skills and connections he became head of the CIA, won the confidence of presidents and members of their inner circles as far back as the Carter administration and was appointed the second secretary of defense in the George W. Bush administration. Gates was the only top Bush aide who was asked, and agreed, to remain in his post in the Obama administration as a Republican among Democrats.


Islamic Jihad operative killed in Gaza blast
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
September 7, 2011 - 12:00am


A member of Islamic Jihad's military wing was killed late Wednesday in an explosion west of Deir Al-Balah, medics said, in what militants described as an airstrike but Israel's army denied. Al-Quds Brigades spokesman Abu Ahmad said an airstrike on a car west of Deir Al-Balah killed Remah Fayez Al-Husseni, 28, a member of the group from Shati refugee camp. Abu Ahmad said Israel was trying to "incite the resistance" to respond. But Israeli military officials denied any involvement in the militant's death.


As Tel Aviv tent city folds, Israel activists debate next step
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Batsheva Sobelman - September 7, 2011 - 12:00am


The tent camp along one of Tel Aviv's trendiest streets that symbolized a large-scale social protest movement is coming down, leaving some to wonder if it was all just a summer fling. As more sections of the Rothschild Boulevard camp were dismantled Wednesday, protesters tried to keep spirits up, saying the tents may be folding but their efforts are not. The time has come, they said, to move to the next phase of their social justice movement.


Israel faces growing isolation with key UN vote on Palestinian statehood looming
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
September 7, 2011 - 12:00am


Rising tensions with some of its closest and most important allies have left Israel increasingly isolated ahead of a momentous vote on Palestinian independence at the United Nations. Troubles with Turkey, Egypt and even the U.S. are adding to Israel’s headaches ahead of the vote, which is shaping up to be a global expression of discontent against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.


Away from UN debate, Palestinian camp is on edge
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet
September 7, 2011 - 12:00am


Once again, it can be easier to find a rifle than a job in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin. Residents say occasional bursts of gunfire in its narrow streets are an economic indicator as telling as any. Many see the renewed disorder as a consequence of despair. The scene of heavy fighting in 2002 during the last Intifada, or uprising, Jenin camp today challenges the picture of a West Bank prospering under the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Western-backed and internationally-funded government.


Ex-White House Scientist Pleads Guilty in Spy Case Tied to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Scott Shane - September 7, 2011 - 12:00am


A former senior government scientist who held the highest security clearances pleaded guilty to espionage on Wednesday and agreed to a 13-year prison term for selling top-secret information on military satellites and other technology to an F.B.I. agent posing as an Israeli spy. The scientist, Stewart D. Nozette, 54, who worked at the White House in 1989-90 and helped lead the search for water on the moon, was not charged with spying for Israel.


US and Israel step up efforts to block Palestinian statehood bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Vita Bekker - September 8, 2011 - 12:00am


Israel and the US are drawing on every weapon in their diplomatic armoury to prevent Palestinians taking their statehood bid to the United Nations this month. Their efforts to stop the Palestinians from pursuing UN recognition include dispatching a US diplomatic team to hold talks with Palestinian leaders, peppering the media with Israeli pledges of a renewal of talks and issuing warnings that UN recognition would be a blow to peace. Nevertheless, there is a gathering sense that the Palestinian bid may go forward despite the odds it has faced from the start.


Palestinians: Differences with US on UN bid 'still wide'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
September 8, 2011 - 12:00am


The differences with Washington over the UN bid are "still wide," a senior Palestinian official said on Wednesday after talks with US envoys in the West Bank city of Ramallah. "The gap between the Palestinian and US positions is still wide after the meeting," presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP. "There are efforts being made and an agreement to continue communication with the US administration and the (Middle East) Quartet envoy," he said.


Palestinians Seeking Statehood at UN May Get Same Rights as Pope
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg
by Flavia Krause-Jackson - September 8, 2011 - 12:00am


Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas won’t walk away from the United Nations General Assembly this month with the sought-after statehood. More likely, he’ll get parity with the world’s smallest state led by Pope Benedict XVI. Support for the upgrade in Palestinian status at the UN from “entity” to “non-member state” is likely if the matter is brought to a vote in the 193-member assembly, where a two- thirds majority, or 129 votes, is required.



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