Caged in the Great City
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Pierre Klochendler - (Opinion) October 15, 2012 - 12:00am


AR-RAM, Occupied East Jerusalem, Oct 15 2012 (IPS) - Ali Shuruf turns on the lights, that shine into a gaudy living room. Beyond the window, the dominant colour is uniformly grey: the house stands literally against a wall. Not just any wall – the infamous eight-metre cement wall separates Palestinians from Israelis.


Michael Bloomberg and Magen David's Anti-Arab Rabbi
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Eshkol Nevo - (Opinion) October 15, 2012 - 12:00am


When one enters Jerusalem, two structures immediately catch the eye. The first is a digital sign informing the traveler when the next Sabbath begins and ends. The second is a building bearing a sign identifying it as the William H. Bloomberg MDA Jerusalem Station.


The Israeli settlers who make unlikely peace activists
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Khaled Diab - (Opinion) October 15, 2012 - 12:00am


In his recent speech to the UN general assembly, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas warned that Israel's ongoing settlement construction in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank would make the creation of a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel "extremely difficult if not completely impossible".


Getting back to the negotiating table
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Jeff Barak - (Opinion) October 15, 2012 - 12:00am


Guess who wrote this and where it was first published: “The Arab Spring showed the world that the Palestinians are happier and in [a] better situation than their Arab brothers who fought to liberate them from the Israelis. Now, it is time to stop the hatred and wars and start to create better living conditions for the future Arab generations.”


Gaza extremists endanger the balance of terror along border with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel - (Opinion) October 15, 2012 - 12:00am


For several months now, Israel and Hamas are maintaining a complex balance of terror along the Gaza Strip border. The relative calm is kept despite rockets being fired at Israel by extremist groups supporting al-Qaida (sometimes with a nod from Hamas, sometimes with its indirect assistance), and despite Israeli airstrikes against members of these groups. It is true that lately the lulls between escalation to escalation have become shorter, but still there is no room for comparison to the situation along the border during the years that preceded Operation Cast Lead in 2008.


In praise of Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Ari Shavit - (Opinion) October 15, 2012 - 12:00am


Yedioth Ahronoth and diplomatic correspondent Shimon Shiffer deserve all possible praise for their sensational story on Friday. Israel and Syria conducted peace negotiations in 2010 and 2011.


World powers will soon support our cause, says top Palestinian official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - (Opinion) October 15, 2012 - 12:00am


Twice during an hour-long interview, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi let out a laugh that sounded embarrassed. The first time was when she explained what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did in his UN General Assembly address: a speech she deemed patronizing, cut off from reality, stuck in an outdated Manichean perception. The doctor of comparative literature suggests that he did not convince his audience.


The Lessons of Novembers Past
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Hussein Ibish, Saliba Sarsar - (Opinion) October 15, 2012 - 12:00am


Historically, November often signifies numerous crucial turning points in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The lessons of Novembers past demand close attention. Palestinians and Israelis can learn from them to address their differences and common future, and American leaders to be more balanced.


Why Binyamin Netanyahu is on the right track for victory
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - (Opinion) October 13, 2012 - 12:00am


One end is a Jewish settlement across the Green Line, the other is close to Israel's haunting memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, Yad Vashem.


As Israeli elections near, Palestinians feel nothing but despair
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - (Analysis) October 15, 2012 - 12:00am


RAMALLAH - On Monday, Yossi Beilin sat alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas  in a convention hall in Mukataa, and waxed nostalgic. “We used to work without the Americans,” he said. “Clinton heard about Oslo two weeks before the White House ceremony." Abbas, a bitter smile on his face, corrected him. “A week before,” he said.



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