Tunisia as a Model
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Uri Savir - (Opinion) February 2, 2012 - 1:00am


In early 1994, I visited Tunisia. I was sent there by then-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and then-foreign minister Shimon Peres to pay condolences to Yasser Arafat and the PLO leadership in the aftermath of the horrendous Hebron massacre committed by Baruch Goldstein. It was obviously not an easy trip, but an occasion for me to get acquainted for the first time with the PLO leader, and to encounter a new Arab country. It is with the latter that this article will deal.


U.S. Jews should put themselves before Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Anshel Pfeffer - (Opinion) February 3, 2012 - 1:00am


The second-richest Jew in the world is once again in the spotlight. Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miri have together donated $10 million to Winning Our Future, the political action committee supporting Newt Gingrich's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, and the pundits are asking how one man and his wife can be allowed to sway an election with the weight of their money.


Israel Adds to its Crimes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) February 3, 2012 - 1:00am


Ten years ago about 50 Israeli soldiers, including some officers, refused to serve in the Occupied Territories, roughly the size about 22 per cent of the original state, Palestine, which until mid-1948 was a mandate under British rule.


Palestinian-Israeli negotiations are impossible
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Bilal Hassan - (Analysis) February 2, 2012 - 1:00am


At present, there are no Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, as the conditions laid down by Israel would render them doomed to failure before they even start. Yet the Palestinian side has no alternative plan to the negotiation theme, which means that the issue will remain pending and frozen unless some change happens on the ground and alters the balance of power.


No Time to Wait for Two-State Solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from PBS
by Sarah Wildman - (Opinion) February 2, 2012 - 1:00am


If you were to listen to the Republican debates over the last few weeks, and tune out all other news (God help you, but bear with me), you might think that the Israelis were sitting at the negotiating table waiting, waiting, waiting for the Palestinians who went out for a glass of water and never came back.


Jews Shift Toward GOP, Survey Claims
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Josh Nathan-Kazis - February 3, 2012 - 1:00am


Jewish support for the Republican Party has grown dramatically since 2008 nationwide, a new analysis of survey data out from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press suggests. The data found that the shift in the GOP direction has been more significant than among the general public. The findings could point to trouble for the Democrats in the 2012 presidential election, where both parties are counting on strong showings among Florida’s Jewish voters in particular.


Islamophobic Film and Its Jewish Backers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by J.J. Goldberg - (Opinion) February 2, 2012 - 1:00am


The New York Police Department is caught up in a tangled spat with the city’s Muslim community and assorted liberal groups over counter-terrorism measures that seem to have crossed the line into rank anti-Muslim bigotry. The department’s chief spokesman has made matters worse by repeatedly offering explanations of police actions that turned out to be false. Some critics are now calling for his dismissal. In a sense, it’s just the latest case — several cases, actually — of minority rights versus over-zealous law enforcement, post-9/11. This case is more complicated than most, however.


Sitting Pretty: Gaza Renews Furniture Exports
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Omar Ghraieb - February 1, 2012 - 1:00am


GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israel’s blockade of goods coming into the Gaza Strip has been the target of flotillas and a cause for concern among human rights activists and economists alike. But the difficulty of getting products out of this tiny Mediterranean enclave is just as important to the well-being of its 1.7 million residents.


Israel does not mistreat detained Palestinian children
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Amir Ofek - (Opinion) February 1, 2012 - 1:00am


Your special report looks at allegations that Israel's military justice system mistreats Palestinian children who have been arrested for throwing stones. "Many are exhausted from sleep deprivation. Day after day they are fettered to the chair, then returned to solitary confinement. In the end, many sign confessions that they later say were coerced," you state. But you omit the horrific nature of the atrocities that minors, some as young as 12, can be arrested for.


Blair, PM Working to Enable Continued PLO Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - February 3, 2012 - 1:00am


Quartet envoy Tony Blair is involved in intensive talks with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu about putting together a package of economic gestures to keep the Palestinians directly engaged with Israel in low-level talks in Jordan. Blair has met at least five times with Netanyahu over the past two weeks, including twice on Wednesday.



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