May 4th

The Dumb Idea Hall of Fame
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) May 2, 2012 - 12:00am


In my 25 years of government service, I came up with more than my fair share of bad or just plain dumb ideas (see Arafat, Yasir, invitation to the Holocaust museum). In fact, I consider myself something of an expert on the subject. But life's about learning, right? And like Justice Potter Stewart's famous 1964 opinion on pornography, these days I've come to know a bad idea when I see one.


The landscape of the Arab spring
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Sadegh Zibakalam - (Opinion) May 3, 2012 - 12:00am


The "Arab spring" is well into its second year. What is the broad outcome of this gigantic struggle and, more importantly, what can be sketched so far for the future of the Middle East?


Israel's prime minister is considering early elections. Why the hurry?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - (Analysis) May 3, 2012 - 12:00am


Even the sombre news of the death of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's highly influential father at the age of 102 could not quell the febrile atmosphere in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, this week. There was one topic of conversation among MKs, their aides and political journalists at crowded canteen tables: the sudden almost-certainty of a general election being brought forward from autumn 2013 to late summer this year.


An alternate agenda for elections
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Jonathan Rosen - (Opinion) May 2, 2012 - 12:00am


The Knesset and the local media have been abuzz these past few months with talk about the likelihood of a general election being held well before the designated date of October 2013. That buzz first became audible immediately after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced his surprise decision to hold the Likud primary at the end of January, sparking a flurry of speculation among politicians and journalists that this was a sign of the prime minister’s intention to call a general election as early as the second half of 2012.


The House That Sabri Built
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune
by Rajah Shehadeh - (Blog) May 3, 2012 - 12:00am


BEIT IJZA, West Bank — One of the first statements under oath that I took for Al Haq, a human rights organization I helped establish, was from Sabri Garaib, a farmer from Beit Ijza, a Palestinian village ten miles northwest of Jerusalem.


A marathon runner with a long-distance goal for Palestinian freedom
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Danna Harman - May 3, 2012 - 12:00am


Besides the obvious, what do people do while they run? Some listen to music and get lost in the beat. Some pipe in podcasts. Some, usually those with the big fancy sports watches, pass the time calculating times and distances or monitoring heart beats. And then some just let their minds wander.


Meshaal may be asked to remain as head of Hamas Political Bureau
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - May 3, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM // Khaled Meshaal, the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, might be asked to stay in his post despite his recent decision not to stand for re-election, a spokesman for the group said yesterday.


Bethlehem nuns in West Bank barrier battle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Yolande Knell - May 2, 2012 - 12:00am


In the green Cremisan valley, west of Bethlehem, a goatherd leans against a rock while his flocks graze under the olive and fig trees. Nearby, a narrow road winds along the hillside to a 19th Century convent and a secluded monastery where monks run the only Palestinian winery. For the mainly Christian town of Beit Jala, this is the local beauty spot. Residents come here to take a stroll or for a weekend barbecue. Many own small plots of agricultural land. They also send their children to the convent school and visit the monastery to sell grapes or buy its wine.


Fatah official meets Hamas, Islamic Jihad leaders in Cairo
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 3, 2012 - 12:00am


GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Fatah leader Azzam al-Ahmad on Wednesday held separate meetings in Cairo with Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal and secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad movement, Ma'an's correspondent said. Al-Ahmad, who heads Fatah's dialogue team, met with Mashaal to discuss the reconciliation process. Egyptian officials attended the meeting, which focused on the need to form a unity government.


Israel's move toward early vote may shelve any attack on Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Edmund Sanders - May 2, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM —Israel'smove toward early elections is the latest sign that its threatened attack againstIran'snuclear facilities is unlikely to take place in the coming months.



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