September 5th

Fayyad to face youth leader in televised debate ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 5, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority prime minister Salam Fayyad will participate Wednesday in a debate with Muhannad al-Rabi, director of the Free Palestinian Youth Coalition, broadcast live on Palestinian TV. Al-Rabi said the coalition would deliver a message from the Palestinian youth, mainly on social and economic issues. He hoped the debate would result in solutions for the youth sector. The youth leader thanked Fayyad for agreeing to the debate, which is being held in cooperation with Al-Najah University in Nablus and will be shown on various Palestinian TV networks. » Read more

A Ray of Hope ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am The Arab community is clearly a victim of discrimination by the government. Israeli Arabs have never received what has been due to them, as far as budgets or positions. The mirror image of reduced rights is reduced duties, in practice if not in theory. A close look at Arab towns and villages reveals a troublesome picture of citizens ignoring state laws and the regulations of local councils. Israeli Arabs have told their government: if we don't get the honey, we don't want the sting either. » Read more

Israel releases Hamas legislator in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 5, 2012 - 12:00am Israel on Wednesday released a Hamas member of parliament from jail, a Palestinian rights sources said. The legislator Mohammed Abu Teir was released after being held in administrative detention for a year in the Ofer prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah. Abu Teir is originally from Jerusalem, but Israel deprived him from his Israeli identity because he joined the Palestinian parliamentary elections and ran as a candidate representing Hamas, the Islamic movement that doesn't recognize the Jewish state. » Read more

Israel urged to facilitate entry of French prosecutors investigating Arafat's death ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 5, 2012 - 12:00am The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Wednesday asked Israel to allow a French delegation to visit the West Bank for investigations related to the death of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in 2004, a Palestinian official said. The Palestinian Minister of Justice Ali Muhanna said that a formal request had been submitted to the Israeli authorities to facilitate the entry of the French criminal investigation delegation to Ramallah. » Read more

The Truth About Obama and Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Haim Saban - (Opinion) September 4, 2012 - 12:00am AS an Israeli-American who cares deeply about the survival of Israel and the future of the Jewish people, I will be voting for President Obama in November. Here’s why. Even though he could have done a better job highlighting his friendship for Israel, there’s no denying that by every tangible measure, his support for Israel’s security and well-being has been rock solid. » Read more

Security chief slain in restive Palestinian city ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Ali Samoudeh - September 5, 2012 - 12:00am Gunmen killed a colonel in the Palestinian security forces early on Wednesday when they raked his car with gunfire in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, local officials said. Hisham al-Rukh was attacked while driving home in the Jenin refugee camp, which has been the focal point of a broad sweep by security forces since May following an upsurge of violence led by criminal gangs and corrupt security officers. » Read more

Israel tries to ease differences with US over Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Josef Federman - September 5, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli officials said Tuesday they are in close discussions with the United States over how to deal with the Iranian nuclear program, seeking to ease tensions that have emerged between the two allies over a possible Israeli military strike against Iran. The dialogue, in which Israel is looking for President Barack Obama to take a tough public position against Iran, suggests the odds of an Israeli attack in the near term have been reduced. » Read more

Israeli PM breaks up Iran meeting, citing leaks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press September 5, 2012 - 12:00am Israel's prime minister has angrily cut short a key gathering of top security officials, accusing an unnamed participant of leaking details of the sensitive meeting to the media. Netanyahu says the leak occurred after a daylong meeting of his Security Cabinet on Tuesday. The forum was briefed by top security officials about various regional threats. » Read more

September 4th

Is peace a “vital” American interest? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) September 4, 2012 - 12:00am “Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a vital national security interest,” the voice of the American foreign policy consensus has intoned, with its trademark gravitas, for the past decade. “But,” it continues sagely, “We cannot want peace more than the parties themselves.” Around Washington wise heads have nodded grimly at the self-evidence of this hegemonic dictum.  » Read more

Why Shimon Peres Still Matters ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Shai Feldman - (Opinion) September 3, 2012 - 12:00am Some three weeks ago, on the occasion of his 89th birthday, Israeli President Shimon Peres gave loud and clear public expression to his opposition to a possible Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear installations. This followed two years during which Peres is said to have counseled Israel’s leaders in closed quarters against the ramifications of such an attack. Giving a number of separate interviews on Aug. 16, Peres did not oppose such a strike under all circumstances. Rather, he warned against an attack that would not receive a green light from Washington.  » Read more