January 30th

Time for the U.S. to disturb Israel's comfort zone ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Daniel Levy - (Opinion) January 30, 2013 - 1:00am One way of interpreting last week’s election is that Israel just put up a big “Do Not Disturb” sign: We are rejigging domestic burden sharing until further notice. That, though, is of little interest to the outside world as long as Israel remains in the business of illegal occupation and pursues regional ambitions that impact developments in Iran and also Syria, Egypt and beyond. » Read more

The Peace Process After the Election ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Affairs by Shlomo Avineri - (Opinion) January 25, 2013 - 1:00am Despite losing about a quarter of its seats in Tuesday's election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu will remain the largest faction in the next Knesset. And although he is weakened, Netanyahu will almost certainly retain the premiership. Nevertheless, in the days ahead, he will struggle to build a governing coalition -- the meteoric rise of Yesh Atid, the party led by the populist anchorman-turned-politician Yair Lapid, left the Knesset almost equally divided between a right-wing and a center-left bloc. » Read more

Rupert Murdoch links sympathy for Palestinians to anti-Semitism. The truth is more complex ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Matthew Norman - (Opinion) January 29, 2013 - 1:00am In a futile bid to preempt the allegation that automatically follows an article of this nature, I begin with a clarification. It is lifted from the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode where a man in a cinema queue berates Larry David as “a self-hating Jew” for whistling an aria from Wagner. I certainly do hate myself, is Larry’s reply, but it has absolutely nothing to do with being a Jew. » Read more

Netanyahu Will Not Make Peace With the Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg - (Opinion) January 29, 2013 - 1:00am We here at the Goldblog glass-enclosed nerve center are getting a lot of heat from our right about our assertion that not much has changed on the Israeli political landscape, especially in relation to issues concerning the Palestinians. » Read more

Israel's New Kingmaker ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Neri Zilber - (Opinion) January 29, 2013 - 1:00am Though one of Israel's best known public figures, Yair Lapid, the surprise star of the Jan. 22 election, is a mystery abroad. He now finds himself in the unexpected position of kingmaker, free to dictate terms to a badly weakened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. » Read more

The Israel Debate In South Africa ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Peter Beinart - (Opinion) January 29, 2013 - 1:00am South Africa is America on steroids. It’s even more sports-obsessed. It’s even more violent. Its state-sponsored racism was even more brutal. Its racial progress has been even more jaw-dropping. Its gulf between rich and poor is even more awful. South Africa’s debate over Israel is more extreme too. The right is further right; the left is further left. And the big reason is apartheid, which haunts South Africa’s Israel conversation at every turn. » Read more

I won’t attend Beitar games ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ehud Olmert - (Opinion) January 30, 2013 - 1:00am I have been a Beitar Jerusalem fan for decades. As someone who was born in "Shuni" (formerly a secret base of The Irgun where my parents lived with dozens of other Beitar movement couples) and educated in the Beitar youth movement, it was only natural that I would become a Beitar Jerusalem supporter. » Read more

The Cartoon and Anti-Semitic 'Mission Creep' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Eddy Portnoy - (Opinion) January 30, 2013 - 1:00am When it comes to cartoons, it’s usually Muslim fundamentalists that throw hissy fits. But, in a turn of events, some of our storied communal defenders, Abraham Foxman and Marvin Hier among them, have taking the lead. Indiscriminately tossing around accusations of anti-Semitism, our fearless leaders have attacked at least three editorial cartoonists over the past few months on charges that they have defamed the Jewish people. » Read more

Meet the new MK: Esawi Freige ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Ariel Ben Solomon - (Interview) January 30, 2013 - 1:00am Incoming Meretz MK Esawi Freige is the first Arab legislator for the party since the 15th Knesset and comes from the town of Kafr Kasim. » Read more

Obama is waiting for Israel's new star ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Leon Hader - (Opinion) January 30, 2013 - 1:00am Not that long ago, when someone would sharply criticize the performance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the response would go something like this: » Read more