February 7th

Israelis Love to Argue... ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Natan Sachs - (Opinion) February 6, 2013 - 1:00am President Barack Obama's announced trip to Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank in March appears at once premature and long overdue. Premature because the tangible goals of this trip seem, as yet, unclear. Overdue because -- as many critics have suggested -- his failure to visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority in his first term contributed to a sense, among Israelis in particular, of a presidential cold shoulder. » Read more

IDF breaks pledge to remove West Bank fences severing Palestinian land ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - February 7, 2013 - 1:00am The Israel Defense Forces broke a pledge to the High Court of Justice, and has not removed two illegal fences around settlements, which prevent Palestinian farmers from reaching their land. The IDF had pledged to remove the fences by the end of 2012, but work has not yet begun and no forecast has been made as to when it might start. » Read more

The Death of Cinema in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Asmaa Al-Ghoul - February 6, 2013 - 1:00am Heavy slabs of concrete seal the doors of al-Nasr Cinema in Gaza City. Not one aperture exists through which you can see the interior of the building, which has been abandoned for decades. Its towering walls loom over the street, stained black from the old fire. In the 1980s, these walls housed one of the largest cinemas in the Middle East, but now new generations in the Gaza Strip grow old having never been inside a cinema. Memories of better times » Read more

British surgeons carry out first organ transplants in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - February 7, 2013 - 1:00am A team of British surgeons has carried out Gaza's first organ transplants as a pilot for a long-term plan to train local medical staff to perform the operations. Two patients underwent kidney transplants at the Shifa, Gaza's biggest public hospital, which is beset by overcrowding, chronic power cuts and shortages of drugs and equipment. The operations were conducted a fortnight ago by a volunteer medical team from the Royal Liverpool hospital. » Read more

Obama’s Reset Opportunity with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Council On Foreign Relations by Robert Danin - February 6, 2013 - 1:00am   » Read more

Memo to President Obama: Bypass Netanyahu - reach Israelis’ hearts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Carlo Strenger - (Opinion) February 6, 2013 - 1:00am Dear President Obama, Like many millions around the globe, I celebrated your election as a triumph for the ideals of freedom and dignity four years ago, and, like many others, I called upon you to visit Israel. To this day I think you made a mistake in not doing so in your first term, but I still profoundly rejoiced in your reelection last month. » Read more

Netanyahu's top security adviser: Settlements impede Western support of Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson, Barak Ravid - February 7, 2013 - 1:00am The construction in West Bank settlements is causing Israel to lose the support even of its best friends in the West, National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror was quoted as warning in recent weeks. » Read more

Obama’s Visit to Israel a Chance To Reset US-Israel Ties ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Ben Caspit - (Opinion) February 7, 2013 - 1:00am The previous elections in Israel took place in February 2009, some three months after Barack Obama was elected as the first black president in the history of the United States, and about one month after he assumed office. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed his government on April 1, 2009. In other words, Obama had a 40-day hiatus in which he was the sitting president and Netanyahu was the prime minister-designate, attempting to put together a coalition. » Read more

Obama’s Israel visit will be the moment of truth for Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Itamar Rabinovich - (Opinion) February 6, 2013 - 1:00am The White House's surprising, dramatic announcement this week that President Barack Obama will come to Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan has had an immedi » Read more

Controversial event going on at NYC college ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press February 7, 2013 - 1:00am An event that has stirred controversy over its subject and speakers is scheduled to take place at a New York City college despite the furor. Brooklyn College has been criticized for hosting a lecture by anti-Israel speakers. The lecture is scheduled for Thursday night, and features speakers that talk about using boycotts, divestment and sanctions to pressure Israel on how it treats Palestinian rights. » Read more