The surprise candidate
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ronen Medzini - September 18, 2008 - 8:00pm

Even though the election is a few months away, the race for the position of mayor of Jerusalem is becoming more and more interesting. In addition to the two main candidates, Nir Barkat and Meir Porush, a new, some would say surprising, face has entered ? a Palestinian candidate by the name of Zohir Hamdan.

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Israeli Police Probing "Pogrom"
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
September 14, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israeli police are investigating a rampage by settlers in a Palestinian village in the West Bank on Saturday which PM Ehud Olmert called a "pogrom". Mr Olmert, who is about to step down, called the attack by about 100 settlers on Asira al-Qabaliya "intolerable". It was filmed by human rights groups and came after an intruder stabbed and wounded a child at Yitzhar settlement. But police have not arrested any of the settlers who were filmed. Four people suffered gunshot wounds in the attack.

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Enough of the Jerusalem Mantra
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Daniel Seidemann - (Opinion) September 10, 2008 - 8:00pm

I was born American. Thirty-five years ago, I chose to become Israeli. My choice in no way reflects a lack of affection for the United States. But patriotism is monogamous: I am an Israeli patriot, and a platonic friend of the land of my birth. I have never voted in a U.S. election and I belong to no U.S. political party. I see myself as an observer of, rather than a participant in, American presidential election politics. But as a Jerusalemite, I do have a stake in the 2008 Presidential race, like it or not.

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In Jerusalem All Politics Isn?t Local
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum
by Sadie Goldman - September 10, 2008 - 8:00pm

The circus that is Jerusalem local politics is back in the headlines with the kick-off of its mayoral race.

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Oslo's failure led to the rise of Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) September 9, 2008 - 8:00pm

The future of Jerusalem has yet again presented itself as one of the most difficult issues in final status negotiations. This is not to say that other issues are either easy or have already been resolved, but the issues of Jerusalem and refugees appear the hardest to crack.

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Arabs, Muslims and Palestinians have the same position
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) September 8, 2008 - 8:00pm

The future of Jerusalem has yet again presented itself as one of the most difficult issues in final status negotiations. This is not to say that other issues are either easy or have already been resolved, but the issues of Jerusalem and refugees appear the hardest to crack.

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Israel plans referendum on land concessions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Mohammed Mar - September 8, 2008 - 8:00pm

A joint panel of the Israeli Knesset House and Law Committees approved a proposal that a national referendum must be held before concessions on any territory under Israeli legal jurisdiction, including Jerusalem, a report said yesterday. The Israeli daily Jerusalem Post said that the proposal, aimed to amend the national referendum bill, had originally called for a referendum only on concessions on the occupied Golan Heights.

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The 2008 Democratic Party Platform and the Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy In Focus
by Stephen Zunes - September 4, 2008 - 8:00pm

The excitement over the nomination of Barack Obama as the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party has been tempered by some key foreign policy planks in the 2008 platform, particularly those relating to the greater Middle East region. These positions appear to run counter to Obama's pledge early in the primary race to end the mindset that led to the Iraq War.

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Olmert Grasps at Straws as Kadima Primary Heats Up
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times
by Mel Frykberg - September 2, 2008 - 8:00pm

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is trying desperately to salvage what remains of his tattered reputation in a last ditch bid to achieve some success on the Palestinian-Israeli front before he steps down as premier in the next couple of weeks. Last week he underwent his seventh interrogation in the last few months by Israeli police on allegations of fraud and accepting bribes.

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Israeli Settlers Look For Compensation To Leave
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Der Spiegel
by Christoph Schult - August 28, 2008 - 12:00am

When Benny Raz comes home in the evening and gets out of his car, his neighbors turn their backs on him and disappear into their houses. Ras is wearing a short black jacket and jeans. His head looks like a coarsely modeled sculpture, with his protruding cheekbones and eyes set deeply in their sockets. He is 55, and he says: "I have lost all of my friends here."

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