Iraqi Kurds Cool Ties to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - April 18, 2012 - 12:00am

Washington — A decades-long relationship between Israel and Iraq’s Kurds, maintained mainly in the shadows, faces new challenges as the two sides are split over the growing nuclear threat posed by Iran. Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish Region Government, visited Washington recently. Notably, he did not meet with Jewish officials, nor did he touch on issues relating to Israel. Ties between the Iraqi Kurds and Israel have cooled as Israel pushes for support in its fight against Iran over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program.

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World nations should issue a travel warning to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) April 18, 2012 - 12:00am

The skilled attack by Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner on a blond Danish peace activist in a kaffiyeh was spectacular. The senior officer's two agitated arms grasped the M-16 rifle as if it was an indivisible part of his body, and with an instinctive movement that might be expected from someone whose life was being threatened, landed it in the face of the person who dared to look him in the eye.

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Britain's duty to the Palestinian people
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Raed Salah - (Opinion) April 18, 2012 - 12:00am

In June 2011 I came to Britain to begin a speaking tour to draw attention to the plight of my people, the Palestinian citizens of Israel. The tour was meant to last 10 days. Instead I had to stay for 10 months in order to resist an attempt by the home secretary, Theresa May, to deport me – itself the result of a smear campaign against me and what I represent. I fought not just for my own sake, but for all who are smeared because they support the Palestinian cause.

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Israeli officer suspended for striking foreign national
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
April 16, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Israel's military suspended a senior officer who struck an activist in the face with a gun, an army spokesman said on Monday, after a video of the incident was put on the Internet. The video showed Lieutenant-Colonel Shalom Eisner holding his M-16 rifle in both hands and shouting at a group of demonstrators taking part in a bicycle rally in the occupied West Bank, before suddenly striking a man in the face.

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'US will veto any Palestinian statehood bid at UN'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
April 16, 2012 - 12:00am

The United States will continue to act against Palestinian attempts to gain recognition through the United Nations, and if necessary will use its veto to that end, US ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro said Monday. Speaking at the Netanya Academic College, Shapiro said that there are no shortcuts to peace in the Middle East, and the Palestinians must return to direct negotiations with Israel without preconditions, on the basis of what was outlined by US President Barack Obama.

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Israel should never forget its Mideast atrocities
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yitzhak Laor - (Opinion) April 16, 2012 - 12:00am

The person who symbolized "the other Germany" more than anyone in West Germany, the person who was Germany's conscience throughout his literary career, has made the Israeli establishment and its clones crazy. These people have responded pettily and violently. Gunter Grass' service in the Wafen SS when he was 17 has nothing to do with his positions. You need lots of chutzpah and maybe even ignorance to think the Germans don't know how many despicable Nazis Israel catered to, as long as they supported its policies.

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Once Taboo, Germans’ Anti-Israel Whispers Grow Louder
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Nicholas Kulish - April 13, 2012 - 12:00am

BERLIN — To judge by the outpouring of comments from politicians and writers and from the newspaper and magazine articles in response to the Nobel laureate Günter Grass’s poem criticizing Israel’s aggressive posture toward Iran, it would appear that the public had resoundingly rejected his work. But even a quick dip into the comments left by readers on various Web sites reveals quite another reality.

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Abbas Arrives in Japan on First Leg of International Tour
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 13, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Japan on Thursday for the first leg of an international tour. Abbas discussed the latest developments concerning Palestine with several Japanese officials, including Japan's special Middle East peace envoy Yutaka Iimura. Abbas is due to arrive in Sri Lanka on Sunday, before heading to the Maldives for two days on Tuesday.


Jordan to Revoke Citizenship
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI)
April 12, 2012 - 12:00am

AMMAN, Jordan, April 12 (UPI) -- In a move to restrict Palestinian representation in Parliament, Jordan plans to revoke the citizenship of some Palestinians, officials said. The decision coincides with a new electoral law, The Jerusalem Post said Thursday. The move will affect Palestinian Authority officials as well as members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, The Post said. Palestinian leaders will receive temporary Jordanian passports to facilitate travel. Nearly half of the Hashemite Kingdom's 6 million people are of Palestinian origin, The Post said.

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Egypt's army fills Sinai, but business runs as usual
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Anshel Pfeffer - (Opinion) April 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Sinai, EGYPT - A bearded Bedouin approached a cab on the main street of Rafah, in Egypt. Right next to the taxi, at either end of the narrow street, were two armored personnel carriers and a squad of Egyptian army soldiers in full combat gear.

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