Middle East News: World Press Roundup

NEWS: Israel asks Egypt to remove tanks from the Sinai Peninsula in spite of ongoing security concerns. Egyptian officials say all their recent military activity in Sinai was coordinated with Israel. FM Lieberman calls on the international community to help oust Pres. Abbas and hold new Palestinian elections. The Palestinian leadership condemns Lieberman's remarks while PM Netanyahu distances himself from them. Abbas calls for the protection of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. Former FM Al-Kidwa has been appointed deputy joint special representative for Syria by the UN. The governor of Ramallah and al-Bireh, Layla Ghanam, says Muslim-Christian unity among Palestinians is indispensable. Israeli pro-settler activists demand Israel demolish Palestinian structures in the occupied territories. A 15-year-old girl, Bashaer Othman, has become mayor of a small Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian women in the occupied territories are taking up competitive car racing. COMMENTARY: Carlo Strenger wonders what Lieberman was trying to achieve with his remarks about Abbas. Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff say when Netanyahu and DM Barak go silent, Lieberman begins to talk. J.J. Goldberg says the Israeli defense community is united against Netanyahu and Barak's ideas about attacking Iran. Zvi Bar'el says hatred of Arabs has become the new test of loyalty among some Jewish Israelis. Shmuel Sandler and Efraim Inbar say Israel's left may be withering but its democracy is flourishing. Linda Gradstein looks at Israel's concerns about Egyptian military deployments in the Sinai Peninsula. Jill Jacobs says the attempted lynching of a Palestinian by Jewish Israeli youth should prompt introspection. The National says the attack was a symptom of society in crisis. Analysts worry it indicates the rise of a “generation of hate” in Israel. Rami Khouri says activists around the world are telling Israel that ethics matter.

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Israel Asks Egypt to Remove Tanks From Sinai ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - August 21, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel is “troubled” by the entry of Egyptian tanks into the northern Sinai Peninsula without coordination with Israel, a violation of the terms of the 33-year-old peace treaty between the two countries, and has asked » Read more

Egyptian official: Recent Sinai operation was fully coordinated with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - August 22, 2012 - 12:00am An Egyptian military source said Wednesday that the recent deployment of troops in the Sinai peninsula was fully coordinated with Israel, refuting media reports that the move violated the Israel-Egypt peace treaty. The al-Masry al-Youm newspaper quoted a member of Egypt's Higher Military Council as saying that Egyptian forces entered Sinai only following consultations with Israel. » Read more

Israeli minister wants Palestinian leader's ouster ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press August 22, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel's foreign minister is urging the international community to help replace Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Avigdor Lieberman sent a letter to international Mideast peace mediators calling Abbas an "obstacle to peace." He wants them to push for Palestinian elections to choose a new leader. Lieberman heads a hard-line party and is known for heated rhetoric that sometimes embarrasses the government. » Read more

Palestinian leadership condemn Israeli FM call to oust Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua August 22, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian leadership on Wednesday slammed Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's call for the removal of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. » Read more

Netanyahu distances himself from Lieberman's call to oust Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - August 22, 2012 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday distanced himself from the letter penned by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to the Mideast Quartet, which called for the removal of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. "The Foreign Minister's letter does not represent the position of the prime minister or that of the government," said a senior official in Netanyahu's office. » Read more

Abbas calls for protection of Jerusalem holy sites ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 22, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas stressed Tuesday the need to protect Jerusalem's Islamic and Christian holy sites, speaking on the anniversary of an attempted arson of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Abbas said the fire, which was set by an Australian in 1969, was "the first (attack) in a series that aimed to demolish the Al-Aqsa Mosque to make way to build the (third) temple." » Read more

Palestinian diplomat appointed as deputy special envoy for Syria ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua August 22, 2012 - 12:00am UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al-Kidwa on Tuesday was appointed as deputy joint special representative for Syria, according to a statement issued by the spokesperson's office of UN secretary-general. » Read more

Official: Muslim-Christian unity must be more than a slogan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 22, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Unity between Muslims and Christians in Palestine must become common practice and not just be a slogan, the governor of Ramallah and al-Bireh said Wednesday. Layla Ghanam made the comments while welcoming a church delegation offering congratulations for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, a statement said. "Religious Muslim and Christian holidays are considered national holidays for all Palestinians. This shows how cohesive and united our people are, and we are proud of this," the PA official added.

NGO: Demolish Palestinian structures in W. Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Yonah Jeremy Bob - August 22, 2012 - 12:00am The activist NGO Regavim filed a petition late Tuesday requesting that the High Court of Justice order the West Bank Civil Administration and the IDF to halt the building of and demolish Palestinian structures near Pnei Haver in the West Bank. The NGO said that in a routine tour of the West Bank area near the Palestinian village of Bnai Na'eem, it discovered 15 new structures that it alleges were built without a filed master plan or the required permits. » Read more

Palestinian town gets new mayor, aged 15 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - August 22, 2012 - 12:00am She could have spent the long, hot summer holiday hanging out with friends or helping at home. But instead, 15-year-old Bashaer Othman is making speeches, signing documents, chairing meetings, attending civic functions and meeting citizens as mayor of Allar, a small Palestinian town high in the West Bank hills. » Read more

Palestinian women racers find freedom on the track ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat August 22, 2012 - 12:00am Ramallah, (AFP) - With her bright orange pedicure, Michael Kors handbag and skinny jeans, Maysoon Jayyusi hardly looks like a Palestinian speed racer -- until she gets behind the wheel. The minute she starts up her SUV, she's off -- coursing ahead of the rest of the traffic, weaving among bewildered locals in the crowded streets of the West Bank city of Ramallah. » Read more

What Avigdor Lieberman learned from George Orwell ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Carlo Strenger - (Opinion) August 22, 2012 - 12:00am Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman outdid himself in his latest venture. As reported in Haaretz today, he sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon a letter. » Read more

When Netanyahu and Barak keep silent, Lieberman starts to talk ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - (Opinion) August 22, 2012 - 12:00am In an article published last Thursday in Haaretz I discussed the Egyptian deployment of military forces in the Sinai Peninsula, without prior coordination with Israel, as part of its campaign against Islamic terrorists. At the time, no Israeli was prepared to make an official response. The answers I got on the matter  – both from the security establishment and from the Prime Minister’s Office – were opaque. » Read more

Netanyahu and Barak V. Israel's Defense Community ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by J.J. Goldberg - (Opinion) August 22, 2012 - 12:00am One of the most astonishing features of Israel's current debate over the Iranian threat is the utter failure of the country's two top leaders, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, to win significant support for an Israeli attack on Tehran's nuclear installations. » Read more

A good Jew hates Arabs ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) August 21, 2012 - 12:00am The young criminals who mercilessly beat Jamal Julani and his cousins simply because they're Arabs don't live in settlements, haven't occupied any cities and haven't taken control of any terraced hills in the territories. Perhaps they participated in one of those tours the Education Ministry has been sponsoring in Hebron to deepen kids' familiarity with their Jewish heritage and heard something there about an occupation. » Read more

The fading Left and Israel’s flourishing democracy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Efraim Inbar, Shmuel Sandler - (Opinion) August 22, 2012 - 12:00am The Israeli Left, frustrated following its failure to garner support in recent elections, has adopted a new strategy. Even before shrinking in the 2009 elections to only 16 MKs (represented by Labor and Meretz), several leftist figures decided to appeal to external forces “to save Israel from itself” rather than struggle for the hearts and minds of the Israeli people. They appeal to foreigners to pressure Israel into their desired direction by arguing that Israel is losing its democracy. » Read more

Israel Skittish about Egyptian Tanks in Sinai ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Linda Gradstein - (Analysis) August 22, 2012 - 12:00am When considering the situation in the Sinai Peninsula, Israelis are caught between a sand dune and the Red Sea. On one hand, they want to encourage the new Egyptian government to re-impose its control over the Sinai, which has become a center for smuggling everything from prostitutes to weapons. On the other hand, they fear that allowing Egypt to violate the historic 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty is “a slippery slope,” as one senior Israeli official put it. » Read more

'Lynching' in Zion Square ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Jill Jacobs - (Opinion) August 21, 2012 - 12:00am On August 17, a mob of several dozen Israeli Jewish teenagers — some reports say as many as 50 — assaulted four Palestinian youths in the center of Jerusalem in an attack that the Jerusalem police have labeled an attempted “lynching.” The young people shouted “death to Arabs” as they chased down and beat the Palestinians. One of the four victims remains in critical condition after being resuscitated. » Read more

Israeli attack goes to heart of society in crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) August 23, 2012 - 12:00am When they were taken into court in handcuffs, the Israeli boys and girls who came close to committing murder tried to hide their faces, shielding themselves from the glare of the cameras. Yet the media coverage has been relentless and has starkly exposed the violence that pervades so much of Israeli society. » Read more

Alleged Hate Crime in Israel Part of Larger Trend ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Dan Ephron - (Opinion) August 22, 2012 - 12:00am An alleged hate crime against Palestinians in West Jerusalem this week, which left one young man unconscious and in the hospital, underscores a troubling reality: that Israeli teens are more militantly anti-Arab than their parents and increasingly more prone to rejecting democratic values. » Read more

Ethics matter, the world tells Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) August 22, 2012 - 12:00am We may be quietly witnessing these days an important change in Middle Eastern history. The calm, rational human emphasis on ethical behavior and the quest for peace and justice could be triumphing over the attempt to spread victimization and hysteria and to overlook violent and criminal behavior. » Read more

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