March 24th

Germany Backs Israel All The Way
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Peter Hirschberg - March 24, 2008 - 5:52pm

German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed that her country would always stand by Israel, that she was committed to halting Iran's nuclear ambitions, and that rocket attacks by Palestinian militants in Gaza on Israeli towns and cities were a criminal act.

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Middle East Peace Plans Under Threat As Hamas And Fatah Talk Of Unity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times
by James Hider - March 24, 2008 - 5:51pm

Hamas and Fatah, the rival Palestinian factions locked in a bitter cold war for almost a year, agreed yesterday to open formal talks on reconciliation as part of a deal brokered by Yemen. Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni President, persuaded the two sides to come together to discuss ways of returning to the power-sharing deal in place before last summer’s fighting. The announcement came as Dick Cheney, the US Vice-President, visited the Fatah-led Government in the West Bank and said that the foundation of a Palestinian state was “long overdue”.

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Cheney Says A Palestinian State Is 'long Overdue'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Ashraf Khalil - March 24, 2008 - 5:50pm

Declaring that an independent Palestinian state was "long overdue," Vice President Dick Cheney said on Sunday that the success of the U.S.-sponsored peace negotiations depends on the Palestinian ability to rein in militant groups that favor armed resistance over negotiations.

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Cheney Meets Israelis And Palestinians To Promote Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - March 24, 2008 - 5:49pm

Vice President Dick Cheney met Sunday with Israeli and Palestinian leaders here and in the West Bank city of Ramallah in what American officials described as an effort to promote the peace process. But Israeli officials seemed more interested in seeking Mr. Cheney’s help with broader regional issues, chief among them the perceived threat from Iran, while Palestinian officials expressed deep pessimism about the peace process and prospects of success.

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March 23rd

The New York Times reports on US Vice President Dick Cheney’s trip to the Middle East (1). Opinions in BitterLemons by Yossi Alpher and Sam Bahour discuss the armed conflict in Gaza (5) and its economy (6) respectively. Al-Quds reports on an inspection of Palestinian Security Forces by Minister Al Yahya and General Dayton (8). An opinion by Rami Khouri in the Daily Star illustrates a basic building block toward reconciliation (10). In Haaretz, an analysis of Olmert’s agenda by Moshe Arens (12).

March 20th

Bring Meretz Into The Government
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) March 20, 2008 - 6:32pm

MK Haim Oron's impressive victory in the internal elections for the Meretz party leadership once again raises the question of whether the party will join the coalition. Oron, who is known for his good working relationship with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and who has won the esteem of the Knesset, should consider this possibility.

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Pressure? What Are You Talking About?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Shmuel Rosner - (Opinion) March 20, 2008 - 6:31pm

To tell the truth, I didn't ask him," Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs David Welch said in response to a question from U.S. Representative Gary Ackerman (Democrat, N.Y.). The person who wasn't asked was Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the question that wasn't asked was whether he planned to run for a second term in a year.

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Palestinian President Affirms Rejection Of Approving Parliamentary Bills
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Kuwait News Agency (kuna)
March 20, 2008 - 6:29pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas affirmed on Thursday his firm opposition to approve or sign any bill forwarded by the Palestinian legislative assembly. The official spokesman of the president said in a statement that Abbas based his unwavering rejection on the constituent law of the parliament regarding legality of the sessions. He added that the president would not alter this stance on the basis that the council's sessions lacked the legal quorum for drafting bills.

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Israel Demolishes Palestinian Homes In West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
March 20, 2008 - 6:28pm

Israeli bulldozers, backed by armed troops, have destroyed five homes in an Israeli-controlled section of the West Bank. The Israeli military said the houses were demolished because they had been built without construction permits. Israeli human rights groups say few building applications are ever granted. That forces Palestinians to build without approval.

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In Praise Of Al-jazeera
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Avi Weinberg - (Opinion) March 20, 2008 - 6:25pm

  Several journalists in Israel immediately stood up to defend the Arab network and condemn the boycott, and this condemnation is indeed justified, because it is improper for a government to limit journalists even if their reports are not to the liking of some cabinet members. Yet al-Jazeera does not need this protection: It can easily continue to report even without Israel’s official spokespersons appears on its shows. In order to document what’s happening on the ground there is no need to interview tie-wearing officials who utter sophisticated messages.

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