March 23rd

Reality check: Tied in knots? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Jeff Barak - (Opinion) March 22, 2009 - 12:00am Ehud Barak's shameless determination to stay on at the Defense Ministry, even at the expense of destroying the Labor Party and making a mockery of the election results, is diverting attention from a more problematic ministerial appointment: the choice of Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister. » Read more

Israeli Soldiers Confirm Indiscriminate Killing, Destruction in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times by Mel Frykberg - March 23, 2009 - 12:00am Testimony coming to light, starting last week, from a growing number of Israeli soldiers who took part in Israel's three-week bloody offensive in Gaza in January, codenamed Operation Cast Lead, is confirming what the media and human rights organizations have been saying for several months. Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations, among others, accused Israel of committing extensive war crimes in Gaza and called for those responsible to be brought to justice. » Read more

Netanyahu signs coalition deal with hawkish Shas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press March 23, 2009 - 12:00am Incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brought a nationalist religious party into his emerging coalition today, taking a major step toward securing the parliamentary majority he needs to form a government. As Netanyahu wrapped up the deal with the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, he also launched formal coalition talks with the centrist Labour Party in the hope of moderating what is shaping up to be a narrow, hawkish government. Adding Labour could provide stability and international credibility, but many Labour politicians oppose joining forces with Netanyahu. » Read more

Responsibility sought by injured American's parents ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ronen Medzini - March 23, 2009 - 12:00am The parents of American national Tristan Anderson, who was critically injured during a protest in Naalin against the security fence by a tear gas shell fired by anti-riot forces, held a press conference Monday in Jerusalem. Nancy and Mike Anderson said their son never presented a threat to anyone and demanded that the State of Israel take responsibility for their son. » Read more

The myth of the Israeli unity government ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) March 23, 2009 - 12:00am Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for two more weeks to form a coalition, the maximum allotted time under Israeli law, is neither surprising nor particularly encouraging. While the prime minister designate has stated that he is taking the additional time to forge a broader coalition, there is more self-interest behind the decision than any real enthusiasm for the peace process. Nor is there real reason to believe that a coalition government that embraces more than just the Right would be any greater friend of peace. » Read more

A Religious War in Israel’s Army ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - (Analysis) March 21, 2009 - 12:00am The publication late last week of eyewitness accounts by Israeli soldiers alleging acute mistreatment of Palestinian civilians in the recent Gaza fighting highlights a debate here about the rules of war. But it also exposes something else: the clash between secular liberals and religious nationalists for control over the army and society. Several of the testimonies, published by an institute that runs a premilitary course and is affiliated with the left-leaning secular kibbutz movement, showed a distinct impatience with religious soldiers, portraying them as self-appointed holy warriors. » Read more

Israeli Soldiers Confirm Indiscriminate Killing, Destruction in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times by Mel Frykberg - March 23, 2009 - 12:00am Testimony coming to light, starting last week, from a growing number of Israeli soldiers who took part in Israel's three-week bloody offensive in Gaza in January, codenamed Operation Cast Lead, is confirming what the media and human rights organizations have been saying for several months. Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations, among others, accused Israel of committing extensive war crimes in Gaza and called for those responsible to be brought to justice. » Read more

Netanyahu signs coalition deal with hawkish Shas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press March 23, 2009 - 12:00am Incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brought a nationalist religious party into his emerging coalition today, taking a major step toward securing the parliamentary majority he needs to form a government. As Netanyahu wrapped up the deal with the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, he also launched formal coalition talks with the centrist Labour Party in the hope of moderating what is shaping up to be a narrow, hawkish government. Adding Labour could provide stability and international credibility, but many Labour politicians oppose joining forces with Netanyahu. » Read more

Israel Military condemns soldiers' shocking T-shirts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - March 22, 2009 - 12:00am The Israeli military yesterday officially condemned as "unacceptable" shocking images printed on T-shirts ordered by some soldiers to commemorate the end of their basic training or field duty. The Israeli daily Haaretz disclosed that some T-shirts are emblazoned with "dead babies, mothers weeping on their children's graves, a gun aimed at a child and bombed-out mosques". One, which the paper says was a sharpshooter's T-shirt, shows a pregnant Arab woman with a bullseye superimposed on her belly, accompanied by the slogan "1 shot, 2 kills". » Read more

Car Bomb Found Near Crowded Israeli Mall ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Howard Schneider - March 22, 2009 - 12:00am A 200-pound car bomb malfunctioned near a crowded mall in the Israeli port city of Haifa on Saturday night, averting what could have been one of the largest such attacks in Israel in the past several years, police said. A bomb squad was called to the Lev Hamifratz shopping center after a small explosion, possibly a detonation charge, inside a Subaru in the mall's parking lot, according to police. » Read more