March 12th

Clinton: U.S. Gaza aid tied to recognition of Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - March 12, 2009 - 12:00am Some $900 million pledged by the United States to the Palestinians will be withdrawn if the expected Palestinian Authority coalition government between Fatah and Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist, Western and Israeli diplomats said Wednesday. During her visit to the region last week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas against forming a coalition with Hamas that will not meet the expectations of the Quartet. » Read more

Hamas condemns Gaza rocket strikes on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press March 12, 2009 - 12:00am Gaza's Hamas rulers issued rare criticism Thursday of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel from the strip, saying now is the wrong time for such attacks. The Islamic militant group has fired thousands of rockets at southern Israel in recent years. But Hamas said Thursday that it was not behind recent attacks and that it was investigating who was responsible. It apparently fears that new rocket fire could disrupt the reconciliation talks currently underway in Cairo. » Read more

The Country's Loss ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by David Broder - March 12, 2009 - 12:00am The Obama administration has just suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the lobbyists the president vowed to keep in their place, and their friends on Capitol Hill. The country has lost an able public servant in an area where President Obama has few personal credentials of his own -- the handling of national intelligence. Charles Freeman, the man who was slated to be chairman of the National Intelligence Council, the high-level interagency group that prepares evaluations for the president and other senior officials, suddenly withdrew his name Tuesday night. » Read more

Intelligence Pick Blames 'Israel Lobby' For Withdrawal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Walter Pincus - March 12, 2009 - 12:00am The withdrawal of a senior intelligence adviser after an online campaign to prevent him from taking office has ignited a debate over whether powerful pro-Israel lobbying interests are exercising outsize influence over who serves in the Obama administration. » Read more

The key is an end to occupation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab - March 12, 2009 - 12:00am Following the words and efforts of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Sharm El Sheikh, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ramallah, one gets the feeling that she was on a hard-sell campaign trying to convince the majority of Israelis to accept the concept of the two-state solution. For now, Palestinians are more interested in the end of the decades-old occupation of their lands. » Read more

Egypt urges Palestinian unity agreement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - March 11, 2009 - 12:00am Egyptian moderators want a power-sharing agreement between the various Palestinian factions by Saturday, a participant in the talks in Cairo said on Thursday. Negotiator Samir Ghosheh, a member of one of the smaller factions, said that he and his colleagues were told by Egypt that they need to produce an agreement by the weekend. An accord is seen as essential for financing reconstruction in Gaza. » Read more

Progress made on security in Palestinian unity talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 11, 2009 - 12:00am GAZA, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Hamas and Fatah achieved notable progress on the issue of reforming security services during their reconciliation talks in Cairo but still divided on other issues, Palestinian officials said Wednesday. The Palestinian conferees in Cairo dialogue, who represent all the factions, work under five committees to settle the five controversial issues: forming a unity government, reforming the security services, reforming the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), holding elections and achieving the reconciliation. » Read more

Egypt wants Palestinian unity deal by Saturday ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press March 11, 2009 - 12:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: A participant in Palestinian power-sharing talks said Wednesday that Egypt wants an agreement by Saturday. Egypt is mediating between rivals Hamas and Fatah. The talks began Tuesday in Cairo. Negotiator Samir Ghosheh, who is from a tiny faction, says he and his colleagues were told by Egypt that they need to produce an agreement by Saturday. An accord is seen essential for financing reconstruction in Gaza. The deadline appeared to be a pressure tactic. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak wants to host a signing ceremony by the end of March. » Read more

Hamas crackdown on Jihad ups tensions ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - March 11, 2009 - 12:00am A crisis has erupted between Hamas and Islamic Jihad following allegations that Hamas's security forces in Gaza have been trying to prevent rocket attacks on Israel. The latest strife coincides with the start of reconciliation talks in Cairo between Hamas and Fatah. The latest round of negotiations, which began on Tuesday under the auspices of the Egyptian government, will last for 10 days and are aimed at reaching agreement on the formation of a Hamas-Fatah government. » Read more

Obama Administration Overhauls US Mideast Policy Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In Voice of America - March 11, 2009 - 12:00am The Obama administration is moving quickly to overhaul American policy on the Middle East, sending top envoys to the region and promising to push hard for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some regional analysts warn conditions on the ground may make progress especially difficult.   » Read more