Hillary Rodham Clinton's harsh words stun Israel
Media Mention of Ziad Asali In The Los Angeles Times - March 14, 2010 - 1:00am

Beginning as a spat over a single housing project, a dispute this week between the Obama administration and Israel has ballooned into the biggest U.S.-Israeli clash in 20 years, adding to months of strain between Washington and one of its closest allies. Israel's decision to move ahead with 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem, announced during a visit by Vice President Joe Biden, drew criticism from Washington in language rarely directed at even Iran or North Korea. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Israel's announcement "was an insult to the United States."


Fallout continues from Israel's announcement of 1600 new settler units in occupied East Jerusalem during the VP Biden's visit: PM Netanyahu apologizes but indicates no change in policy; Tom Friedman says Biden should have left Israel as soon as the announcement was made; Sec. Clinton and other administration officials continue to express outrage and have reportedly asked Israel to cancel the plan; speculation is rife about its impact on US-Israel relations; YNet says Israel now has to implement a de facto freeze in Jerusalem; Aaron David Miller says the administration is unlikely to want an extended confrontation; the Jerusalem Post says the controversy is a godsend to the PA and is being used by the administration to force clarity on the Israeli government. Israel extends its closure in the occupied West Bank for three more days and declares villages that have been the scene of nonviolent protests "closed military areas." Ha'aretz describes the abuse of a Palestinian shepherd by Israeli soldiers, and the Guardian reports on mistreatment of hundreds of Palestinian children in Israeli detention. A report in Foreign Policy says the US military believes that Israel's policies are endangering US troops.

Bad time for Israel settlements fight
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico
by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) March 12, 2010 - 1:00am


This week in Israel, Vice President Joe Biden found out something that he’s probably known for quite some time: No good deed goes unpunished. Shortly after Biden arrived in Jerusalem on Tuesday, to reassure the Israelis and coordinate efforts on Iran and other issues, Israel’s Ministry of the Interior announced the construction of 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem.


The Petraeus briefing: Biden’s embarrassment is not the whole story
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Marc Perry - (Analysis) March 13, 2010 - 1:00am


On Jan. 16, two days after a killer earthquake hit Haiti, a team of senior military officers from the U.S. Central Command (responsible for overseeing American security interests in the Middle East), arrived at the Pentagon to brief Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The team had been dispatched by CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus to underline his growing worries at the lack of progress in resolving the issue. The 33-slide, 45-minute PowerPoint briefing stunned Mullen.


Jail ordeal of hundreds of Palestinian children arrested for throwing stones
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rory McCarthy - March 14, 2010 - 1:00am


With more than 300 Palestinian children being held in Israeli prisons, human rights groups and Palestinian officials are increasingly concerned about the actions of the Israeli military. The Israeli group B'Tselem said that security forces had "severely violated" the rights of a number of children, aged between 12 and 15, who had been taken into custody in recent months.


Even Labor ministers oppose halting east Jerusalem building
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gil Hoffman - (Analysis) March 14, 2010 - 1:00am


Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu received backing from his ministers and the parties in his coalition Sunday as he faced a deepening crisis in Israel’s relations with the American administration. While officials in Washington were quoted as saying that Netanyahu would have to choose between his ties with US President Barack Obama’s government and his coalition partners, ministers and MKs took steps to ensure that he would not have to make such a difficult choice.


For PA, Ramat Shlomo brouhaha is a godsend
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - (Analysis) March 15, 2010 - 12:00am


The crisis that erupted last week between the US and Israel over plans to build 1,600 new homes in Jerusalem’s Ramat Shlomo neighborhood has been welcomed by the Palestinian Authority as a “positive development.” PA officials and media outlets have since been highlighting – with a tone full of satisfaction – every single report or statement about the crisis between Jerusalem and Washington.


Settlements or us
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by David Horovitz - (Analysis) March 15, 2010 - 12:00am


Binyamin Netanyahu had thought that the crisis was over.


Estimate: De-facto freeze in J'lem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Roni Sofer - March 15, 2010 - 12:00am


Israel faces no choice but to enforce a de-facto construction freeze in greater Jerusalem. Netanyahu won't officially announce it, but will quietly execute it, says a senior cabinet source Amidst crisis with the White House, how will Israel respond to the American demands? According to a senior source in the government, "The price for the American insult will be a de-facto construction freeze across greater Jerusalem. There will be no other choice, due to the government's stupidity," the source told Ynet.


Settlers' call sends Palestinian shepherd to IDF beating
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - March 15, 2010 - 12:00am


The response from the Israel Defense Forces spokesman came surprisingly quickly; a mere two or three hours after the query had been sent by Haaretz, the spokesman replied orally, and then in writing, that "following the reporter's question and after receiving most of the facts, the chief [military] prosecutor, Col. Jana Modzagbrishvili has instructed the military police to look into the matter." The matter, according to most of the facts, was that soldiers had beaten a civilian, who was bound and blindfolded, for several hours on January 7.



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