Pan-Islamic body accuses Israel of dragging Mideast into "religious war" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 16, 2010 - 12:00am A pan-Islamic body accused Israel of trying to drag the Middle East into a religious war after the Jewish state inaugurated on Monday a restored historic synagogue in the Old City in East Jerusalem, not far from the third holiest site for Islam, al-Aqsa Mosque. Organization of Islamic Conference Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu "renews his call on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in pre-empting Israel from dragging the region into a religious war by continuing its blatant assault on the sanctity of Muslims," the Jeddah-based body said in a statement. » Read more

Israel lifts closure of West Bank as tensions calm ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Amy Teibel - March 17, 2010 - 12:00am Israel on Wednesday lifted its tight restrictions on Palestinian access to Jerusalem's holiest shrine and called off an extended West Bank closure after days of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces. Despite moving to end the lockdown, Israel still kept thousands of police officers on alert as an uneasy calm settled over the holy city. The recent violence has taken place against a backdrop of deep Palestinian frustration over a yearlong standstill in peace talks and dovetailed with the worst U.S.-Israeli diplomatic feud in decades. » Read more

PREVIEW-Israeli settlement dispute clouds quartet meeting ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Conor Sweeney - March 17, 2010 - 12:00am A bitter dispute over Israeli settlements is clouding the chances for progress on Friday at a high-level Moscow meeting aimed at advancing Middle East peace. Russia, eager to raise its profile as a Middle East peacemaker, has long hoped to push the process forward by hosting a follow-up to the 2007 Annapolis peace conference in the United States, with all the major players on hand. » Read more

Abed Rabbo: National conference on Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 17, 2010 - 12:00am A conference will be held to reconcile factions on a united plan to support Jerusalem and counter Israel’s position toward the Palestinian people and holy places, PLO secretary-general Yasser Abed Rabbo said Tuesday. Abed Rabbo hinted that the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah may officially take its case to the UN Security Council seeking support for its efforts against what he termed provocative Israeli actions in Jerusalem. » Read more

Why Iran smiles on Jerusalem clashes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Scott Peterson - (Analysis) March 17, 2010 - 12:00am Iran is closely watching the unfolding crisis between Israel and the United States over Israeli settlements – and Jerusalem clashes with Palestinians that injured more than 100 today – for ways to rejuvenate its diminished influence in the Middle East. » Read more

Anger builds over Israel housing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Maher Abukhater, Paul Richter, Edmund Sanders - March 17, 2010 - 12:00am Reporting from Washington and Jerusalem Paul Richter -- With anger over Israeli building plans stoking tensions about the future of Jerusalem's holy sites, violence spilled into the streets Tuesday in a string of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police that injured more than 100 people. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delayed a trip to the Middle East by the U.S. special envoy as Washington pressed the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to roll back construction of housing units in disputed East Jerusalem. » Read more

More than 100 injured in Â?Day of RageÂ? Israeli-Palestinian clashes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Maher Abukhater, Edmund Sanders - March 16, 2010 - 12:00am Rising political and religious tensions in Jerusalem spilled into the streets Tuesday with a string of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police that left more than 100 people injured. In scenes reminiscent of past uprisings, dozens of Palestinian youths, some with scarves masking their faces, pelted police with rocks, blocked roads and burned tires in half a dozen neighborhoods around East Jerusalem. Israeli police, who have been on high alert for days, responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades, witnesses said. » Read more

With subtle shift in nuance, Hillary Clinton reiterates U.S. stance on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Glenn Kessler - March 17, 2010 - 12:00am In the face of bipartisan concern over U.S. criticism of Israeli policies, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday reiterated the administration's demand for a "full commitment" to peace talks from Israel but also ever so slightly bolstered her rhetorical support for the Jewish state. » Read more

Bibi’s Tense Time-Out ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Maureen Dowd - (Opinion) March 16, 2010 - 12:00am So, Barack Obama can lose his temper without a teleprompter. And we have the supremely aggravating Bibi Netanyahu to thank for that. On St. Patrick’s Day, of all days, we wouldn’t want to think that our president did not know how to pick his donnybrooks. The American government did unfortunately apologize to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, who got mad when a State Department spokesman correctly observed that the Libyan leader doesn’t always make sense. But in the case of a defiant Israel, the White House has not yet retreated into its usual compromising crouch. » Read more

Let’s Fight Over a Big Plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Thomas L. Friedman - (Opinion) March 16, 2010 - 12:00am Underlying the latest U.S.-Israel spat over settlements is the deeper — real — problem: There are five key actors in the Israeli-Palestinian equation today. Two of them — the Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and the alliance of Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah — have clear strategies. These two are actually opposed, but one of them will shape Israeli-Palestinian relations in the coming years; indeed, their showdown is nearing. I hope Fayyad wins. It would be good for Israel, America and the moderate Arabs. But those three need their own strategy to make it happen. » Read more