March 23rd

Settlements strain Israel's relationships with U.S. and Hillary Clinton ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Dana Milbank - (Opinion) March 23, 2010 - 12:00am As members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee entered the Washington Convention Center on Monday for their annual conference, a man stood outside, handing out copies of what he called "today's statement." On AIPAC letterhead, the statement trumpeted: "AIPAC Calls on the Israeli Government to Immediately Defuse Tensions with United States; Urges Israel to Freeze All Settlements." » Read more

A strong Obama is good for Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - March 23, 2010 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet a U.S. president Tuesday who is full of vigor and satisfaction. Barack Obama managed, albeit partially, where many other capable people, including his secretary of state, failed completely. The passage of the health reform bill became a true test of the president's strength. It would not be an exaggeration to say that leaders around the world watched the vote in Congress, and while some feared for the future of the president, others hoped that he would stumble and fall. » Read more

Anti-corruption campaigner is headache for Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Karin Laub, Dalia Nammari - March 22, 2010 - 12:00am After getting a top Palestinian official suspended over an embarrassing sex tape, self-styled anti-corruption campaigner Fahmi Shabaneh feels unstoppable. The former Palestinian intelligence agent is already zooming in on his next targets, including his former boss and a top Islamic court judge. He also set up a Web site so ordinary Palestinians can send him evidence of official misconduct, thievery and nepotism. "I'm going to the end," he said of his unprecedented crusade. » Read more

Israeli settlements an economic choice, says study ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Shmulik Grossman - March 23, 2010 - 12:00am Israel builds thousands of homes in the West Bank each year, with settlers drawn mainly by economic benefits, according to an analysis published on Tuesday by the Tel Aviv Macro Center for Political Economics and conducted by Dr. Roby Nathanson. The United States and European Union consider the settlements illegitimate and an obstacle to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. But Israelis are attracted by their offer of affordable housing in a pleasant landscape. » Read more

At AIPAC conference, U.S., Israel try to lower tensions ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Glenn Kessler - March 23, 2010 - 12:00am The United States and Israel on Monday attempted to get their relationship back on track after nearly two weeks of tension by continuing to disagree on Jewish construction in a disputed area of Jerusalem but pledging to press forward on peace efforts with the Palestinians. » Read more

Analysis: Blundering toward disaster ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by David Horovitz - March 23, 2010 - 12:00am WASHINGTON – They applauded her entrance. They applauded intermittently throughout her speech. The loudest and most sustained ovation, predictably, came when she demanded that “Gilad Schalit must be released immediately and reunited with his family.” Overall, the reception, if not euphoric, was warm. » Read more

Britain to Expel Israeli Diplomat Over Dubai Case ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ian Deitch, Aron Heller, Gregory Katz, Raphael G. Satter - March 23, 2010 - 12:00am Britain will expel an Israeli diplomat on Tuesday to rebuke Israel for its alleged use of forged British passports in the assassination of a Hamas operative in a suspected Mossad hit, a U.K. government official said. Foreign Secretary David Miliband was scheduled to address Parliament over the issue, following an investigation into the use of 12 fake U.K. passports in the incident. Britain's Foreign Office would not provide any details of Miliband's statement in advance. » Read more

Time to act ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Hassan Barari - (Opinion) March 23, 2010 - 12:00am Arabs are enamoured with senior officials in the American administration who are at a loggerhead with Israel over the controversy of new development in East Jerusalem. Explicit in the plethora of articles in the Arabic press is the hope that the American administration will follow through on its effort to force the Israeli government to submit to American pressure. » Read more

Make Israe pay an 'occupation tax' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Ezzedine Choukri Fishere - (Editorial) March 22, 2010 - 12:00am Arab intellectuals and policymakers have often accused Europe of using financial generosity to cover up its political impotence over the Arab-Israeli conflict. If Europe is to be taken seriously as a global player, they argue, it must also flex some muscle when it delivers the money. In Arab eyes, European officials implicitly plead guilty to these charges by pointing to Europe’s complex multilateral politics and the European Union’s bureaucratic nature. Europe’s Arab interlocutors are unimpressed: they want Europe to stop talking like a Great Power and start acting like one. » Read more

Netanyahu Takes Hard Line on Jerusalem Housing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Mark Landler - March 22, 2010 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, under extraordinary pressure from the Obama administration to curb the construction of Jewish housing in Jerusalem, served notice on Monday that his government would not yield easily to American demands. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the gala banquet of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual policy conference on Monday night. » Read more