March 17th

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.

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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.

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Israel Objects to U.S. Construction Demands
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - March 16, 2010 - 12:00am

The discord between the United States and Israel over Jewish building in East Jerusalem deepened Tuesday with Israeli officials saying they would reject demands by Washington and expressing anger over the public upbraiding of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the Obama administration.

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Opportunity in a Fight With Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Mark Landler - (Analysis) March 16, 2010 - 12:00am

For President Obama, getting into a serious fight with Israel carries obvious domestic and foreign political risks. But it may offer the administration a payoff it sees as worthwhile: shoring up Mr. Obama’s credibility as a Middle East peacemaker by showing doubtful Israelis and Palestinians that he has the fortitude to push the two sides toward an agreement.

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March 16th

Coverage continues to be dominated by the controversy over Jerusalem settlements: US anger is intensifying; the consecration of an East Jerusalem synagogue adds to the controversy; Roger Cohen says Obama has every reason to be angry, but Washington Post says the President is picking on Israel; the administration is reportedly pressuring Israel to accept conditions for new talks, is still waiting for a formal response and expresses confidence; Israel says settlement activity in Jerusalem will continue; the PA condemns settlement expansion and child detentions; Special Envoy Mitchell's travel plans are now on hold; PM Netanyahu says Jerusalem settlements "in no way" hurt Palestinians and a Ha'aretz commentary questions his fitness to lead; Hamas announces a "day of rage"; both the JTA and the Arab News say this crisis is "serious." Israeli soldiers reportedly wound seven Palestinians. Ghassan Khatib and Yossi Alpher praise the PA state and institution building program.

The best option
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) March 15, 2010 - 12:00am

Under prevailing circumstances, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's unilateral state-building plan is the best option available for all those truly concerned with advancing a two-state solution that maintains Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Not only must Fayyad succeed in the coming year, but the international community must endorse and recognize his achievement and encourage Israel to follow suit.

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A pillar of state-building
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) March 15, 2010 - 12:00am

The program of the 13th Palestinian government, entitled "Ending the Occupation and Establishing the State", might have been similar to the programs of previous governments were it not for its political context. The two-year program, which has become known as the Fayyad Plan, is meant to prepare the ground for statehood through the necessary developments and improvements in building the institutions of a state. The plan gained political momentum, first on the international level, because it was received as a possible alternative to the decaying peace process.

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MIDEAST: U.S.-Israeli Tensions Escalating Quickly
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Jim Lobe - (Interview) March 15, 2010 - 12:00am

The crisis touched off by last week's announcement of Israel's plans to build 1,600 new homes for Jews in Arab East Jerusalem during a high-profile visit by U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden appears to be escalating rapidly. Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to Washington and a historian who has written widely on ties between the two nations, called the growing contretemps "the worst (bilateral) crisis in 35 years" in a teleconference with other U.S.-based Israeli diplomats Saturday night, according to a number of published accounts.

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US-Israel crisis - this time it's serious
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Barbara Ferguson - March 16, 2010 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON: Tension between the United States and Israel went up a notch on Monday when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said construction in occupied East Jerusalem would continue as usual. "Construction will continue in Jerusalem as has been the case over the past 42 years," Netanyahu told members of his Likud party.

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U.S.-Israel crisis: This time, it's serious
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - March 15, 2010 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Last summer, when the relationship between the Obama and Netanyahu administrations was getting off to what appeared to be a rocky start, Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren was at pains -- twice -- to deny that he had been "summoned" to the State Department for a dressing down. One such "meeting" was actually a friendly phone call, he said, and the other was a routine getting-to-know-you meeting. The distinction was key, he told journalists: When the State Department actually "summons" an envoy, "That's serious."

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