Peace Can’t Be Provisional ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Ephraim Sneh - (Opinion) March 23, 2011 - 12:00am Israel needs to achieve an end to its conflict with the Palestinians. Recent developments in the region make this goal all the more urgent. Yet instead of working to achieve a permanent-status agreement, ending all claims by the two parties, we are increasingly hearing talk about pushing for an interim agreement based on provisional borders. This would be a profound mistake. » Read more

Jerusalem Blast Raises Fears of Growing Violence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - March 23, 2011 - 12:00am A bomb exploded at a crowded bus stop near Jerusalem’s main bus station on Wednesday, killing one woman and wounding at least 24 other people. It was the worst attack in Jerusalem in four years, putting Israelis on alert, shattering years of relative calm here and prompting international condemnation. Paramedics and others aided the wounded Wednesday after an explosion at a crowded Jerusalem bus stop. One person was killed and at least 24 were wounded. Residents ran for cover Wednesday during a rocket attack on the Israeli city of Beersheba, about 25 miles southeast of Gaza. » Read more

For Palestinians, action must follow talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) March 24, 2011 - 12:00am Frustrated by a stagnant political process, the Palestinian people have spoken - they want reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah. But can their leaders deliver? It seemed so at first glance last week. After street protests in Ramallah and Gaza saw thousands calling for a new unity government, Hamas's prime minister Ismail Haniyeh hastily invited Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, to Gaza. Mr Abbas, all too aware of the Palestinian Authority's crumbling support, had little choice but to respond. » Read more

'Both Israel, Hamas responsible for escalation' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab - March 24, 2011 - 12:00am Who is responsible for the sudden escalation of the situation in the Gaza Strip? All of a sudden rockets are coming out from Gaza after a period of calm and Israel tanks are shelling residential areas, which killed four members of the Helu family in the Shejaiya refugee camp in the Strip. » Read more

We Now Return to Our Regularly Scheduled Conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) March 23, 2011 - 12:00am The spread of conflict and violence across the Middle East is dampening widespread hopes of an "Arab Spring" that followed the peaceful ousters of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia. Anti-government demonstrations in Bahrain have taken on an increasingly bitter sectarian character, especially with the military intervention of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and the uprising in Libya has degenerated into an all-out civil war compounded by an international no-fly zone intervention. » Read more