March 28th

Diplomats: New European proposal on Mideast peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Edith M. Lederer - March 25, 2011 - 12:00am

Britain, France and Germany want the United Nations and the European Union to propose the outlines of a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state, U.N. diplomats said.

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Diplomats: New European proposal on Mideast peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Edith M. Lederer - March 25, 2011 - 12:00am

Britain, France and Germany want the United Nations and the European Union to propose the outlines of a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state, U.N. diplomats said.

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March 25th

PM Fayyad says a Palestinian state is in Israel’s interests. Defense Secretary Gates denounces attacks on Israel from Gaza. J Street stirs controversy. Israeli tank shells kill four Palestinians, including three children. The new film Miral narrates the Palestinian experience under occupation. Israel seems wary about another war in Gaza. Aaron David Miller says the Israel-Palestine issue is likely remain on the back burner. Pres. Abbas says Israel and Palestine should have peace, not war. The PA releases detained Islamic Jihad leaders. A new poll shows strong Palestinian support for Mideast changes. The US urges restraint. Analysts say the surge of violence is a result of internal conflict within Hamas. Rockets land deep into Israel. Dan Rather’s news crew is harassed by Israeli security. Israel again destroys a Palestinian-built road in “Area C.” PM Netanyahu says Israel’s response will be measured. Oudeh Basharat says that by Israel banning commemorations of the nakba, the Palestinian narrative has won. Ha’aretz says Israel has little to gain from an escalation with Hamas, but that it may be inevitable. Some Israeli leaders threaten a large-scale operation in Gaza. Egypt reiterates its commitment to the treaty with Israel. Israelis fear Palestinian moves for UN recognition. Gazans continue to live in fear of Israeli attacks. Seth Freedman says the Jerusalem bomb attack will only harm Palestinian interests.

Escalation in revenge attacks pushes Israel closer to war
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Catrina Stewart - March 25, 2011 - 12:00am

A rocket fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza struck an area close to Tel Aviv yesterday in a bold attack that could provoke Israel into a decisive strike and bring it one step closer to a new Middle East war. The latest attack, which injured nobody and landed in an unpopulated area 15 miles south of the city, will unsettle Israelis, who are used to seeing low-grade rockets and mortars drop mostly harmlessly in areas close to Gaza, but rarely feel threatened in cities such as Tel Aviv.

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Jerusalem bus bomb will harm the Palestinian cause
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Seth Freedman - (Opinion) March 24, 2011 - 12:00am

The deadly attack in Jerusalem on Wednesday has, inevitably, further ratcheted up the tension that has been brewing in the region for weeks. The strike at the heart of the city's teeming transport hub demands a strong response from the Israeli government, both for the sake of its own people and to warn Palestinian militants that a return to the bloodstained days of a decade ago is in neither side's best interests.

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Jerusalem bus bomb will harm the Palestinian cause
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Seth Freedman - (Opinion) March 24, 2011 - 12:00am

The deadly attack in Jerusalem on Wednesday has, inevitably, further ratcheted up the tension that has been brewing in the region for weeks. The strike at the heart of the city's teeming transport hub demands a strong response from the Israeli government, both for the sake of its own people and to warn Palestinian militants that a return to the bloodstained days of a decade ago is in neither side's best interests.

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Gazans count cost of escalating violence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News
by Jon Donnison - March 24, 2011 - 12:00am

"Why is Palestinian blood cheaper than Israeli blood?" asks Wael Abu Awema, a 40-year-old father of five. There have been Israeli attacks on Gaza every day this week. At least 10 Palestinians have been killed, including at least four civilians, two of them children. More than 30 Palestinians have been injured. "Of course we are worried. My kids are wetting themselves at night when they hear the Israeli air strikes," says Mr Abu Awema. His eyes are bloodshot and red, as if he also might be losing sleep.

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Shalev: UNGA ‘Palestine’ resolution may have real impact
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
by David Horovitz - March 25, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel failed to realize until recently that the Palestinian bid to win United Nations General Assembly endorsement for statehood in September might not be merely declarative, but could have profound practical consequences under the provisions of a little-known UNGA resolution, Gabriela Shalev, the former Israeli ambassador to the UN, has told The Jerusalem Post. UNGA Resolution 377, also known as the “Uniting for Peace” resolution, was passed during the Korean War in 1950, at the initiative of the US, because the Soviet Union was vetoing UN Security Council action to protect South Korea.

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Egypt tells J'lem it is committed to the peace accord
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
March 24, 2011 - 12:00am

Egypt's foreign minister told an Israeli official on Thursday that Cairo was committed to its international treaties, Egypt's foreign ministry said, reiterating that the countries' peace accord is secure. It was the first publicly announced meeting between an Egyptian and an Israeli official since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was toppled from power on Feb. 11 and handed power to the military.

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'IDF will have to carry out large-scale operation in Gaza'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
March 25, 2011 - 12:00am

Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) on Friday said that he estimates that the IDF will eventually have to carry out a large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip, bigger than Operation Cast Lead. Sa'ar made the comments in an interview with Israel Radio. Sa'ar said that he understood local authorities in the South who decided to cancel school in light of increased rocket and mortar fire, but emphasized that the Home Front Command said that studies could continue as usual.

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