March 23rd

A small war is starting along Gaza border ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - (Blog) March 23, 2011 - 12:00am While the headlines are focusing on the Katsav trial, the protests in Syria and the implications of the earthquake in Japan, a small war has been going on for a week now along the Gaza border. Israeli communities near the border are receiving a daily dose of mortars and rockets, and the Israel Air Force has been attacking Gaza. What began as a local escalation is steadily transforming into a broader conflict that the sides will apparently have difficulty stopping, though it's doubtful either side has an interest in reaching that point. » Read more

Palestinians push for talks renewal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - March 23, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki pleaded with the Israeli government Tuesday to return to the negotiations table "before it's too late." In a speech given at a peace convention in Tel Aviv University, al-Maliki said that "Abu-Mazen is the most moderate leader and it'll be a shame if we miss this opportunity." However the minister warned that "If we don't reach an agreement by September, Abu-Mazen will resign. If that happens, we'll loose all hope for peace." » Read more

Abbas to Russia: Pressure Israel to halt Gaza escalation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post March 23, 2011 - 12:00am In addition to requesting that the Russians pressure Netanyahu over the escalation of violence in Gaza, he also criticized him for commenting on Palestinian reconciliation efforts. Responding to Netanyahu's speech Tuesday in the Knesset where he said that Abbas could choose between "peace with Israel or Hamas," the Palestinian Authority president retorted, "Israel has no right to object to Palestinian conciliation, it has no stake in Palestinian national unity." » Read more

Fayyad freezes cabinet reshuffle to make way for possible unity gov't ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 22, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Prime Minister- designate Salam Fayyad froze the reshuffle of his West Bank-based government to make way for President Mahmoud Abbas' proposal to form a unity government with the Gaza Strip, an official said Tuesday. "There has been nothing new with Fayyad's authorization to reshuffle the government," the official told Xinhua, speaking on condition of anonymity. » Read more

Arab League condemns Israeli attacks on Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 22, 2011 - 12:00am The Arab League (AL) condemned on Tuesday the latest Israeli aggression against the Palestinians, calling international community to intervene to halt the attacks. After an extraordinary meeting of permanent delegates, the pan- Arab body urged in a statement the United Nations and the Quartet to shoulder the responsibility to halt constant aggression. "The Palestinian cause and people's rights are a top priority for all the Arab states and the AL until the declaration of an independent state according to the 1967 borders and Jerusalem as its capital," said the statement. » Read more

French PM: Palestinian state must be created in 2011 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post March 22, 2011 - 12:00am The Israeli-Palestinian peace process should not be forgotten even while there is unrest taking place in Arab countries and 2011 must be the year that a Palestinian state is created, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said Tuesday. The people of the region "are also concerned with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which must not be forgotten while Arab political transition is taking place," he told the National Assembly in a debate on armed intervention in Libya. » Read more

Israel is blind to the Arab revolution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Aluf Benn - (Opinion) March 22, 2011 - 12:00am Even in its third month, the Arab revolution fails to resonate positively in Israel. The Israeli news media devote a lot of space to dramatic events in the region, but our self-centered political discourse remains the same. It cannot see beyond the recent escalation across the Gaza border, or the approaching possibility of a Palestinian declaration of statehood in September. Israel's leaders are missing the old order in the Arab world, sensing only trouble in the unfolding and perhaps inevitable change. » Read more

Netanyahu says Israel ‘regrets’ hitting Palestinian civilians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) March 22, 2011 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he regretted the accidental killing of four members of a Palestinian family in their Gaza home by Israeli tank fire. Netanyahu in a statement Tuesday from the Prime Minister's Office emphasized that the shooting was in response to fire by Hamas at Israeli citizens. » Read more

Israel passes laws that critics say are anti-Arab ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Aron Heller - March 23, 2011 - 12:00am The Israeli parliament approved a pair of laws Wednesday that critics said were discriminatory and aimed against the country's Arab minority. The first law denies state funding to any municipality that commemorates Israel's 1948 creation as the "nakba," or "catastrophe." Palestinians use the term to describe their defeat and exile in the war that surrounded Israel's founding. The second law grants small communities the authority to reject admission to applicants that are perceived as not fitting into their social fabric. » Read more

U.S. praises PA security progress ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) March 22, 2011 - 12:00am The Obama administration lauded the progress of Palestinian security services. "The program has witnessed increased coordination of activities amongst international donors, and is achieving notable progress on security, justice, corrections, and other new fronts," the U.S. State Department said in a statement issued Sunday. The statement marked last weekend's visit to the region by William Brownfield, the assistant secretary of state who is responsible for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, which runs the training program for Palestinian Authority police. » Read more