March 8th

AN ISRAELI VIEW: Weak leaders responding poorly ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - (Editorial) March 7, 2011 - 1:00am The revolutionary events sweeping the region, Egypt especially, have thus far produced a knee-jerk reaction on the part of the PLO and Palestinian Authority leadership that seemingly reflects a shallow decision-making process in Ramallah. The same, undoubtedly, can be said for the Netanyahu government in Jerusalem. » Read more

A PALESTINIAN VIEW: Sharing the search for freedom ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Editorial) March 7, 2011 - 1:00am The wave of protests demanding change in a growing number of countries marks a new era in the recent history of the Arab world. It is not a coincidence that Egypt has taken the lead in its revolution for political and social development. It comes half a century after Egypt took the lead in an Arab liberation movement that succeeded in ending direct colonial control over the region. » Read more

At Berkeley campus, Jewish students from left to right on Israel talk about their motivations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Sue Fishkoff - March 7, 2011 - 1:00am It’s March, which means the days get longer and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict heats up on campuses across North America with the annual staging of Israel Apartheid Week. Last year, pro-Israel activists countered Apartheid Week events ranging from anti-Israel speeches to the staging of mock Israeli army checkpoints with pro-Israel events on 28 campuses highlighting Israel’s diversity and progressive character. This year, more campuses are expected to join in. » Read more

Palestinian Woman Serves Up Success With West Bank Café Chain ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Felice Friedson - March 7, 2011 - 1:00am When Huda El-Jack speaks, it’s with more than an American accent. She exudes an American entrepreneurial drive that she has brought to the Palestinian Authority and, in her own energetic way, she’s paving a path for Palestinian women to assume a greater role in the economy. » Read more

As Gas Supplies Are Cut, Israel Sees First Worrying Sign of New Mideast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Rosenberg - March 7, 2011 - 1:00am A month after militants attacked a Sinai pipeline, supply has yet to resume Israel’s energy industry looks like it’s on its way to becoming the country’s first casualty of the emerging new Middle East, where governments are responding to public pressure for an end to secret deals and taking a harder line on the Jewish state. » Read more

Rabbi Wolpo: Fire rubber bullets back at soldiers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Kobi Nahshoni - March 8, 2011 - 1:00am SOS Israel Chairman Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpo called on West Bank settlers living in outposts and their supporters to use violence against soldiers and officers who use crowd dispersal means during evacuations. In a radio interview Saturday night, Rabbi Wolpo estimated that Israel was heading toward a civil war. "The army decided to fight against settlers and against the people and State of Israel. » Read more

Israel can't use force against the next Palestinian uprising ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Menachem Klein - (Editorial) March 8, 2011 - 1:00am If the South Sudanese and East Timorese gained independence before the Palestinians, something went seriously wrong. How can one compare these places to the religious and international standing of Palestine? This must be the thinking of any Palestinians who have calculated their private profit and loss columns since the Oslo Accords. » Read more

Former Dutch PM tells Haaretz: European leaders can't trust Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - March 8, 2011 - 1:00am The red carpet was not rolled out to greet 80-year-old Dries van Agt upon his arrival at Ben-Gurion International Airport. The man who was prime minister of Holland from 1977 to 1982 is known here as one of the leading delegitimizers of Israel. » Read more

Israel may ask U.S. for $20 billion more in security aid, Barak says ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz March 8, 2011 - 1:00am Israel may request an addition $20 billion in military aid from the United States in light of the unrest sweeping the Arab world, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Monday. Barak deemed the changes in the region a "movement in the right direction", and said that in the long run, Israel should not fear the "movement of Arab societies toward modernity." But in the more immediate future, he told the WSJ, Israel would have to contend with the fact that Iran and Syria "might be the last to feel the heat" and join the trend of unrest. » Read more

Israeli gov't orders demolition of illegal West Bank outposts by year end ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 8, 2011 - 1:00am The Israeli government is committed to removing illegal outposts on private Palestinian land in the West Bank by the end of 2011, a government official told Xinhua on Monday. The decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet followed a petition filed by the Israeli left-wing NGO Peace Now to the High Court, demanding the razing of six controversial outposts, including locales known as Givat Asaf, Mitzpe Yitzhar and Mitzpeh Lachish. » Read more