Now that Goldstone has changed his mind, what’s next? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas, Marcy Oster - April 5, 2011 - 12:00am What happens now with the Goldstone Report may well be up to Goldstone. Richard Goldstone’s April 2 Op-Ed in the Washington Post disavowing his earlier assumption that Israel had committed war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity during the 2009 Gaza war has left pro-Israel activists wondering: What next? Moves already are afoot to get the United Nations to retract the U.N. Human Rights Council’s endorsement of the Goldstone report on the monthlong 2008-09 Gaza war. The Israeli government and an array of Jewish groups have issued such calls. » Read more

Cafe culture blooms in West Bank's Ramallah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Mohammed Assadi - April 6, 2011 - 12:00am While Paris's Left Bank is famous for its fine restaurants and bustling cafes, Palestine's West Bank is not. But that might be about to change. The hilly city of Ramallah, which lies just to the north of Jerusalem, has undergone a massive boom in recent years on the back of Western donor support, with new smart eateries and bars mushrooming alongside a plethora of pristine office blocks. Latest data says Ramallah and the adjacent town of Al-Bireh that it has utterly engulfed have more than 120 coffee shops and some 300 restaurants, with 50 new diners opening in 2010 alone. » Read more

Ex-Fatah official named in Libya arms deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) April 6, 2011 - 12:00am Fatah is investigating reports former Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan supplied Israeli-made weapons to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. "The committee will take measures that suit the size of these allegations," The Jerusalem Post quoted a Fatah spokesman saying. The spokesman noted the Fatah Central Committee had already suspended Dahlan's membership because of "political and organizational trespasses." Rebel forces battling the Libyan leader said they seized Israeli arms smuggled into the country and named Dahlan a suspect, the Ma'an news agency reported Tuesday. » Read more

Beyond Goldstone: A truer discussion about Israel, Hamas and the Gaza conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jessica Montell - (Opinion) April 5, 2011 - 12:00am The word Goldstone has entered the modern Hebrew lexicon as shorthand for anti-Israel bias and the deterioration of Israel’s international position. When the fact-finding U.N. mission headed by Judge Richard Goldstone released its report into Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip 18 months ago, it seemed as if the world divided into two camps. There was the pro-Goldstone camp, arguing that Israel had committed war crimes in Gaza and must be held accountable; and there was the anti-Goldstone camp, which insisted that the report was nothing less than a blood libel against the Jewish state. » Read more

Palestinian Security Forces Abused Journalists, Report Says ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - April 6, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian journalists have been subjected to detention and abuse at the hands of Palestinian security agencies, a pattern that has led many to self-censor and produced a chilling effect on the free exchange of information and ideas, a human rights group said in a new report. » Read more