Match, Spark...
In Print by Hussein Ibish - The Daily Beast (Opinion) - March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

The recent flareup of violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza has all the disturbing qualities of a foretaste of more bitter things to come. Most troublingly, this latest round of attacks and counterattacks, which achieved nothing for either side, brings us ever closer to a possible third Palestinian intifada.

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NEWS: Israel launches more airstrikes on Gaza, with no reported injuries, after more rocket attacks on southern Israel, but the truce is still being mostly observed by both sides. The BBC looks at how Palestinians in Gaza have dealt with years of war and blockade. A Hamas official says its leadership is unlikely to fulfill the agreement with Pres. Abbas this year. A new report by an Israeli human rights group says Israel has been illegally seizing land in the occupied West Bank. The World Bank warns that the Palestinian financial crisis and Israeli restrictions are threatening the institution-building program. Israel is going forward with plans to destroy Palestinian solar energy panels in the occupied territories. The Israeli military plans to acquire more long-range rockets. COMMENTARY: Hussein Ibish says the latest round of violence helps set the stage for a potential third intifada. Maath Musleh says Palestinian youth should continue to demand national unity. Xinhua says the recent violence features new and old elements. Gideon Levy says Israelis have displayed a "destructive apathy" about the flareup of violence and deaths in Gaza. Ben Harris outlines the deep confusion behind recent state legislation in the US about Israel's occupation. Mya Guarnieri critiques Israel's policy of extra-judicial executions. Bilal Hassan reiterates that confronting Israeli occupation is a task for the whole Arab world, not just the Palestinians. Dawoud Abu Lebdeh asks if the "Arab Spring" has been good for the Palestinians or not. George Hale describes the difficulties journalists face dealing with Hamas. Peter Beinart says Jewish-American groups cannot be selectively opposed to one-state rhetoric depending on what perspective its coming from.

The Other One Staters
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Peter Beinart - (Opinion) March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Sometimes I love right-wing Christians. In the past few weeks, in the wake of pro-BDS conferences at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, American Jewish groups have been venting their outrage about the legitimacy that powerful institutions are giving to people who support turning Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip into a single state. This Jewish outrage is not surprising, explains the Anti-Defamation League, because the “ADL has consistently expressed opposition to any notion of a one-state solution.”

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A Journalist's Battle with Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by George Hale - (Opinion) March 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Several prominent critics of Hamas have departed the Gaza Strip in recent weeks, relocating abroad nearly one year since grassroots activists launched a popular movement to democratize Palestinian politics and re-unite the occupied West Bank and Gaza. The failure of the so-called March 15 movement to end the division between Fatah and Hamas has wreaked havoc on freedom of speech and the press for residents of the occupied territories, who continue to be ruled by rival regimes. The news agency I work for, Maan, is no exception.

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The Arab Spring: Good or bad for the Palestinian cause?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Dawoud Abu Lebdeh - (Opinion) March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Many Palestinians are now wondering what effect this past year’s developments in the Arab world will have on their own struggle for independence.

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The theories of resisting occupation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Bilal Hassan - (Opinion) March 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Two theories are prevalent regarding the current Palestinian situation under the Israeli occupation: The first is the predominant traditional theory that advocates armed struggle in order to resist the occupation, whereas a contrasting second theory has been adopted by the President of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, who champions a form of peaceful, popular resistance.

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The killing of Zuhair al-Qaissi exposes Israel's attitude to its supreme court
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Mya Guarnieri - (Opinion) March 14, 2012 - 12:00am

The recent escalation between Israel and Gaza began after Israeli forces assassinated Zuhair al-Qaissi, a leader of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a militant group composed of members of various Palestinian parties. Haaretz noted that the PRC was "the organisation that captured Gilad Shalit", the Israeli soldier who was freed in October 2011. The army says that al-Qaissi was behind the August 2011 attack that took place on the Israeli-Egyptian border – even though the PRC denied involvement and it was later revealed that the militants came from Sinai, not Gaza.

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Did Florida’s Legislature endorse a one-state solution and Israeli citizenship for Palestinians?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ben Harris - (Opinion) March 12, 2012 - 12:00am

NEW YORK (JTA) -- The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a hotly debated issue -- but not in the Florida Legislature. Both houses of the state's Legislature voted unanimously in February to stake out a bold position on the issue -- but it’s not entirely clear what, exactly, Florida lawmakers were trying to say.

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The storm over Bamba and apathy concerning Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

For four consecutive days and nights, millions of citizens of this country once again lived under conditions of fear and terror. The innovation was that, this time, no one tried to whitewash things. The mass terror was to be expected and it stemmed directly from an Israeli act of violence. Nevertheless, no one thought of expressing opposition.

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Conflicts between Israel, Gaza militants feature both old, new elements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Adam Gonn - (Analysis) March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The four-day conflicts between Israel and militant groups in the Gaza Strip starting from Friday and ending with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, has been one of the longest of the year, which features both new elements such as the Iron Dome anti-rocket system and the old elements of the previous rounds.

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