Open letter to Michael Oren ahead of Easter ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Opinion) March 28, 2012 - 12:00am As Christian leaders in Palestine, we were appalled by the baseless allegations you published in the Wall Street Journal on March 9. Your attempt to blame the difficult reality that Palestinian Christians face on Palestinian Muslims is a shameful manipulation of the facts intended to mask the damage that Israel has done to our community. As has been stated in our Kairos document, we Palestinian Christians declare that “the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is a sin against God and humanity because it deprives Palestinians of their basic human rights, bestowed by God.” » Read more

Jesus for Jews ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Shmuel Rosner - (Opinion) March 28, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Last week on Monday morning, in the busy dining room of the Inbal hotel, Tim Burt, an associate pastor at Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, told me a story of mistrust. Several years ago, his church held its first “Night to Honor Israel” — an opportunity, said Burt, for Christians “to demonstrate their love and support for Israel and the Jewish people.” » Read more

What’s the capital of Israel? Don’t ask the U.S. State Department ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya - March 28, 2012 - 12:00am The status of Jerusalem has long been a controversial issue – even in the U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland echoed that fact this week while answering a question about Israel's capital. Earlier this week, the Department of State issued a routine statement announcing the visit of the Acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Kathleen Stephens to the Middle East. The statement said that Stephens was "to meet with a broad cross-section of government officials, students, NGOs, and exchange program alumni". » Read more

Joint Israeli Palestinian Poll, March 2012 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Konrad Adenauer Stiftung March 26, 2012 - 12:00am These are the results of the most recent Joint Israeli-Palestinian Poll conducted jointly by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah. This joint survey was conducted with the support of the Ford Foundation Cairo office and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Ramallah and Jerusalem. The poll was conducted in the backdrop of the recent round of violent clashes in Southern Israel and the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Fears of new Palestinian intifada mount ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) March 27, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 27 (UPI) -- A call by imprisoned Palestinian icon Marwan Barghouti for his countrymen to launch a new wave of civil resistance against Israel's occupation has alarmed Israelis who see it as a battle cry for a new uprising. Barghouti, a senior leader of the mainstream Fatah movement and who is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison for masterminding terrorist attacks, has wide support across the Palestinian political spectrum. » Read more

Israel’s Secret Staging Ground ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Mark Perry - March 28, 2012 - 12:00am In 2009, the deputy chief of mission of the U.S. embassy in Baku, Donald Lu, sent a cable to the State Department's headquarters in Foggy Bottom titled "Azerbaijan's discreet symbiosis with Israel." The memo, later released by WikiLeaks, quotes Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev as describing his country's relationship with the Jewish state as an iceberg: "nine-tenths of it is below the surface." » Read more

J Street Swims Upstream in Election Year ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - March 28, 2012 - 12:00am Washington — In this election year, even liberal Democrats are seeking to protect their flanks by touting hawkish credentials on Israel. For J Street, the dovish pro-Israel lobby whose annual Washington conference wrapped up recently, that makes 2012 a year for swimming upstream. The group is targeting its message where it believes it will have the most impact: Jewish Democrats who support President Obama. » Read more

Palestine Exchange to List Its Own Shares ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Rosenberg - March 28, 2012 - 12:00am The Palestine Exchange (PEX), which makes a market for shares in 46 local companies with a combined market capitalization of $2.9 billion, is on its way to becoming a publicly traded stock itself. Shares in the PEX will begin trading on the Ramallah-based exchange April 4, the 15th anniversary of its founding, after Palestine Development & Investment Company, PEX’s biggest shareholder, has sold the first of a planned two million shares. When all the shares are sold, a process that could take up to a year, the public will hold about 20% of the exchange. » Read more

Journalists urged to boycott PA press freedom award ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 29, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority has launched a prize to recognize exemplary reporting, but Palestinian journalists are calling for a boycott in protest of the government's treatment of the media. The prime minister in Ramallah, Salam Fayyad, unveiled the prize Tuesday and invited journalists to submit work on all platforms during the first half of April. The winner is to be announced in May. » Read more

Ramallah court extends arrest of Palestinian reporter ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 29, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian court has extended the remand of a journalist arrested Monday over allegations of slander and defamation, officials in Ramallah said Wednesday. The Palestinian Authority will continue to hold Yousef al-Shayeb, who was arrested Monday, for another 15 days, the court ruled. He has not yet been charged with a crime. » Read more