March 23rd

Palestinian Refugee Schoolgirls Study Hard for an Uncertain Future ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Liz Ford - March 23, 2012 - 12:00am There has been a girls' school at Irbid refugee camp in northern Jordan since 1952. No one could tell me how many girls attended the school at that time, but now it operates a shift system to cope with demand. About 850 girls attend the imaginatively-titled Irbid camp girls' school number 1 five days a week, meeting for classes between 7am and 11.30am. The same number attend Irbid camp girls' school number 2, which runs on the same days from 11.30am to 4pm. Although in the same building, each school has its own teaching staff. » Read more

Marketing the Iron Dome: Why Israel Attacked Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat (Opinion) March 13, 2012 - 12:00am Through a quick review of the days preceding the assassination of Zuhair al-Qaisi, the secretary-general of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), and his companion, liberated prisoner Mahmoud Al-Hannani, and in view of Israeli statements before the bombing, it is clear that Israel had three reasons to step up security measures on its Southern border. The first reason was that Israel had been preparing for the strike against Gaza. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak revealed the second reason, while Israeli Army Chief of Staff Benny Gantz shed light on the third. » Read more

Pieces on the board ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Hirsh Goodman - (Opinion) March 23, 2012 - 12:00am At the AIPAC conference in Washington earlier this month, US President Barack Obama said that it was time to become more tight-lipped on the Iranian nuclear issue and the military options surrounding it. » Read more

Hamas Optimistic On Fiscal Condition in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 23, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A senior Hamas official told Xinhua on Thursday that the 2012 budget for the Palestinian territory of Gaza is 769 million U.S. dollars and expressed his optimism over the enclave's fiscal condition. Hamas Economic Minister Alla al-Deen al-Rafati told Xinhua in an interview that the budget would soon be submitted to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), where it will likely get passed. » Read more

National security or national disaster? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Uri Savir - (Opinion) March 22, 2012 - 12:00am Security considerations have been used often by Israeli leaders throughout our existence as the ultimate justification for a policy decision or indecision. Our “security syndrome” stems for objective and subjective considerations – our history as the Jewish people, wherein we withstood every possible onslaught on our very existence and identity – from the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, to the Spanish, the tzars, the Nazis and the Arab nations. This is the backdrop to our national ethos – “never again” and “we can only trust ourselves.” » Read more

Israel's economy will pay heavy price for Iron Dome ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jamie Levin - (Opinion) March 23, 2012 - 12:00am Since March 9, more than 300 rockets, mortars and missiles have been fired into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, a response to the killing of Zohair al-Qaisi, secretary-general of the Palestinian Popular Resistance Committee, who the army said was planning a major terrorist attack on Israel. But unlike during the decade of attacks that preceded these hostilities, in which 8,000 rockets induced terror and resulted in 31 fatalities in southern Israel, a sense of euphoria has instead prevailed among many Israelis. The reason? » Read more

Israeli PM Terms UNHRC Settlement Fact-Finding Mission as “Hypocritical” ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 23, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed at United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Thursday after it approved a fact-finding mission to Israel to probe into the effects of settlements on Palestinians. UNHRC on Thursday voted in favor of sending a dispatch to the West Bank and East Jerusalem in order to evaluate Jewish settlements repercussions on Palestinian human rights. » Read more

An Interview With Jeremy Ben-Ami on Settlements, Beinart, Obama, the Whole Nine Yards By Jeffrey Goldberg ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg - (Interview) March 23, 2012 - 12:00am In what seems to have become an annual tradition here at Goldblog, I interviewed Jeremy Ben-Ami, the founder and major domo of J Street, the left-leaning pro-Israel lobbying group, in advance of his organization's annual conference, which takes place in Washington this weekend. » Read more

If recent Israel-Gaza escalation isn't war, what is? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amiel Ungar - (Opinion) March 23, 2012 - 12:00am The pundits are correct: The recently concluded round of hostilities in Gaza between Israel and Islamic Jihad will have sequels coming soon to a shelter near you, especially as both Islamic Jihad and Israel have claimed victory. » Read more

UN Rights Body Launches Probe into Israeli Settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Stephanie Nebehay - March 23, 2012 - 12:00am GENEVA (Reuters) -- The United Nations launched an international investigation on Thursday into Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, with the United States isolated in voting against the initiative brought by the Palestinian Authority. The UN Human Rights Council condemned Israel's planned construction of new housing units for settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, saying they undermined the peace process and posed a threat to the two-state solution and the creation of a contiguous and independent Palestinian state. » Read more