March 16th

Open Letter to Hamas: You Are Responsible for Your People's Fate
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Carlo Strenger - (Opinion) March 15, 2012 - 12:00am


The last days have brought another round of violence between Gaza and Israel. Most commentators assume that neither Hamas nor Israel in interested in further escalation of the hostilities that have been initiated by Islamic Jihad this time, ostensibly to jockey for position vis-à-vis Hamas. Iron Dome has prevented casualties on Israel's side, but it has almost paralyzed life in Southern Israel. So far the death toll in Gaza is 26, and we can only hope that it will not rise any further.


A Year On, Unity Activists Ponder Next Steps
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 16, 2012 - 12:00am


BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The anniversary of the March 15 movement to restore unity to the occupied territories passed quietly Wednesday, with no major rallies in Palestinian cities. The principle demands of the masses who demonstrated in the West Bank and Gaza have yet to be met, although the leaders of Fatah and Hamas technically agreed to reconcile in May 2011. Progress has stalled ever since.


Israel Aircraft Open Fire West of Gaza City
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 16, 2012 - 12:00am


GAZA CITY (MA’an) -- Israeli helicopters opened fire toward farmland in the Sheikh Ajlen area west of Gaza City late Thursday, witnesses said. No injuries were reported. An Israeli military spokeswoman said aircraft fired warning shots in response to rocket fire. Earlier, several rockets were fired toward the western Negev, Israeli media reported. A Grad rocket was intercepted by a nearby "Iron Dome" battery, and another rocket landed in an open area in the Eshkol regional council outside Hof Ashkelon, Israel's Ynet news service reported.


Members of Israel’s Diverse African Community Join Forces to Lobby for Better Treatment
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
March 16, 2012 - 12:00am


DIMONA, Israel — For years, Israel’s array of African communities had little interaction, divided by religious, linguistic and cultural differences. That is changing. They are facing a common situation in Israel — relegated to bottom rungs, partly because of discrimination over their skin color. That has brought some members of a wide range of communities together, including Jewish Ethiopians, nomadic Muslim Arabs and migrants from Eritrea and Sudan.


Turkey’s Erdogan to Discuss Palestinian Reconciliation Efforts with Hamas’ Exiled Leader
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
March 16, 2012 - 12:00am


ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s prime minister is meeting Hamas’ chief Khaled Mashaal to discuss reconciliation efforts between the rival Palestinian factions. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday he would be discussing developments concerning Palestinian unity in Ankara on Friday with Hamas’ top leader in exile. Reconciliation efforts between Hamas — shunned by the West as a terror group — and Fatah continue, but they have encountered new obstacles.


March 15th

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.


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.”


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.


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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