March 9th

NEWS: The former head of Israeli intelligence urges caution towards Iran, and calls Mitt Romney's rhetoric on the subject “irresponsible.” The Israeli public seems to be very wary of any military action against Iran. Hamas officials blame the PA for stalled unity talks. Hamas forces attack journalists in Gaza. A new study finds Palestinian women very vulnerable to violence from their husbands. Hamas apparently sends mixed messages on whether it would stay neutral in a conflict involving Iran. The PA steps up security measures at a holy site near Nablus. Israeli authorities say they're investigating the killing of a Palestinian man yesterday. Palestinian women detainees say they were severely abused in Israeli custody. Palestinian elections scheduled for May are unlikely to be held due to bickering between Hamas and Fatah. COMMENTARY: The New York Times hosts a debate between a range of Israeli commentators on whether Israel should accept a nuclear-free Middle East. Charles Krauthammer condemns Pres. Obama's policies towards Israel. Ha'aretz says Israel should distance itself from PM Netanyahu's “vulgar” language on Iran. Uri Savir says Israel needs to reevaluate its security posture due to regional changes. The BBC looks at Netanyahu's persistent “duck analogies.” The Forward says the Obama-Netanyahu conversations on Iran were a win-win for the two leaders. Alexander Joffe and Asaf Romirowsky say Israel should move quickly to bolster the Palestinian institution-building lead by PM Fayyad. Morgan Strong says Israel seems trapped in a cycle of endless conflicts.

The tragedy of success
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI)
by Morgan Strong - (Analysis) March 9, 2012 - 1:00am

BRICK, N.J., March 9 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited U.S. President Barack Obama Monday. He has tried, and failed, to convince Obama to join Israel in attacking Iran. Netanyahu says the purpose in attacking Iran is to prevent the development of nuclear weapons that Iran will use against Israel. That is sheer fantasy. Iran is very far from the development of nuclear weapons. Even if Iran were to succeed in building a primitive nuclear device, they could never match Israel's vast nuclear arsenal.

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Building Palestinian prosperity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from National Post
by Alexander Joffe, Asaf Romirowsky - (Opinion) March 9, 2012 - 1:00am

The Palestinian cause has never been more marginalized than it is today. That was the message conveyed by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in a recent meeting in Ramallah. The Arab Spring has deflected the attention of the international community and the Arab world, to the detriment of the Palestinians. But Fayyad was also frank that the uprisings were inevitable. The fundamental lack of respect for citizens in places such as Syria, Tunisia and Egypt, he stated, could not be sustained forever.

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Palestinian Elections Delayed by Hamas-Fatah Bickering
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - March 9, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH // Palestinians will not hold presidential and parliamentary elections in May because of disagreements between the two main political factions, a Palestinian elections official said this week. The gridlocked Hamas-Fatah reconciliation has made it impossible for the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC) to hold elections on May 4, the date originally set by the groups, said the Ramallah-based organisation's chief electoral officer, Hisham Kuhail.

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On Iran, a Win-Win
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
(Editorial) March 9, 2012 - 1:00am

The conventional wisdom is that the latest meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even if more cordial and productive than their eight prior exchanges, highlighted the stark differences between the two leaders as their nations face the threat of a nuclear Iran. And this gulf, so some urge us to believe, presents a serious schism for Americans who care about Israel’s security and this most special of special bilateral relationships. Permit us to offer another perspective.

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Palestinian Female Detainees Tell Horrific Stories of Abuse in Israeli Prisons
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Arabiya
by Amjad Samhan - March 8, 2012 - 1:00am

Throughout the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, around 800,000 Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli authorities, more than 10,000 of whom are women. Many of those female detainees were subjected to several forms of abuse, sexual in particular, but very few were willing to talk. On the eve of International Women’s Day, however, some decided to break their silence. S.H., who refused to disclose her full name, was arrested for a few days to put pressure on her husband, also detained at the time, and extract confessions from him.

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Why is Israel calling Iran a nuclear duck?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by James Reynolds - (Opinion) March 7, 2012 - 1:00am

"A nuclear armed Iran must be stopped," Benjamin Netanyahu told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobby group in Washington on Monday. "Amazingly, some people refuse to acknowledge that Iran's goal is to develop nuclear weapons." So, how might Israel's prime minister try to persuade the sceptics? A couple of paragraphs later, Mr Netanyahu decided to deploy a favourite rhetorical device of recent Israeli leaders. It's a phrase always used whenever an Israeli politician wants to come over as wittily plain-spoken to English-speaking audiences - the duck analogy.

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Israel Investigates Killing of a Palestinian in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
March 9, 2012 - 1:00am

Zakariya Abu Eram, who was 17, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian town of Yatta, south of Hebron. The Israeli military said he was accompanying a man who stabbed a soldier with a knife. Local witnesses said he was an onlooker and not involved in the attack. An 18-year-old Palestinian was also injured. It is understood that Israeli soldiers were in Yatta to arrest a former prisoner, Khaled Makhamreh.

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PA Steps Up Security Measures at Joseph’s Tomb
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel News
by Akiva Novick - March 8, 2012 - 1:00am

The Palestinian Authority has stepped up its fight against Breslov Hassidim's attempts to access Joseph's Tomb in Nablus without permission, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday. Breslovers often try to enter the compound at night, sans authorization or coordination with the IDF and the Palestinian security forces. Such past incidents have caused clashes between the hassidim and Palestinian troops, with one tragic clash ending in the death of Breslover Ben-Yosef Livnat.

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Between Damascus and Tehran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Uri Savir - (Opinion) March 8, 2012 - 1:00am

On February 22, a good friend of mine, the courageous Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin, who reported from almost every war zone in the world to present the readers with the horror, brutality and futility of war, was killed by Syrian forces in the city of Homs.

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