Iraqi Kurds Cool Ties to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - April 18, 2012 - 12:00am Washington — A decades-long relationship between Israel and Iraq’s Kurds, maintained mainly in the shadows, faces new challenges as the two sides are split over the growing nuclear threat posed by Iran. Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish Region Government, visited Washington recently. Notably, he did not meet with Jewish officials, nor did he touch on issues relating to Israel. Ties between the Iraqi Kurds and Israel have cooled as Israel pushes for support in its fight against Iran over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program. » Read more

Netanyahu must stop hiding behind Holocaust warnings ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) April 18, 2012 - 12:00am Holocaust Remembrance Day will be marked beginning this evening by official ceremonies and speeches. As time passes, and despite the dwindling number of survivors, the Holocaust appears to be occupying a more and more prominent place in the life of the State of Israel. » Read more

A Response to Daniel Levy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Benny Morris - (Opinion) April 17, 2012 - 12:00am The number of distortions and misrepresentations in Daniel Levy's piece (April 16, "Of Herrings and Elephants: Benny Morris and 'Palestinian Rejectionism'") is mind-boggling (and saddening) and reflects poorly on the honesty and integrity of the "peaceniks" who he may, in some way, represent. » Read more

Israel Cracks Down on Hunger-Striking Prisoners ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 18, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The PA Ministry of Detainee Affairs said Wednesday that Israel has tightened procedures against prisoners on a mass hunger-strike launched a day earlier. The ministry said in a statement that Israel's prison administration put detainees in solitary confinement without electricity. Prisoners in Ashkelon jail said detainees were threatened with transfer to a new section, and banned family visits. » Read more

U.S. can't abandon the Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by El-Hassan Bin Talal - (Opinion) April 17, 2012 - 12:00am Early this year, the Pentagon's strategic review signaled a shift in priorities for U.S. foreign policy, suggesting that more attention would be paid to the Asia-Pacific region. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke of this as a "pivot" toward Asia, signaling what for many analysts and ordinary Americans has been a long-overdue transition away from Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East in general. But there's a problem with that. The act of pivoting involves turning your back, and the United States should not turn its back on the Middle East. » Read more

IDF will go on keeping the Jordan Valley Palestinian-free ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) April 18, 2012 - 12:00am The only excessive stupidity of which deputy brigade commander Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner can be accused is hitting a young blond man in front of a camera. Other commanders and their subordinates will learn the lesson. They'll check for any subversive cameras before going on to do what is unexceptional in the Wild East. They will beat up Palestinians, in the main, as well as anti-occupation activists - by rifle butt, by boot or simply by fist. » Read more

UNIFIL Commander: Isreali Occupation in Ghajar for Political Reasons ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 18, 2012 - 12:00am BEIRUT, April 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFL) commander Maj.Gen. Paolo Serra said Wednesday that the continued Israeli occupation of the Lebanese side of the border village of Ghajar has political reasons. In remarks published in al-Joumhouria newspaper, General Serra said, "the problem of Ghajar is political more than military." But he added that it is the subject of continued discussions by UNIFIL with the Israeli side. » Read more

Israeli Official Voices Doubts on Iran Nuke Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Diaa Hadid - April 18, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel's deputy foreign minister says the nuclear talks between Iran and Western powers in Istanbul last week may have been a stalling tactic by Tehran. Danny Ayalon, of the hawkish Israel Beitenu Party, is cautioning against "falling into the trap of a good atmosphere." He says the lapse of nearly a year and a half since a previous summit failed was "wasted" time. Ayalon is urging the international community to tighten sanctions on Tehran immediately, rather than wait until July as planned. He spoke to reporters Wednesday in Jerusalem. » Read more

Palestinians Deliver Letter from Abbas to Israel’s Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Karin Brulliard - April 17, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — A much-anticipated letter written by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was delivered here Tuesday, but both sides expressed little hope that it would resuscitate peace talks that have been stalled since 2010. The contents of the letter were not made public, but drafts had been widely circulated. Palestinian leaders had depicted it as a salvo of frustration from a leader who believes that Israeli actions have caused the Palestinian Authority to lose its clout. » Read more

Palestinians Restate Demands to Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - April 17, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Tuesday, reiterating that for peace talks to resume, Israel must stop settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and accept the 1967 borders as a basis for a two-state solution. » Read more