April 4th

‘Battle of Letters’ Shaping up Between PM, Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - April 4, 2012 - 12:00am With Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas expected to deliver a sharply-worded letter to Israel in the coming days, blaming it for the impasse in the diplomatic process, Jerusalem is preparing a letter of its own to present to the PA, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Though the final draft of the letter has not yet been completed, it is expected to contain the following points: • Israel is prepared for peace talks with the Palestinians where all the core issues will be on the agenda. • Israel places no preconditions whatsoever on entering the talks. » Read more

Palestinian Delegation to Deliver Letter to Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 4, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A delegation of Palestinian officials will deliver a letter from President Mahmoud Abbas to Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu next week, a presidential adviser said. Nimr Hammad said PA Prime Minster Salam Fayyad, PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo and negotiator Saeb Erekat will head the delegation, Hammad told the official Voice of Palestine radio. In the letter, Abbas will outline the PLO's position on the peace process and remind the Israeli government of previous accords and international agreements, Hammad said. » Read more

Medics: Body Found East of Gaza City ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 4, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Medical authorities on Wednesday discovered the body of a man who appeared to have been shot dead late Tuesday east of Gaza City. Gaza medical official Adham Abu Salmiya said the body of Hisham Misbah Saad, 17, was discovered near the eastern cemetery. Medics coordinated with the Red Crescent to remove his body from an area hard for Palestinians to reach. Abu Salmiya said he was transferred to Kamal Odwan hospital in northern Gaza. » Read more

ICC Rebuffs Palestinians’ Gaza War Crimes Case Against Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - April 3, 2012 - 12:00am REPORTING FROM JERUSALEM -- The International Criminal Court on Tuesday rejected a Palestinian request to investigate war crimes allegations arising from Israel’s 22-day military offensive in the Gaza Strip three years ago, saying it had no jurisdiction because a Palestinian state has not been recognized by the U.N. General Assembly. But ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo appeared to leave the door open for future claims if Palestinians succeed in upgrading their status at the U.N. from "observer" to "non-member state." » Read more

Hamas to Elect New Leadership for the Militant Palestinian Group This Month ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press April 4, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — An official from the militant Hamas group that rules Gaza says the Islamic Palestinian movement will start choosing its secretive, decision-making council and its administrative leadership this week. The official said on Wednesday that the process should be completed by the end of the month. All Hamas members can vote for the Shura Council, which in turn elects the administrative leadership, known as the politburo. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss the issue with the media. » Read more

Israeli Forces Evict Jewish Settlers From West Bank Building ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press April 4, 2012 - 12:00am HEBRON, West Bank — Israeli security forces swiftly evicted dozens of Jewish settlers from an illegally occupied building in this volatile West Bank city on Wednesday, ending a weeklong standoff that had threatened to spill over into broader violence. The raid caught the settlers off guard. Only a day earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had moved to block the eviction order. Settler supporters in Netanyahu’s hard-line government condemned the surprise raid, a key political ally threatened to quit the coalition and settler leaders vowed retaliation. » Read more

Fuel arrives in Gaza to ease power crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News April 4, 2012 - 12:00am Fuel has started arriving in the Gaza Strip as a result of a deal between the territory's Hamas-led government and the rival Palestinian Authority. Raid Futuh, co-ordinator of the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, said tankers of Israeli diesel had begun arriving on Wednesday. He said 430,000 litres of fuel for Gaza's sole power plant were expected. Gaza has been affected by severe power cuts for months, and the plant closed 10 days ago because of a lack of fuel. » Read more

Palestinian, Israeli negotiators expected to meet in Amman today ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Hani Hazaimeh - April 3, 2012 - 12:00am AMMAN — Palestinian and Israeli top negotiators are expected to meet “most likely in Amman”, a senior Palestinian official said on Tuesday. Speaking from Ramallah, the official, who asked to remain unnamed, stopped short from confirming reports that exploratory talks Jordan hosted this year between the two sides would resume, but said there is a plan that Palestinian top negotiator Saeb Erekat and Israeli counterpart Yitzhak Molcho would meet today, either in Cairo or Amman, “but most likely in Amman”. » Read more

A Middle East Twofer ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Thomas L. Friedman - (Opinion) April 3, 2012 - 12:00am There is so much going on in the Middle East today, it’s impossible to capture it all with one opinion. So here are two for the price of one. » Read more

Israel is not the threat, Mr. Obama. Iran is ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by John Bolton - (Opinion) April 3, 2012 - 12:00am The Obama administration appears to be conducting an organized campaign of public pressure to stop Israel from attacking Iran’s well-developed nuclear-weapons program. So intense is this effort, and so determined is President Obama to succeed, that administration officials are now leaking highly sensitive information about Israel’s intentions and capabilities into the news media. » Read more