March 12th

Gaza rockets strike 40 km south of Tel Aviv, on fourth day of heavy barrage
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gili Cohen, Avi Issacharoff, Yanir Yagna - March 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired more than 40 rockets at Israel on Monday, as the heavy cross-border barrage continued into its fourth day. Two of the rockets fired Monday exploded near Gedera, just 40 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, and another struck inside the southern city of Ashdod. A woman and one other person sustained light to moderate shrapnel wounds as a result of a grad rocket striking Ashdod. The woman was evacuated to Rehovot's Kaplan Hospital. Four Israelis were also treated for shock. Damage was caused to store buildings and cars in the city.

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PLO envoy at the UN condemns Israeli 'terrorism'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 12, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The PLO ambassador at the UN on Sunday sent a letter to UN officials to update them on the current round of violence in the Gaza Strip. Riyad Mansour condemned Israel's "violence and terrorism against the Palestinian people," saying the latest escalation threatens stability in the region. The fragile situation in Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories is getting worse, he said. Mansour sent notifications to UN secretary-general Ban ki-Moon, among other officials.


5 killed, 46 injured in fourth day of Gaza airstrikes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 12, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Israeli airstrikes killed two Islamic Jihad militants and three civilians on Monday, bringing the death toll since Friday to 23 people, medics and Ma'an's correspondent said. An airstrike on Monday afternoon in Beit Lahiya killed Muhammad al-Hasoumi, 65, and his daughter, 30, medical spokesperson in Gaza Abu Salmiya said. Earlier, hospital officials said a 15-year-old schoolboy was killed in a separate air strike during the day on Monday. Nayif Shaaban Qarmout was killed in Beit Lahiya, north Gaza, Ma'an's correspondent said.

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Gaza militant assassinated by Israel, sparking fears of wider violence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ahmed al-Dabb - (Opinion) March 12, 2012 - 12:00am

An Israeli air strike today killed the chief of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a pro-Hamas militant group that today declared it will no longer honor the tenuous cease-fire with Israel. PRC Secretary-General Zuhair al-Qaissi and his aide, Mohammed Hannani were instantly killed when their car was targeted by Israeli rockets in Gaza City's densely populated Tal al-Hawa neighborhood. Witnesses said unmanned drones were flying overhead just before the attack.

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Fighting between Israel, Gaza continues for 3rd day
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Karin Laub - March 12, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA CITY — Cross-border fighting between Gaza and Israel, touched off by Israel’s killing of a top Palestinian militant leader, showed no signs of letting up after three days Sunday. Gaza militants fired dozens of rockets at Israeli towns, hitting an empty school, and Israeli airstrikes killed three Gazans, including a boy and a farm guard. Egypt tried to mediate but failed to end the violence, the worst in more than a year. The fighting has killed 18 Gazans, all but two of them militants, and disrupted the lives of about 1 million Israelis living within range of rocket fire from Gaza.

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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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