March 12th, 2013

PNA calls for int'l action to save Palestinian economy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 12, 2013 - 12:00am The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Tuesday called for an immediate international action to stop Israeli restrictions on Palestinian economy. This call came after the World Bank issued a report warning that the continued deterioration of the Palestinian economy "will have lasting and costly implications for economic competitiveness and social cohesion." » Read more

Next few months crucial for Israeli-Palestinian peace process: UN envoy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 12, 2013 - 12:00am The next few months will be " make-or-break" time for the fate of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, UN Middle East peace envoy said here Monday. "We feel that the two-state solution for the Israeli- Palestinian conflict is on life support and see 2013 as a critical year to get things moving in the stalled peace talks," Robert Serry, who has served as a special regional coordinator for the past five years, said during an event hosted by the One Voice non- governmental organization in the Tel Aviv University. » Read more

Settlers fear Obama visit spells construction freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Itamar Fleishman - March 12, 2013 - 12:00am United States President Barack Obama's visit to Israel next week has sent Israeli entrepreneurs and future homeowners in the West Bank to a building frenzy, fearing the » Read more

Abbas to push PA prisoner issue during Obama visit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - March 12, 2013 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to place the issue of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel at the top of his agenda during the planned meeting with US President Barack Obama, a PA official in Ramallah said Monday. The official’s announcement came as families of Palestinian prisoners stepped up their protests in the West Bank, staging demonstrations and rallies calling on Abbas not to resume the peace talks unless Israel released their sons. » Read more

Is Obama Bringing a Peace Plan? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Linda Gradstein - March 11, 2013 - 12:00am Over and over, American officials insist that President Obama has no new Israeli-Palestinian peace plan hidden in his pocket, ready to be whipped out during next week’s meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. But Palestinians hope and Israelis fear that he will try to restart a peace process that has been moribund for the past four years. » Read more

Hamas’s Desengaño With Morsi ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) March 11, 2013 - 12:00am English has by far the largest vocabulary of any language, but there are still times when we have to look beyond its confines to convey a particular meaning. There is a Spanish word, desengaño, which connotes a combination of disappointment, disenchantment, disillusionment and despair, for which we have no precise English equivalent. And this, surely, best sums up the current attitude of the Hamas rulers in Gaza towards Egypt's new government. » Read more

Israel releases tentative Obama schedule ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) March 11, 2013 - 12:00am Israel released a tentative itinerary for President Obama's visit to Israel and the West Bank. The March 20-22 visit, according to the schedule released Monday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, will include visits to Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, as well as visits to the graves in Jerusalem of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, and Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli prime minister assassinated in 1995 by a Jewish extremist. » Read more

Obama tells Arab-American leaders trip will show commitment to statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - March 11, 2013 - 12:00am President Obama told Arab-American leaders that his trip to Israel and the Palestinian areas would demonstrate U.S. commitment to partnering with the Palestinian Authority to bring about a state. "The President noted that the trip is not dedicated to resolving a specific policy issue, but is rather a chance to consult with Jordanian, Israeli, and Palestinian Authority officials about a broad range of issues," a White House official said after Monday's meeting with an array of Arab-American organizational leaders.   » Read more

U.N. Ties Gaza Baby’s Death to Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - March 11, 2013 - 12:00am A United Nations report has suggested that a Palestinian infant who died in the fighting in » Read more

March 11th

Kerry's Impromptu Meeting With Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Andrea Stone - March 5, 2013 - 1:00am John Kerry’s unscheduled meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Monday during his first official trip abroad was anything but a rogue moment for the new secretary of State. » Read more