March 5th, 2013

Settlers build new illegal outpost near Nablus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 5, 2013 - 1:00am Israeli settlers erected a new outpost on Sunday on a hilltop east of Nablus, a Palestinian Authority said. Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, said residents of the Elon Moreh settlement installed 10 mobile homes in Ras Hazim fields, a few hundred meters from Deir al-Hatab village. Settlers used bulldozers to dig a road to Ras Hazim, Daghlas told Ma'an. He said farmers would no longer be able to access 100 acres of private Palestinian land. » Read more

The Myth of the Missed Opportunity In Israeli-Arab Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) March 4, 2013 - 1:00am The month of March holds out the promise of abundant political opportunities. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected, in all likelihood, to form his third government; President Barack Obama is coming on his first visit as a sitting president to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan, and immediately after that the summit meeting of the Arab League is convening in Doha. As it does every year, the summit will likely ratify the Arab Peace Initiative born in Beirut more than 10 years ago. » Read more

Israeli settler rabbi who promoted peace dies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press March 4, 2013 - 1:00am Rabbi Menachem Froman, an Israeli settler known for his efforts to promote coexistence between Arabs and Jews, has died. He was 68. His son Shivi Froman said he died Monday after a long illness. Froman, who served as the rabbi of the West Bank settlement of Tekoa, had ties to many Palestinian leaders. He was an outspoken opponent of attacks by Jewish settlers on mosques. He often visited damaged holy sites with local Palestinian officials. He believed Israelis and Palestinians could live together peacefully. » Read more

Tear down this wall ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Moshe Arens - (Opinion) March 5, 2013 - 1:00am “Tear down this wall,” called out President Ronald Reagan in June 1987 on a visit to Berlin.  And two and half years later the Berlin Wall came down. There is another wall, whose construction is not yet complete, which has been built over the past 10 years.  It runs the length of the Land of Israel, like a scar along the face of a beautiful woman – the separation fence.  When will it come down? » Read more

Dennis Ross: Netanyahu's attorney in Washington ATFP World Press Roundup Article from 972 Magazine by Noam Sheizaf - (Opinion) March 4, 2013 - 1:00am Veteran U.S. diplomat Dennis Ross had a full page op-ed in The New York Times this weekend, in which he presents a 14-step program that is supposed to establish a framework for renewing the diplomatic process. » Read more

Israeli PM calls for "credible military threat" against Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 5, 2013 - 1:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called for "a clear and credible military threat" against Iran, saying the Islamic republic is getting closer to building a nuclear bomb. The hawkish Israeli leader, told a pro-Israel lobby group in Washington via satellite link from Jerusalem that diplomacy and sanctions have not worked to stop Iran from pressing ahead with its controversial nuclear program. » Read more

To Achieve Mideast Peace, Suspend Disbelief ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Dennis Ross - (Opinion) March 2, 2013 - 1:00am THESE are hard times for trying to promote, much less make, peace between Palestinians and Israelis. The rise of political Islam, Syria’s civil war and looming implosion, and the Iranian nuclear imbroglio not only dominate the environment, but they also render it forbidding for peacemaking. And while all these factors make Israelis and Palestinians reluctant to take risks for peace, they do not represent the biggest hurdle for ending the conflict. The most fundamental problem between Israelis and Palestinians is the problem of disbelief. » Read more

Biden and Netanyahu Stress Points of Unity in Speeches to Pro-Israel Group ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Mark Landler - March 4, 2013 - 1:00am The thundering ovations, slickly produced videos and legions of lawmakers were the same as ever. But something was missing as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee convened here this week for its annual conference: tension. » Read more

'Abbas to Kerry: Push Israel for settlement freeze' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - March 4, 2013 - 1:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met in Saudi Arabia Monday with US Secretary of State John Kerry and discussed the latest regional developments, Palestinian officials in Ramallah said. This was the first meeting of its kind since Kerry replaced Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. “The meeting focused on efforts to revive the peace process,” said a Palestinian official. “They also discussed [US] President Barack Obama’s planned visit to the region later this month.” » Read more

Israelis Divided Over Separate Bus Lines for Arabs and Jews in Occupied West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Robert Mackey - March 4, 2013 - 1:00am Israel’s transportation ministry introduced Monday what it billed as improved service for nearly 30,000 Palestinians who live under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank and commute to work daily in Israel: two new bus lines “designated” for their use. » Read more