March 26th

Israeli Crimes and the Opportunity for Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Randa Takieddine - (Opinion) March 26, 2009 - 12:00am Arab observers can rightly ask about the reaction of the western world, its media, and pro-Israeli groups if Arab soldiers had committed the crimes that Israeli soldiers have acknowledged during the war against Gaza. » Read more

Hamas: We've resumed Shalit talks with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - March 26, 2009 - 12:00am Hamas resumed indirect negotiations with Israel aimed at exchanging abducted Israel Defense Force soldier Gilad Shalit for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners currently held in Israeli jails, Hamas official Ali Barakeh said Wednesday. Shalit was kidnapped by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid in June, 2006. Efforts to secure his release in a prisoner exchange with Hamas have so far yielded no results. Barakeh said that a delegation from Hamas is in Cairo to pursue a deal. » Read more

IAF Sudan strike / 'Two planes hit convoy' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Barak Ravid - March 26, 2009 - 12:00am Two senior Sudanese politicians confirmed Thursday that unidentified aircraft attacked a convoy of suspected arms smugglers as it drove through Sudan toward Egypt in January, killing almost everyone in the convoy. An American news network said that the attack was carried out by the Israel Air Force. CBS reported that the IAF carried out the attack on a convoy of trucks in Sudan carrying arms for Hamas in the Gaza Strip. According to the report, 39 people riding in the 17-truck convoy were killed, while a number of civilians in the area were injured. » Read more

March 25th

MIDEAST: Israel Under Pressure Over Divided Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Mel Frykberg - March 24, 2009 - 12:00am Police in riot gear on horseback charged at groups of Palestinian youths in Salahadin Street, the major thoroughfare of Palestinian East Jerusalem, forcibly dispersing them. Several Palestinian women handing out celebratory T-shirts at Damascus Gate at the entrance to Jerusalem's Old City were arrested and taken in for questioning. A football game affiliated with the culture festival was broken up as students attempting to release balloons were arrested. A group of young girls gathered at a local youth club were forcibly dispersed. » Read more

Rabbi rejects assassination call at N.Y. shul ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) March 22, 2009 - 12:00am A New York City rabbi condemned the call to assassinate Palestinian leaders issued at his synagogue. Elie Abadie of Congregation Edmond J. Safra in Manhattan said the call last week by the leader of an Israeli pro-settler organization to kill Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other "terrorist leaders" is "odious and repugnant." He added the sponsoring organization, Americans for a Safe Israel, is no longer welcome to host events at his synagogue. » Read more

Netanyahu says will be 'a partner for peace' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press March 25, 2009 - 12:00am Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday promised to resume peace talks with the Palestinians after he takes office, saying his government will be a "partner for peace." » Read more

Two states, despite everything ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Alexander Yakobson - March 25, 2009 - 12:00am A claim is making the rounds these days that since the two-state solution is unrealistic because of each side's positions and actions, Israel has no reason to declare its official support for the plan. » Read more

Jerusalem freezes plan for Jewish homes in Arab area ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - March 25, 2009 - 12:00am The Jerusalem municipality has frozen a plan for a new Jewish neighborhood in East Jerusalem that was initiated by the right-wing group Ateret Cohanim. The city's legal adviser, Yosef Havilio, informed Meretz city councilman Pepe Alalo that he has frozen plans for the construction of 230 housing units in the area of Abu Dis, east of the Old City. Havilio made the decision in response to a request by Alalo and attorney Danny Zeidman, who represents the nonprofit organization Ir Amim. » Read more

PM-designate: I'll continue peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post March 25, 2009 - 12:00am A day after securing Labor as a coalition partner, Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday promised to resume peace talks with the Palestinians after he takes office, saying his government will be a "partner for peace." The Palestinians welcomed Netanyahu's words, but said his words must be matched by actions. Speaking at an economic conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said his economic development plan for the Palestinians was not a substitute for political negotiations. "It's a complement to them," he said, calling a strong economy a "strong foundation for peace." » Read more

Netanyahu, Lieberman 'struck secret deal for West Bank construction' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz March 25, 2009 - 12:00am Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has struck a secret deal with Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman for highly contentious construction on West Bank land known as E1, Army Radio reported Wednesday. A source close to the negotiations between the pair told Army Radio that the plan had been agreed upon even though it did not appear in the official document detailing the coalition deal between Yisrael Beiteinu and Netanyahu's Likud. » Read more