Pope visits Jerusalem holy sites ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News May 12, 2009 - 12:00am Pope Benedict XVI has been visiting sites in Jerusalem holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians on the second day of his visit to the Holy Land. He visited the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, becoming the first pontiff to see the site, and then the Western Wall, one of Judaism's holiest places. He said Mass in the Josaphat Valley and is later to pray at the reputed site of Christ's Last Supper. A row has broken out over the German-born Pope's time in the Hitler Youth. The Pope is meeting both Israeli and Palestinian leaders during his tour. » Read more

US General Builds A Palestinian Army ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Nation by Robert Dreyfuss - (Blog) May 10, 2009 - 12:00am Last Thursday, in what was billed as his very first on-the-record address, Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, U.S. security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, spoke to the 2009 Soref Symposium organized by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. WINEP, of course, is the chief thinktank for the Washington-based Israel lobby. And in his talk, Gen. Dayton delivered an important warning. » Read more

An Agenda for Mr. Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times (Editorial) May 11, 2009 - 12:00am President Obama has set clear and appropriate priorities ahead of the visit to Washington on May 18 by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Speaking to Jewish-American activists last week, Vice President Joseph Biden conceded, “You’re not going to like my saying this,” and then he laid out the administration’s list. » Read more

On His Tour, Pope Runs Into Politics of Middle East and Holocaust ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Rachel Donadio - May 12, 2009 - 12:00am Pope Benedict XVI said he came to the Middle East as “a pilgrim of peace,” but on Monday, his first day in Israel seemed to underscore the tensions in the region rather than ease them. After the pope visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and offered the “deep compassion” of the Roman Catholic Church for Hitler’s victims, Jewish leaders expressed disappointment that the pontiff, who is German, had not mentioned Germany or the Nazis. » Read more

Israel Closes Media Center, Upsetting Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - May 11, 2009 - 12:00am The Israeli police on Monday closed down an official Palestinian media center that had been set up in East Jerusalem for the visit of Pope Benedict XVI, as Israel and the Palestinians competed to exercise authority in the contested part of the city. As the pope arrived in Jerusalem, each side accused the other of exploiting his visit for political gain. Though the pope’s movements have been carefully choreographed to avoid obvious political minefields, every step and word was bound to be closely scrutinized. » Read more