U.S., Israel fail to reach agreement on Israeli settlement plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 24, 2010 - 12:00am The United States did not reach agreement with Israel over the latter's settlement plan after two days of visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday. The talks between Netanyahu and U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell concluded but did not heal the dispute between the two countries, U.S. officials were quoted by the Associated Press as saying. The officials, who refused to be named, said the two sides were trying to find ways to get Israeli-Palestinian peace talks back on track and Netanyahu had prolonged his stay with an hope for an agreement. » Read more

Palestinians await Israeli nod on W.Bank project ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Mohammed Assadi - (Interview) March 24, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinian Authority has asked Israel for jurisdiction over West Bank land in the Jordan Valley for a development project valued at $2.1 billion, the head of Palestine Investment Fund said. The Western-backed Palestinian Authority's plan comprises investment of $1.4 billion in a tourist resort on the Dead Sea shore and further spending of $700 million on a new city near Jericho, Mohammad Mustafa, head of the PIF, told Reuters. » Read more

US presses Israel for Mideast goodwill steps ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Jeffrey Heller, Matt Spetalnick - March 25, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was poised to end a troubled U.S. visit on Wednesday without settling a dispute with the White House over Jewish housing construction in occupied East Jerusalem. In a flurry of meetings throughout the day, U.S. and Israeli officials scrambled to put together a package of goodwill gestures that President Barack Obama hoped could persuade Palestinians to return to peace talks. » Read more

Israel awaits word but signs are no deal with U.S. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters March 25, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended a troubled U.S. visit on Thursday with no apparent resolution of a serious dispute with Washington over Jewish housing in occupied East Jerusalem. Despite his hints at potential compromise, Israeli commentators saw failure to secure a deal with U.S. President Barack Obama and said tensions with Washington appeared to have been left unresolved. Israeli President Shimon Peres, the country's elder statesman, said Netanyahu "apparently ... did not reach an understanding wih the United States of America". » Read more

Erekat: Settlement decision against peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 25, 2010 - 12:00am Israel was straying further outside of the international consensus and damaging its credibility as a serious partner for peace, chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said in a statement on Wednesday. The PLO official's comments follow Israel's decision to build in the flashpoint Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah at the site of the former Shepherd Hotel, in occupied East Jerusalem. » Read more

Arab League mulls withdrawing peace initiative ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 25, 2010 - 12:00am Terminating the Arab Peace Initiative will be on the Arab League summit's agenda in Libya this weekend, its secretary-general, Amr Moussa, said Wednesday. In a statement released before traveling to Sirte, Libya ahead of the summit, Moussa said it was futile to continue dealing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following recent developments in Jerusalem, and that Israel's "hardline stance" would not push Arab League conveners into "giving up on Jerusalem." » Read more

Obama, Netanyahu meet for hours as U.S. pushes for outreach to Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Glenn Kessler - March 25, 2010 - 12:00am U.S. and Israeli officials struggled Wednesday to resolve a sharp dispute over U.S. demands that Israel make goodwill gestures to lure Palestinian officials back to the negotiating table. » Read more

Israel Confirms New Building in East Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - March 24, 2010 - 12:00am With strains still high between Israel and the United States over the issue of Jewish settlements, construction of a contentious Jewish housing project in a predominantly Arab neighborhood of East Jerusalem could start at any time, Israeli officials and experts said Wednesday Jerusalem city hall gave the project the final go-ahead on March 18, days after city officials said the landowners had paid the required fees. Once the fees were paid, City Hall said in a statement on Wednesday, “approval was granted automatically.” » Read more

Netanyahu departs Washington amid chill ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico by Laura Rozen - (Blog) March 25, 2010 - 12:00am Netanyahu departed Washington for Israel late Wednesday night, after what some sources described as a sometimes frantic last 24 hours of decision-making after a late night meeting with Obama at the White House Tuesday night. » Read more

Deep chill in U.S.-Israeli relations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico by Laura Rozen, Ben Smith - March 25, 2010 - 12:00am Bad personal chemistry, public confrontation and mutual silence a full day after a two-hour meeting Tuesday night between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have deepened the impression of a worsening fracture in the special relationship between the U.S. and Israel. » Read more