USTDA ASSISTS PALESTINIANS IN ADVANCING INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT GOALS ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United States Trade and Development Agency March 15, 2010 - 12:00am USTDA supports local efforts in the West Bank to develop information and communications technologies (ICT) and wastewater treatment infrastructure. The two grants awarded today will support the Rawabi Project, a private sector development that will create an affordable and environmentally sustainable residential community in the West Bank. The project is being developed on a 250-acre site in the West Bank, six miles north of Ramallah and is envisaged to eventually grow to accommodate 40,000 residents, plus a commercial center, schools, a clinic and a hotel. » Read more

Settlements in Focus: Top 6 Bogus Excuses for East Jerusalem Settlement Expansion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Americans For Peace Now by Lara Friedman - (Opinion) March 25, 2010 - 12:00am Bogus Excuse #1 - "Everybody knows these areas will always remain part of Israel." The Truth: There is nothing objective or neutral, or even constant, about what "everybody knows" in East Jerusalem. » Read more

A healthy decision: American Jews rally to Barack Obama ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Telegraph by Julian Kossoff - (Opinion) March 25, 2010 - 12:00am Over 80 per cent of American Jews voted for President Barack Obama; only African-Americans backed him in greater numbers. They voted for him because he is a Democrat, a liberal and a reformer. They voted for him because he signalled early on that the right to health care, enjoyed by citizens of most Western nations, would be a top legislative priority and a signature moral mission. » Read more

Is It Too Late to Share Jerusalem? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Time by Andrew Lee Butters - March 26, 2010 - 12:00am The disputed fate of Jerusalem has long epitomized the stalemate in the Middle East peace process, and over the past two weeks it has been at the center of rare diplomatic brawl between Israel and the U.S. But even as the Obama Administration and the Israeli government square off over demands that Israel refrain from announcing new construction projects in occupied East Jerusalem, the tussle as Israel extends its grip and Palestinians push back is a flashpoint. "The tinder is dry in Jerusalem," says one Western diplomat. » Read more

US general reaffirms military bond with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Hanan Greenberg - March 25, 2010 - 12:00am Political crisis, but no military crisis: US General David Petraeus on Wednesday spoke with Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi and reassured him that he never said Israel's policies endanger US troops in the Middle East. Recent reports about Patraeus' alleged comments during a Congress hearing were denied by American security officials. However, the general insisted on clearing the air himself and called the Israeli chief of staff. » Read more

Arabs pledge $500 million in east J'lem aid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roee Nahmias - March 26, 2010 - 12:00am Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa on Thursday announced that the organization's member states approved a $500 million assistance package for Palestinians residing in Jerusalem. The Arab foreign ministers convened Thursday for a preparatory meeting in the Libyan city of Sirte, ahead of the Arab League summit scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. » Read more

Palestinians: Obama wants Israel to hand over Abu-Dis to PA ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - March 26, 2010 - 12:00am The Obama Administration is demanding that Israel hand over more West Bank land to exclusive PA control, including the Abu-Dis area adjacent to Jerusalem, Palestinian sources told Ynet Thursday. According to the US vision, the move will take place as part of reverting to the state that prevailed in the West Bank before the outbreak of the last Intifada. » Read more

Despite row, U.S. and Israel sign massive arms deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel - March 26, 2010 - 12:00am As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington this week absorbing the full wrath of the Obama administration, the Pentagon and Israel's defense establishment were in the process of sealing a large arms deal. According to the deal, Israel will purchase three new Hercules C-130J airplanes. The deal for the three aircrafts, designed by Lockheed Martin, is worth roughly a quarter billion dollars. Each aircraft costs $70 million. The aircrafts were manufactured specifically for Israeli needs, and include a large number of systems produced by Israel's defense industry. » Read more

Netanyahu and Obama are at point of no return ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) March 26, 2010 - 12:00am The strife between Israel and the United States concerns something far bigger than the proximity talks with the Palestinians. As far as President Barack Obama and his senior advisers are concerned, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to blame for nothing less than damaging the standing of the U.S.in the Middle East and the Muslim world. » Read more

Netanyahu better shape up before U.S. tensions get worse ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yossi Verter - (Opinion) March 26, 2010 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from the United States Thursday with egg all over his face but also with a painfully sharp insight - gone are the days when the White House was considerate about the intricacies of Israeli domestic politics. Former prime ministers used to tell American presidents, "Understand, I have a problematic coalition." This no longer works. Obama is not making any effort to show sensitivity to Netanyahu's distress and worse - he's ignoring it as though he intends to wreak some political chaos here. » Read more