March 12th

U.S. gave Israel green light for East Jerusalem construction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) March 12, 2010 - 1:00am The apology offered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Eli Yishai recalls the joke about the servant who pinched the king's bottom. En route to the gallows, the servant apologized: He thought it was the queen's bottom. » Read more

1000th day of Israeli blockade on Gaza Strip marked ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 12, 2010 - 1:00am Palestinians light candles forming the number 1000 during a rally marking 1000 days of the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, in Gaza City on March 11, 2010. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar)

Israeli warplanes bomb southern Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 12, 2010 - 1:00am JERUSALEM, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Israeli warplanes struck southern Gaza on Thursday night in response to rocket fire from the coastal strip, said an army announcement. The airstrike was targeted at a weapon factory and a smuggling tunnel near the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, said the announcement from Israeli army spokesperson's office. The attack was a response to the firing of a rocket that hit an Israeli village on Thursday. » Read more

Israel moves to change law after Biden "mishap" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Matti Friedman - March 12, 2010 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — Israel is moving to amend the country's planning procedures on sensitive political decisions following an embarrassing diplomatic flap during a visit this week by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, a Cabinet minister said Friday. » Read more

Egypt expels hundreds of Palestinians to Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 12, 2010 - 1:00am Gaza - Ma'an - Palestinian border officials said Friday that 224 Palestinians were sent back to the Gaza Strip from Egypt on Thursday night. The Palestinians, most of them former medical patients, were sent back via Rafah, the de facto crossings authority officials told Ma'an. The reports came amid larger allegations that Egypt had hardened its policies on issuing visas to Hamas leader from Gaza » Read more

Joe Biden gives Israel bear hug - and tough love ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - March 11, 2010 - 1:00am Tel Aviv Despite two days of public friction between the US and Israel over a Jerusalem building project, Vice President Joe Biden today delivered an emotional speech laden with admiration for the Jewish state. Some years ago "I said if I was Jew, I would be a Zionist," Biden said, telling the audience at Tel Aviv University of his affinity for Israel since childhood. "I was reminded by my father you need not be a Jew to be a Zionist." » Read more

Middle East peace efforts: lessons from healthcare reform ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Amjad Atallah - (Opinion) March 12, 2010 - 1:00am It took a year of trying for President Obama to persuade Israelis and Palestinians to enter into "proximity talks" to resolve issues standing in the way of a final peace plan. But as we learned from the stunning announcement this week -- during Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the region -- that Israel had approved 112 new settlement units in the West Bank and 1,600 new settlement units in East Jerusalem, there is a lot that can go wrong. » Read more

Middle East: What can Obama do to restore confidence in peace process? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Borzou Daragahi - March 11, 2010 - 1:00am Voices of skepticism and disdain abound when it comes to United States' efforts to promote peace in the Middle East. Many in the Arab world regard the Obama administration's steps to restart talks as too little too late by a government too beholden to Israel. But some also proposed ideas for moving forward, even after Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, where peace was overshadowed by Israel's announcement of plans to expand settlements in the West Bank. » Read more

Two Israeli soldiers accused of using human shield ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - March 12, 2010 - 1:00am Reporting from Jerusalem - Two Israeli soldiers involved in the Gaza Strip offensive a year ago used a 9-year-old Palestinian boy as a human shield to open packages they believed were booby-trapped with explosives, the Israeli army charged Thursday. The soldiers, whose names were not released, have been indicted in military court for "unauthorized conduct" and "exceeding their authority in a manner that endangered life or health," the army said. The boy, whose case was forwarded to the Israel Defense Forces by the United Nations, was unharmed. » Read more

Biden to Leave Mideast Amid Unease ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - March 11, 2010 - 1:00am TEL AVIV — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. came to Israel early this week to promote new Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and tighten the bonds between Israel and the United States. He left Thursday amid increased uncertainty over the nature and timing of those talks and with a sense of unease hanging over the American-Israeli relationship. » Read more