March 29th

Binyamin Netanyahu's efforts to heal rift marred as Barack Obama branded 'disaster for Israel' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Rory McCarthy - March 29, 2010 - 12:00am Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, tried to smooth over a breach in relations with the US today, speaking out against unnamed confidants who described Barack Obama as pro-Palestinian and Israel's "greatest disaster". Netanyahu made his first public comments after a fraught visit to Washington last week, where he held a long but low-key meeting with Obama that ended with significant disagreement. » Read more

Arab League still backs peace initiative ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) March 29, 2010 - 12:00am The Arab League voted at its annual summit to continue backing an initiative that would give Israel land for peace. The renewed support for the Arab peace initiative announced Sunday in Libya came despite efforts by Syria and Lebanon to convince the league to withdraw from peace efforts. Continued Israeli building and building approvals in eastern Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as the capital of a future state, has angered league members. » Read more

March 26th

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