April 2nd

Israeli planes and helicopters mount Gaza attacks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Dan Williams - April 2, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli planes and helicopters mounted at least seven missile attacks on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Friday, destroying what a military spokesman described as Palestinian munitions sites. Four air strikes blew up two caravans near the town of Khan Younis, witnesses and Hamas officials said. There were no casualties in this attack. A fifth missile hit a cheese factory in Gaza City, setting it on fire, the witnesses and Hamas officials said. Hospital officials said two children were slightly wounded by flying debris. » Read more

Israel warns of new Gaza assault after air strikes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Gavin Rabinowitz - April 2, 2010 - 12:00am Israel on Friday threatened a widescale military operation against the Gaza Strip after a string of air strikes which injured three Palestinian children following rocket attacks from the enclave. Israel's deputy prime minister, Silvan Shalom, warned that the military would soon launch a new offensive on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip unless the rocket fire was halted. "If this rocket fire against Israel does not stop, it seems we will have to raise the level of our activity and step up our actions against Hamas," Shalom told public radio. » Read more

Changing course, Fatah officials call for Palestinian protests against Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ilene Prusher - April 1, 2010 - 12:00am Senior officials in Fatah, the mainstream faction of the PLO, have for several years taken a backseat approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- leaving negotiations to a few leaders at the top and demonstrations to the grass-roots activists on the street. » Read more

Israel Mounts Air Attacks in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - April 2, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli warplanes struck at least four times across Gaza on Friday, damaging a number of structures that the Israeli military said were sites for weapons manufacturing or storage. A workshop destroyed early Friday morning in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City. A military spokesman said the strikes were in response to a Qassam rocket fired from Gaza on Thursday that hit the Ashkelon area on Israel’s central coast. The spokesman added that nearly 20 rockets or mortars had come from Gaza during March, and more than 40 since the beginning of the year. » Read more

Israeli behavior unworthy of U.S. friend ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dallas News (Editorial) April 1, 2010 - 12:00am Tensions have eased since the recent clash between the Obama administration and Israel over new expansion plans in East Jerusalem, but the controversy is far from resolved. Unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finds a better way to tamp down the expansionist tendencies of his coalition members, a rocky future awaits U.S.-Israeli relations. Final status issues » Read more

Palestinian PM to Haaretz: We will have a state next year ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - April 2, 2010 - 12:00am RAMALLAH - Next year, "the birth of a Palestinian state will be celebrated as a day of joy by the entire community of nations," says Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in an exclusive interview to Haaretz. Relaying Passover greetings to the Jewish community, Fayyad hopes Israelis will also participate in the celebrations for the birth of a new state. » Read more

April 1st

Hizbollah, Hamas and the false promise of resistance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Michael Young - (Opinion) March 31, 2010 - 12:00am In a recent interview with Hizbollah’s Al Manar television station, Bashar al Assad, the president of Syria, was asked about the state of Syria’s relationship with Lebanon after years of tension following the assassination of the former prime minister, Rafiq al Hariri, in 2005. “Damascus cannot be neutral when one side is engaged in resistance and another is against the resistance,” he responded. » Read more

Netanyahu's days may be numbered ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) April 1, 2010 - 12:00am Believe it or not, Benjamin Netanyahu may return to Washington next weekend. The Israeli prime minister has apparently overcome the embarrassment of his stressful encounter with President Barack Obama last month on ending illegal Israeli colony construction on occupied Palestinian land, especially in occupied East Jerusalem, where the Palestinians hope to establish their capital. But whether he will have his tail tucked between his legs remains to be seen. » Read more

What accountability? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) April 1, 2010 - 12:00am The US is the only world power that can help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace. Few dispute the unique American standing. For the US to be able to help shepherd a serious peace process, the trust of both parties to the conflict is critical. The absence of trust, more than settlement announcements, seems to be the real reason behind the current anger of the Obama administration toward its most important Middle East ally. » Read more

Settler activists claim area near Rawabi ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Tovah Lazaroff - April 1, 2010 - 12:00am Some 60 right-wing activists took a stand at dawn Wednesday to stake a claim to a partially developed area close to the new Palestinian city of Rawabi, which is now under construction in the Binyamin Region. According to one of the group leaders, Elad Meir, they went to an area close to Rawabi, which has structures that were partially built years ago and then abandoned. The Palestinian Authority had hoped to use the structures to house policemen. These buildings are well-suited to help settlers begin a new community, which they will call Bear Zeit, Meir said. » Read more