Thousands of Palestinians bury eight Gazans killed in Israeli air raids ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Saud Abu Ramadan, Emad Drimly - March 23, 2011 - 12:00am Thousands of mourners on Wednesday buried eight Palestinians, including three children and an old man, who were killed in two Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday in eastern Gaza city, calling for taking revenge on Israel. The mourners carried the bodies on their shoulders from Shiffa Hospital in the city and marched along Gaza city's main street. They prayed on the bodies at al-Omari Mosque, then headed to Gaza cemetery to bury the victims. Militants fired into the air vowing for revenge. » Read more

Abbas to visit Egypt soon: official ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 24, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is soon to pay his first visit to Egypt since the resignation of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a senior Palestinian official said Wednesday. Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of Fatah party's central committee, told Palestinian radio Voice of Palestine that he was informed by Egyptian officials that Egypt welcomes the visit of Abbas to the country, which is due in days. » Read more

Hamas seeks calm, stability in Gaza: spokesman ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 23, 2011 - 12:00am The deposed Hamas government that rules the Gaza Strip announced Wednesday that it is seeking to calm the growing violence in the enclave. Taher al-Nouno, spokesman of the Hamas government, said in a press statement sent to Xinhua that "we reiterate that our position is to firmly restore stability and work on calming down the situation in the field." » Read more

War won't stop rocket fire from Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) March 24, 2011 - 12:00am The relative quiet on the security front that Israel has enjoyed over the past two years has come to an end. The exchanges of fire between Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces along the Gaza border have escalated over the past 10 days, while in Jerusalem, a bomb exploded near a bus yesterday. And the investigation of the murders in Itamar earlier this month is still underway. » Read more

ANALYSIS-Bloodshed fills Mideast peace talk vacuum ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Douglas Hamilton - March 23, 2011 - 12:00am Lethal strikes in Gaza and a deadly suitcase bomb in Jerusalem on Wednesday confirmed fears that violence between Israelis and Palestinians is on the rise again after nearly two years of relative calm. Virtually ignored for the past three months as the neighbouring Arab world plunged into turmoil, the 62-year-old Middle East conflict has slid quickly back into its familiar cycle of bloody attack, retaliation and counter-attack. Nine Palestinians and one Israeli have died since Tuesday. » Read more

Hamas not likely behind Jerusalem bombing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - March 24, 2011 - 12:00am Is there a direct connection among the recent string of security incidents - the murder in Itamar, the escalation around the Gaza Strip, the Grad rockets on Be'er Sheva and the terror attack in Jerusalem? That was one of the questions occupying defense and government officials on Wednesday. At this point, the answer is still unclear. In any case, the bombing in Jerusalem cut short a period of almost three years of calm in the capital. It is a significant turn for the worse for the city, which managed only with great difficulty to extricate itself from the second intifada. » Read more

Israel can say farewell to peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ari Shavit - (Opinion) March 24, 2011 - 12:00am Say farewell to peace with Syria. Those who believe, like the writer of these lines, in the necessity of the Golan-for-peace formula cannot close their eyes to what is happening. With the great Arab revolt threatening his regime, there is no chance that President Bashar Assad will choose the path of peace. With the Syrian masses rebelling against him, there is no chance that Assad will gamble on peace. » Read more

Israeli leader: 'We will react aggressively, responsibly and wisely' to attacks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press March 23, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli leader: 'We will react aggressively, responsibly and wisely' to attacks.

Israel violence complicates Gates' call for peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Lolita Baldor - March 24, 2011 - 12:00am U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived Thursday in Israel, one day after an eruption in violence that has complicated his plans to urge progress in the peace process. The latest spike in attacks began Wednesday with a bus-stop bombing in Jerusalem, followed by Israeli strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. The events have heightened tensions and added to Israel's anxiety over the wave of rebellion in the region. » Read more

'PA police arrest 2 Islamic Jihad members for J'lem attack' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - March 24, 2011 - 12:00am Two members of Islamic Jihad were arrested by Palestinian police in Jenin on Thursday in connection to Wednesday's bombing in Jerusalem. According to a statement released by Islamic Jihad, "Palestinian security forces broke into the home of Jihad official Khaled Jaradat and arrested him. Other forces arrested organization official Tarek Kaadan near his home." On Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority condemned the Jerusalem explosion that killed a woman and wounded dozens of people, while Hamas and Islamic Jihad welcomed it as a “natural response to Israeli crimes.” » Read more