For Israel, it is about walls and war ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) March 10, 2012 - 1:00am The recent visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United States received the lion’s share of publicity about Israel’s position in the Middle East and the world. However, the real story about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict rests elsewhere. » Read more

‘Reel freedom’ helps make Jerusalem more livable ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Khaled Diab - (Opinion) March 12, 2012 - 12:00am In East Jerusalem, the Israeli occupation has affected the city’s cultural landscape. Chronic underinvestment, expanding settlements and a massive wall – which Israel says it has constructed for security purposes and Palestinians allege is a land grab – have had the effect of squeezing the life out of Palestinian quarters and shifting the cultural center of gravity to Ramallah in the West Bank. In addition, it seems many Palestinian Jerusalemites have not been able to shake off the curfew mentality of the intifada, which ended almost seven years ago. » Read more

Political disunity of Palestinians is a critical failure ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) March 11, 2012 - 1:00am When it comes to Palestinian politics, every step forward seems inevitably followed by two steps back. On Friday, a day after Hamas had rejected the idea that it would at any point strike Israel on behalf of Iran, Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed 12 and wounded a dozen others. Hamas once again finds itself on the defensive, both from Israel and from factions within the Occupied Territory. » Read more

Netanyahu's flawed arguments for war ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Adel Safty - (Opinion) March 12, 2012 - 12:00am The Iranian crisis has given rise to another duel between US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. The public platform for the confrontation of the two men was provided by the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) policy conference which the two men addressed separately last week. They duelled in the past over how to achieve peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the Aipac policy conference, they publicly duelled about waging another war in the Middle East. » Read more

Israel has a legal case for striking Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Robert Ash, Jay Sekulow - (Opinion) March 12, 2012 - 12:00am WASHINGTON (JTA) -- In a world where nuclear weapons could soon be in the hands of a rogue nation like Iran, an Israeli preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be fully justified. Despite its ban on aggressive war, Article 51 of the United Nations Charter clearly recognizes a state’s inherent right of self-defense. Thus, Israel has full authority to act unilaterally or collectively in its self-defense. » Read more

A typical Gaza wedding ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - (Analysis) March 11, 2012 - 1:00am She slips through the door resembling any other Gaza girl, head scarf and jilbab concealing her hair and body, and emerges three hours later looking like a beauty queen. But before Aya Abu Shoqa steps outside the salon in her wedding finery, she dons a hooded ivory satin cape, complete with opaque veil. » Read more

Reality Check: A true friend ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Jeff Barak - (Opinion) March 12, 2012 - 12:00am At the risk of sounding like a teenage magazine agony aunt, here’s my definition of a true friend: A true friend is someone who will always look out for you, will protect your best interests and, when the situation demands it, tell you straight to your face a truth you might not particularly want to hear. In other words, a true friend will act exactly the way US President Barack Obama has acted toward Israel throughout his entire presidency. » Read more

This round will likely go to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - (Analysis) March 12, 2012 - 12:00am Fewer rockets were fired at Israel on Sunday, but the fact that Katyushas did nonetheless fall in Be'er Sheva spurred tough talk from Israel, which threatened to continue attacking the Gaza Strip. Still, if there are fewer launches Monday, Israel will likely reduce its attacks, and this round of hostilities will wind down by midweek, much as last year's periodic flare-ups did. » Read more

Jewish identity and democratic values ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Opinion) March 12, 2012 - 12:00am Since its inception, democracy, or more specifically an elected government, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, as well as equal rights have been the cornerstone of the identity of the State of Israel. To quote the Declaration of Independence: “it [Israel] will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture.” » Read more

Israel needs an anthem that represents Arabs and Jews ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) March 12, 2012 - 12:00am It turns out that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a message of support to Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran after the jurist chose not to join in singing the Israeli national anthem at the recent ceremony marking the installation of Asher Grunis as the court's new president. In his message, which was transmitted by diplomatic envoy Isaac Molho, Netanyahu informed the justice that he didn't expect an Israeli Arab like Joubran to sing lyrics such as "a Jewish soul yearns," which are in "Hatikva." » Read more