Israel 'turning blind eye' to West Bank settlers' attacks on Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Ian Traynor - March 21, 2012 - 12:00am Jewish settlers in the West Bank are conducting a systematic and expanding campaign of violence against Palestinian farmers, families and children with the Israeli authorities turning a blind eye, according to confidential reports from senior European Union officials. In two reports to Brussels from EU heads of mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah, obtained by the Guardian, the officials found that settler violence against Palestinians has more than tripled in three years to total hundreds of incidents. » Read more

Egypt and Hamas: The honeymoon that wasn't ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Mohammed Najib - March 22, 2012 - 12:00am The high hopes Gaza’s Hamas leaders had in the Egyptian revolution and the ouster of their old nemesis, Hosni Mubarak, have been swallowed up by growing acrimony and traditional distrust. Tensions were on display during the fighting between Israel and Gaza-based militant groups last week, when Egypt’s efforts to broker a truce were subject to repeated delays and violations. The ceasefire gradually went into affect, and now the two sides are back to sniping over who is responsible for the fuel shortage in Gaza that has been behind weeks of brownouts and blackouts. » Read more

Egypt's rulers resist Muslim Brotherhood's push to open Gaza border ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters March 21, 2012 - 12:00am The Muslim Brotherhood aims to open the Egyptian border with Gaza to commerce, a shift that would transform life for Palestinians there but which is hitting resistance from Egyptian authorities reluctant to change a longstanding policy. The biggest party in Egypt's new parliament, the Islamists are not yet in government but have been seeking ways to ease the impact of restrictions imposed by Israel and Egypt on what passes in and out of the territory run by Hamas, an ideological offshoot of the Brotherhood. » Read more

Want to promote Israel in the U.K.? Recognize 1967 borders ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - March 22, 2012 - 12:00am Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) cancelled an advertisement by Israel’s Ministry of Tourism in London which attempted to promote a new book on northern Israel. The reason for the cancellation of the ad, which was first published in British newspapers in November 2011, was the fact that the map that was attached to it did not properly demarcate the 1967 borders in the Golan Heights and the West Bank. » Read more

Israel finalizes deal with Germany for sixth submarine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 22, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Wednesday finalized the deal for its sixth German-made submarine, which it believes will boost the capabilities of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), local media reported. Israel purchased the Dolphin-class submarine at 530 million U.S. dollars, while Germany announced that it will subsidize one-third of the total price. The signing of the contract took place in Berlin between Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and German State Secretary at the Ministry of Defense Wolf Rudiger. » Read more

Egypt-Hamas standoff leads to Gaza power crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Karin Laub - March 22, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — A dispute between Egypt and Gaza's Hamas government has produced the worst energy crisis here in years: Gazans are enduring 18-hour-a-day blackouts, fuel is running low for hospital backup generators, raw sewage pours into the Mediterranean Sea for lack of treatment pumps and gas stations have shut down. The fuel and electricity shortages, which have escalated over the past two months, are infuriating long-suffering Gazans who say their basic needs, perhaps more than ever, are being sacrificed for politics. » Read more

PA: Abbas, Clinton discuss upcoming Quartet meet ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 21, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton phoned President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday ahead of a meeting of the international Quartet scheduled for next month, state media reported. Clinton's call to Abbas was to follow up on discussions between Abbas and Obama a day earlier, the official Palestinian Authority news agency Wafa reported Wednesday. According to the report, Clinton said a group of US officials will arrive to the region soon. Abbas told Obama on Monday he would return to negotiations if Israel committed to Quartet requirements. » Read more

PA says funds needed to reverse water crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 21, 2012 - 12:00am BRUSSELS (Ma'an) -- Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Wednesday said he hoped donors would fund a desalination plant to ease the water crisis in the Gaza Strip. Speaking from Brussels in a weekly interview to the official Voice of Palestine radio, Fayyad said the plant would cost almost half a billion dollars. Over-pumping of the coastal aquifer has reduced the quality and quantity of water in Gaza, Fayyad said. According to a 2009 World Bank report, between 90 and 95 percent of the water available in Gaza is not fit for human consumption. » Read more

PA 'spent $7 billion' in Gaza since split ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 21, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority has spent over $7 billion in Gaza since 2007, Fatah spokesman Ahmad Assaf said Wednesday. The Fatah-led government in Ramallah has continued to meet its obligations in Gaza even though Fatah was ousted from the coastal enclave by Hamas in 2007, Assaf said in a statement. The PA spends around $120 million each month on the Gaza Strip, paying the salaries of around 80,000 civil servants, the Fatah official said. » Read more

Israeli defense minister says Israel and US disagree on timetable for effective Iran action ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press March 22, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel and the US disagree on what would be a realistic timetable for stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, Israel’s defense minister said Thursday, but stopped short of threatening unilateral Israeli action. Ehud Barak reiterated concerns that Iran is trying to make its suspected nuclear weapons program immune from attack before taking a decision on assembling atomic bombs. Israel “cannot afford” to wait in such a situation, Barak told Israel Radio. » Read more