Olmert to J Street: Abbas a partner for peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yitzhak Benhorin - March 27, 2012 - 12:00am WASHINGTON - "Don’t tell me there is no partner. There is a partner. (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) wants peace with Israel," former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said during a J Street gala dinner on Monday. The former Israeli premier said Abbas was against terror during the Yasser Arafat era and was in favor of peace negotiations during Ariel Sharon's tenure as prime minister, as well as during his own. » Read more

PNA to ratify budget with shortfall ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 27, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) will ratify its 2012 fiscal year budget at 3 billion U.S. dollars, with a shortfall of 1.3 billion dollars, a Palestinian official said Tuesday. Ghassan Al-Khatib, spokesman for the Palestinian government in the West Bank, blamed "unprecedented lack" of foreign aid for the deficit, warning that the shortfall threatens the PNA's ability to carry out its services, especially in the education and health sectors. » Read more

Gazans blame Hamas for energy crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - March 26, 2012 - 12:00am Social justice? The recent energy crisis in Gaza has enraged many of the Strip's residents, who are now launching a new campaign on Facebook, calling to hold a general strike on Thursday. The campaign organizers are calling on all drivers, business owners, schools and universities to strike as an act of protest in the face of a growing rift between Gaza and the West Bank, and the deepening electricity and fuel crisis. » Read more

Migron deal makes a joke of Israel's judicial system ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Nehemia Shtrasler - (Opinion) March 27, 2012 - 12:00am Here's one thing everyone in Israel agrees about: Benny Begin is a very honest guy. His unusual integrity is manifest in the agreement he forged recently with residents of the illegal Migron outpost, allowing them to stay there for three more years and then move to a new outpost to be built on state land. This is an agreement toward which the Supreme Court displayed disdain; the government winked as it signed the document with the settlers, and the agreement even received the blessing of the Knesset's most extreme right-wing member, Minister Daniel Hershkowitz of Habayit Hayehudi. » Read more

J Street is like the 'Bizarro World' of AIPAC ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chemi Shalev - (Opinion) March 27, 2012 - 12:00am The rhetorical question posed in the Book of Amos “would the two go together unless they have agreed” was answered in Washington on Monday night when former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appeared as the keynote speaker at the gala dinner of the leftist Jewish lobby J Street. Olmert and J Street, after all, have at least two important common denominators: both strongly support a two-state solution and both desperately seek public legitimacy. » Read more

Hamas holds dozens of drivers in Gaza power crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ibrahim Barzak - March 26, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Police in Hamas-ruled Gaza have detained dozens of taxi drivers for allegedly spreading "rumors" about the territory's worst power crisis in years, officials said Monday, The detentions, which began over the weekend, signaled that the Islamic militant Hamas is increasingly concerned about the political fallout from crippling shortages of fuel and electricity. Authorities did not explain what got the drivers in trouble, beyond saying the "rumors" had to do with the energy crisis. » Read more

Fatah: Hamas detained spokesman ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 27, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Fatah on Tuesday accused Hamas of detaining its spokesman in Gaza a day earlier. Hamas forces detained Fayez Abu Eita on Monday, Fatah spokesman Usama al-Qawasmi said in a statement. The detention is a "dangerous escalation" and threatens efforts to reconcile the rival factions, al-Qawasmi said. It is a disappointment for the Palestinian leadership and Egyptian mediators, he added. On Tuesday, Hamas accused the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority of detaining eight of its members across the West Bank. » Read more

Israel's new friends ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Nimrod Asulin - (Opinion) March 27, 2012 - 12:00am Following the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords, Israel managed to deescalate its decades-long conflict with the Arab world with an earnest effort to forge a peace process with the Palestinians. Over the last decade, however, the peace talks witnessed setbacks, which subsequently led to an escalation in violence. This escalation hampered the Jewish state's diplomatic ties, especially with its one time regional ally, Turkey. Due to the changing realities, Israel has responded by returning to and employing an “old” foreign relation policy in a new way. » Read more

Jailed Fatah leader calls to end ties with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Noah Browning - March 27, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Reuters) -- From his cell in an Israeli prison, one of the most revered figures in Palestinian politics called on Monday for a new wave of civil resistance in the decades-long quest for statehood, and for severing all ties with Israel. Marwan Barghouti is a leading figure in the Fatah movement. His leadership and charisma were seen as a driving force behind the last intifada, or uprising, against Israeli occupation launched in late 2000. » Read more

Jerusalem is at the heart of the Palestinian struggle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Sarah Colborne - (Opinion) March 27, 2012 - 12:00am Jerusalem is a city that embodies the cultural heritage of three religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Yet Palestinians – both Christian and Muslim – are being driven out of Jerusalem. Just one example of this ethnic cleansing is taking place in Silwan, where 1,000 residents are facing imminent eviction as their homes make way for the King David tourist park. In response to the urgency of the situation, an international alliance is mounting a series of peaceful protests worldwide on 30 March to call for an end to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians living in Jerusalem. » Read more