Egypt warms to Hamas, but not allies yet ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - March 5, 2012 - 1:00am CAIRO AND JERUSALEM // When Egypt provided a public platform last month for Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister, it was seen as a more independent nation risking longtime ties with the United States and Israel to please its Islamist friends. To many observers, Mr Haniyeh's speech at Al Azhar University in Cairo, declaring his support for Syrian rebels fighting to topple the regime of Bashar Al Assad, also signalled the break-up of the revolutionary axis stretching from Tehran to Gaza City, and a major shift in the politics of the Middle East. » Read more

'Most serious' division in Hamas' history tests Meshaal's acumen ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - March 5, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM // Once firmly in control of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal no longer appears to be the Palestinian-Islamist group's undisputed leader. Rivals are stridently criticising the 55-year-old and the sweeping changes he has recently tried to engineer within Hamas. Such public dissension had been practically unheard of within the group's tightly regimented ranks. Others, sensing his weakened hand, seem to be not-so-subtlety jockeying for his position. » Read more

Now Syria's Foe, Hamas Still No Friend ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - March 4, 2012 - 1:00am Washington — In foreign relations, it is a longtime maxim that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” But despite its recent shift against the regime in Syria, that rule has done nothing, so far, for Hamas with the American government. The abrupt smashing of a decades-long bond between Hamas, which is designated by the United States as a terrorist organization, and Syria, a family-led dictatorship, is unlikely to facilitate Hamas’s rehabilitation, experts say, despite current efforts by the U.S. to assemble a wide coalition against the Syrian regime. » Read more

PA letter to ask Israel’s position on peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) March 4, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will send a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asking Israel to state its position regarding restarting peace talks. The letter, which reportedly will be delivered to Netanyahu as soon as he returns from his visit to North America, will accuse Israel of harming the process by not fulfilling its obligations under current agreements and inform Israel what steps the Palestinian Authority requires of Israel in order to be willing to restart talks. » Read more

Palestinians Struggle to Put Their Food on Israeli Tables ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Arieh O'Sullivan - March 4, 2012 - 1:00am Palestinian farmers say they can’t penetrate the Israeli market because of reluctance by Israelis to buy products with a Palestinian brand. Israeli agriculture officials acknowledged the problem, but said they were trying to help by exposing Israelis to more Palestinian wares. Agriculture is a pillar of the Palestinian economy. While they export to the Arab world, the U.S. and Europe, Palestinians are trying to sell their “Product of Palestine” brands to in neighboring Israel, which is a big market and no more than hour’s truck drive away. » Read more

Americans still favor Israelis to Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Oren Kessler - March 5, 2012 - 1:00am Americans continue to view Israelis far more favorably than Palestinians, according to a poll released this weekend ahead of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s meeting on Monday with US President Barack Obama. Seventy-one percent of Americans said they had positive views of Israel, compared with just 19% who said the same of the Palestinians, according to a Gallup poll conducted over the first week of February. Republicans were more likely to be well disposed toward Israel than independents or Democrats, with favorability ratings at 80, 71 and 65%, respectively. » Read more

Olmert to address J Street conference ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yuval Karni - March 4, 2012 - 1:00am Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will appear before the J Street organization at the end of the month, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday. The liberal advocacy group is scheduled to hold its annual conference in Washington at the end of March. The event will be attended by some 2,500 Jewish leaders, senior government officials and congressmen. Olmert will be the guest of honor and the main speaker at the event. J Street is considered a left-wing Jewish lobby which aims to promote a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. » Read more

Palestinians to give Israelis deadline on talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Karin Laub - March 3, 2012 - 1:00am JERICHO, West Bank — Palestinian officials said Saturday they plan to give a deadline to Israel to accept ground rules for negotiations, and suggested that a 'no' will allow them to shelve Mideast talks until it does. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is to spell out the requirements in a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki. He said he did not know by when Netanyahu would have to respond. » Read more

Israel's calculus on Iran: Shaped by leaders' youth in daring commando unit? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - March 4, 2012 - 1:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are two rivals turned partners who face a grave decision on whether or not to attack Iran against the counsel of Israel’s key ally, the United States. » Read more

U.S. Backers of Israel Pressure Obama Over Policy on Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Mark Landler - March 3, 2012 - 1:00am WASHINGTON — On the eve of a crucial visit to the White House by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, that country’s most powerful American advocates are mounting an extraordinary public campaign to pressure President Obama into hardening American policy toward Iran over its nuclear program. » Read more