March 14th

To the leftist who has no problem with rocket fire on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - (Opinion) March 13, 2012 - 12:00am War again. Rockets again. Israel assassinates the commander of a radical Palestinian militia coalition in Gaza. In retaliation, gunners in the Strip fire rockets at cities across southern Israel. Israel launches a series of air strikes targeting the launch crews. More than 20 Palestinians are killed and scores injured. In Israel, questions are raised about the wisdom and the necessity of the assassination. Sounds all too familiar. Not much new here, from the looks of it. Back pages, even in the Arab world. » Read more

Israel 'must end imputiny of violence by settlers' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - March 14, 2012 - 12:00am EU governments, including Britain, have secretly been urged by their top diplomats in Jerusalem and the West Bank to press Israel to enforce laws against Jewish settlers responsible for an "alarming" rise in violence against Palestinians and their property. » Read more

Arabs to Play Key Role Deciding Kadima Race ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gil Hoffman - March 14, 2012 - 12:00am Two weeks ahead of the March 27 Kadima leadership primary, sources close to opposition leader Tzipi Livni and Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Shaul Mofaz said the race could be decided by the votes of Arab Israelis. More than 23,000 out of Kadima’s 95,000 members eligible to vote in the race are non- Jews. While there are no exact figures within the sector, party officials said it is split evenly among Arab Israelis and Druse. » Read more

U.S., Jordan Urge Abbas to Refrain From Threats to Dismantle Palestinian Authority ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - March 12, 2012 - 12:00am Over the last several weeks, the Palestinian issue has been pushed to the margins of both the Israeli and world media’s attention, as well as to that of the diplomatic agenda. The massacre in Syria, the presidential elections in Russia and the increasing tension with Iran captured the attention of Washington, the UN and Western Europe. » Read more

In Israel, Druze Community Divided Over Military Service ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - March 13, 2012 - 12:00am Reporting from Isfiyeh, Israel— Amal Asad began his barrier-breaking military career in the Israel Defense Forces after being drafted just days before the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He went on to become one of its first Arab paratroopers and retired as brigadier general, the second-highest rank achieved by a non-Jewish officer. » Read more

Israeli counterterrorism unit warns of imminent attacks in Turkey, urges Israelis to stay away ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press March 13, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel is calling on its citizens to stay away from Turkey because of intelligence warning of imminent attacks against sites frequented by Jews and Israelis there. The prime minister’s counterterrorism office issued the warning late Tuesday. It said “terror groups are planning to carry out attacks against Jewish and Israeli sites inside Turkey in the coming days.” Last month Israel blamed Iran for attacks in Thailand and India. An Israeli diplomat’s wife was wounded in India. » Read more

Islamic Jihad Holds Victory Rally in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - March 13, 2012 - 12:00am Thousands of Islamic Jihad sympathizers participated in the group's victory rally celebrating the end of the current round of violence against Israel on Tuesday. The rally was attended by senior Islamic Jihad officials while the group's secretary-general, Ramadan Shallah, sent a video message from Damascus. » Read more

Israeli-Egyptian relations still stable after rocket bombardments: official ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 14, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, March 13 (Xinhua) -- A senior Israeli military official on Tuesday said that last week's targeted assassination of an Islamic militant headed off a cross-border attack with " strategic implications" for already-tense relations with Cairo. "Always -- in our constellation -- the peace between us and Egypt is very important, and the national security of Egypt is very important as well," Maj.-Gen. (res) Amos Gilad, the Defense Ministry's Director of Policy and Political-Military Affairs, told reporters in a conference call focusing on the targeted assassination. » Read more

Unannounced Truce Calms Violence in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Fares Akram, Isabel Kershner - March 13, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Both Israel and the Islamic Jihad militant group in Gaza indicated Tuesday that they would abide by an Egyptian-brokered truce ending four days of cross-border fighting, but each warned that maintaining the calm would depend on the actions of the other side. Bary Mike cleaned up his store in the port city of Ashdod on Tuesday. A rocket fired from Gaza had landed near his business. » Read more

March 13th

Why U.S., Israel aren't neatly aligned on Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CNN by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) March 13, 2012 - 12:00am (CNN) -- Over the years, I've seen a good many meetings between U.S. presidents and Israeli prime ministers on big issues during critical moments. It usually takes a few days before we can begin to make sense of what occurred and what to expect. Here's a guide to interpret last week's meeting between Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu on the Iranian nuclear issue and how to read the next several months. Best meeting yet but don't be fooled » Read more