March 9th

Palestinian Elections Delayed by Hamas-Fatah Bickering ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - March 9, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH // Palestinians will not hold presidential and parliamentary elections in May because of disagreements between the two main political factions, a Palestinian elections official said this week. The gridlocked Hamas-Fatah reconciliation has made it impossible for the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC) to hold elections on May 4, the date originally set by the groups, said the Ramallah-based organisation's chief electoral officer, Hisham Kuhail. » Read more

On Iran, a Win-Win ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward (Editorial) March 9, 2012 - 1:00am The conventional wisdom is that the latest meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even if more cordial and productive than their eight prior exchanges, highlighted the stark differences between the two leaders as their nations face the threat of a nuclear Iran. And this gulf, so some urge us to believe, presents a serious schism for Americans who care about Israel’s security and this most special of special bilateral relationships. Permit us to offer another perspective. » Read more

Palestinian Female Detainees Tell Horrific Stories of Abuse in Israeli Prisons ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Arabiya by Amjad Samhan - March 8, 2012 - 1:00am Throughout the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, around 800,000 Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli authorities, more than 10,000 of whom are women. Many of those female detainees were subjected to several forms of abuse, sexual in particular, but very few were willing to talk. On the eve of International Women’s Day, however, some decided to break their silence. S.H., who refused to disclose her full name, was arrested for a few days to put pressure on her husband, also detained at the time, and extract confessions from him. » Read more

Why is Israel calling Iran a nuclear duck? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by James Reynolds - (Opinion) March 7, 2012 - 1:00am "A nuclear armed Iran must be stopped," Benjamin Netanyahu told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobby group in Washington on Monday. "Amazingly, some people refuse to acknowledge that Iran's goal is to develop nuclear weapons." So, how might Israel's prime minister try to persuade the sceptics? A couple of paragraphs later, Mr Netanyahu decided to deploy a favourite rhetorical device of recent Israeli leaders. It's a phrase always used whenever an Israeli politician wants to come over as wittily plain-spoken to English-speaking audiences - the duck analogy. » Read more

Israel Investigates Killing of a Palestinian in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News March 9, 2012 - 1:00am Zakariya Abu Eram, who was 17, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian town of Yatta, south of Hebron. The Israeli military said he was accompanying a man who stabbed a soldier with a knife. Local witnesses said he was an onlooker and not involved in the attack. An 18-year-old Palestinian was also injured. It is understood that Israeli soldiers were in Yatta to arrest a former prisoner, Khaled Makhamreh. » Read more

PA Steps Up Security Measures at Joseph’s Tomb ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel News by Akiva Novick - March 8, 2012 - 1:00am The Palestinian Authority has stepped up its fight against Breslov Hassidim's attempts to access Joseph's Tomb in Nablus without permission, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday. Breslovers often try to enter the compound at night, sans authorization or coordination with the IDF and the Palestinian security forces. Such past incidents have caused clashes between the hassidim and Palestinian troops, with one tragic clash ending in the death of Breslover Ben-Yosef Livnat. » Read more

Between Damascus and Tehran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Uri Savir - (Opinion) March 8, 2012 - 1:00am On February 22, a good friend of mine, the courageous Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin, who reported from almost every war zone in the world to present the readers with the horror, brutality and futility of war, was killed by Syrian forces in the city of Homs. » Read more

Hamas Unclear about Role in Israel-Iran Fighting ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Karin Laub - March 7, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza's ruling Hamas on Wednesday sent conflicting signals on whether it would stay on the sidelines if war breaks out between Israel and Iran. A Hamas spokesman said the group didn't have enough firepower the enter a regional war, while a senior official later reportedly threatened "retaliation with utmost power." » Read more

Israel must not bind itself to Netanyahu's vulgar rhetoric on Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) March 9, 2012 - 1:00am Anyone who cares about Israel's future could not help but feel a chill upon hearing Benjamin Netanyahu's recent speech at the AIPAC conference - if not because of the gravity of the existential threat it described, then because of its sheer vulgarity and bad taste. The prime minister, as if he were no more than a surfer leaving feedback on a website, did not hesitate to crassly compare Israel today to the situation of European Jewry during the Holocaust. » Read more

Study: 37 Percent of Palestinian Women Exposed to Violence by Husbands ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 9, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Some 37 percent of Palestinian women were exposed to violence by their husbands in 2011, says a new study revealed on International Women's Day. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics says the highest percentage of the phenomenon was reported in Gaza, where 58.1 percent of women were subject to violence by their husbands. The Ramallah and Al Bireh district witnessed the lowest rates of domestic violence against women for 2011, with 14.2 percent of wives exposed to violence. » Read more