March 7th

Top U.S. army official: Mideast peace stalemate endangers American interests in region ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amir Oren - March 7, 2012 - 1:00am During an annual briefing Tuesday in the U.S. Congress, Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, head of the Central Command, issued a warning about a continued impasse in the Israel-Palestine conflict. He said that the political awakening in the Arab world has caused regimes in the region to be more attentive than ever to the emotions of their populations. The current stalemate between Israel and the Palestinians, he declared, cannot continue; what is needed is the renewal of an Israeli-Arab drive for peace based on a two-state solution. » Read more

Can rival Palestinian factions reach unity deal? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CNN by Fionnuala Sweeney - March 7, 2012 - 1:00am Jerusalem (CNN) -- The recent visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington primarily focused on Iran's nuclear program -- a long way from previous meetings that had, more often than not, focused on Israeli-Palestinian relations. There is little talk about a peace process these days. » Read more

UN: Gaza exports long way off despite trial ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Karin Laub - March 6, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The U.N.'s World Food Program is exporting 140 tons of date bars to the West Bank from Gaza this week, hoping this first shipment in nearly five years will help revive a vital trade route, an official said Tuesday. An Israeli official said a resumption of regular exports from Gaza to the West Bank is unlikely, citing security concerns and a desire not to reward Gaza's Hamas rulers. » Read more

Palestinians to give Israelis deadline on talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star March 6, 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

Chief Palestinian negotiator says Mideast does not need more wars ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Maher Abukhater - March 6, 2012 - 1:00am REPORTING FROM RAMALLAH, WEST BANK –- The Middle East needs "winds of peace" instead of "drums of war," the chief Palestinian negotiator said Tuesday. Saeb Erekat was commenting on the meeting a day earlier between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and their speeches before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Erekat did not seem worried that the Palestinian issue was overshadowed in the meeting by the conflict over Iran's nuclear program. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains the most destabilizing factor in the Middle East, he said. » Read more

Pro-Israel Delegates Have Washington’s Ear on Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Jodi Rudoren - March 6, 2012 - 1:00am WASHINGTON — Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee was surrounded by a gaggle of constituents on Tuesday like a quarterback in a huddle, finishing a discourse on his commitment to stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, center, met on Tuesday with Senators Harry Reid, left, and Mitch McConnell. Iran's nuclear program continues to dominate discussions. » Read more

Israel stacks the legal deck ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by George Bisharat - (Opinion) March 7, 2012 - 1:00am Palestinian baker and activist Khader Adnan captured headlines recently for a 66-day hunger strike that led him to the brink of death. His ordeal began in the dead of night on Dec. 17, 2011, when Israeli soldiers broke down the door of his West Bank home. Adnan was arrested before his terrified wife and daughters, and was reportedly abused verbally and physically upon detention and later in interrogation. » Read more

Netanyahu returns empty-handed from Washington ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) March 7, 2012 - 1:00am The Israeli and U.S. governments agree that Iran's striving for nuclear weapons is dangerous for Israel, the region and the world. Everyone understands what a nuclear bomb might do in the hands of an extremist Muslim regime aspiring to regional hegemony. » Read more

The One-State Problem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Shmuel Rosner - (Blog) March 6, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — “Israel/Palestine and the One-State Solution,” a student-run conference held at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government last weekend, achieved its goal before it even began. By bringing undeserved attention to an impractical idea, it drew enough wrath to raise its own profile. The one-state solution is an angering concept, and the gathering was an angering event. » Read more

The Israeli Blackmailing of the Iranian Nuclear Program ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Elias Harfoush - (Opinion) March 6, 2012 - 1:00am Israel succeeded in turning the Iranian nuclear program into a top priority for the American presidential candidates. The annual conference of the largest Jewish forum in America, the AIPAC committee, turned into a competition platform for who will shed the highest amount of tears over the future of the Hebrew state in case Iran succeeded in producing its so-called nuclear weapons. » Read more