IDF Admits Barring Palestinians’ Access to Own Fields ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - April 11, 2012 - 12:00am The state has confirmed that, acting without a court order, the army has barred Palestinian villagers from freely accessing their farmland for two years. The admission was made in the state's response to a High Court petition filed last year by Beit Furik residents. » Read more

IDF Soldiers Suspected of Stealing Palestinian’s Gold in West Bank Raid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gili Cohen, Avi Issacharoff - April 11, 2012 - 12:00am The Military Police is investigating allegations that soldiers stole pieces of gold worth tens of thousands of shekels from the home of a Palestinian man during a late-night raid in a West Bank village last week. The investigation began after the head of the household, Ata Shatwi, submitted a complaint to the Civil Administration. » Read more

The three letters on Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Osama Al-Sharif - (Opinion) April 11, 2012 - 12:00am Three missives that sum up the predicament of Palestinians under occupation came under the limelight in the past few days. The first was sent by imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti to the Palestinian people and their leadership on the eve of Land Day, which marks the killing of six Arabs in 1976 and protests Israel’s land grab policies. In his open letter Barghouti, who was arrested in 2002 and is serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail, called on Palestinians to launch widespread popular resistance against Israeli occupation. » Read more

Hamas Accuses Egypt of Blocking Qatari Fuel Supplies to Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 10, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Hamas government on Tuesday accused Egypt of blocking a Qatari ship, loaded with fuel for the only power plant in the Gaza Strip, of delivering its shipment to the Palestinian enclave. "Some Egyptian sides insist to prevent the Qatari fuel from coming to Gaza," said Mohammed Awad, Hamas' foreign minister. "We negotiate with Egyptian authorities to bring in the fuel to Gaza when the ship docks in Egypt." Last week, Hamas authorities said that Qatar would send 25 tons of diesel to Gaza's power plant, which suffers frequent shut-downs. » Read more

Israel's Less-Than-Resilient Democracy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Lara Friedman - (Opinion) April 10, 2012 - 12:00am According to the latest article by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, Israeli democracy is “more robust and effervescent than ever.” Reading his lengthy piece, a variation on Queen Gertrude’s quip comes to mind: “The Ambassador doth protest too much, methinks.” Oren’s most breathtaking assertion is that the occupation is simply an “anomaly,” akin to anomalies like the taxation and voting status of Americans living in Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. » Read more

Iran Media: Israel-Linked ‘Mercenaries’ Arrested ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press April 10, 2012 - 12:00am TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's official news agency says the country's intelligence department has dismantled an Israeli-linked assassination and sabotage network. The Tuesday report by Irna says several "mercenaries" were arrested in different parts of the country and that large quantities of weaponry and telecommunications equipment were seized. It said more details will be revealed at an appropriate time in the future. Iran periodically announces the capture or execution of alleged U.S. or Israeli spies, and often no further information is released.

Israel Readying to Prevent Entry of Protesters ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Tia Goldenberg - April 10, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel vowed Tuesday to prevent the entry of hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists from Europe and North America expected to arrive in the country this weekend, calling them provocateurs who are intent on disturbing public order. The activists are set to board flights to Israel with the aim of participating in demonstrations against Israeli policy in the West Bank. Although organizers say all protests will be peaceful, Israeli officials said the activists would be deported. » Read more

Talks Will Go Nowhere ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Benny Morris - (Opinion) April 10, 2012 - 12:00am The prime ministers of Israel and the Palestine National Authority are scheduled to meet next week in the first high-level meeting in two years. But no real progress toward peace is expected by either party. Both sides’ starting positions and their red lines are simply too far apart. » Read more

Bethlehem Mayor to Israel: Allow our Friends to Visit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 11, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The mayor of Bethlehem on Tuesday urged Israel not to humiliate hundreds of tourists invited to a week-long tour of Palestine. Some 25 Palestinian organizations have invited internationals to visit Palestine from April 15 - 21 and Mayor Victor Batarseh urged Israel to let them enter and not to humiliate them, at a news conference in Bethlehem. "We demand our international friends have access to Bethlehem," the mayor said. "It is our right to welcome visitors." » Read more

Israel Tries to Save West Bank Settlements it Vowed to Dismantle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - April 10, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM —Israel's government is scrambling to find ways to save some of the unauthorized West Bank settlements it once promised to dismantle, including some that are built partly on private Palestinian land. The new strategy seeks to retroactively legalize some outposts and, in other cases, relocate Jewish settlers to nearby land that is not privately owned, in effect creating what critics say would be the first new West Bank settlements in years. » Read more