The Revolution’s Missing Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Abdullah Gul - (Opinion) April 20, 2011 - 12:00am

THE wave of uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa is of historic significance equal to that of the revolutions of 1848 and 1989 in Europe. The peoples of the region, without exception, revolted not only in the name of universal values but also to regain their long-suppressed national pride and dignity. But whether these uprisings lead to democracy and peace or to tyranny and conflict will depend on forging a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement and a broader Israeli-Arab peace.

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Netanyahu's pulling-out plan preemptive act to avoid diplomatic tsunami
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Saud Abu Ramadan - April 14, 2011 - 12:00am

The Palestinians were not surprised at the Israeli media reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering measures to defy a "diplomatic tsunami," if the UN recognizes a Palestinian state on the territories Israel occupied in 1967. Since the suspension of the direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in last October, one month after it was launched in Washington, due to Israel's refusal to halt settlement construction, the Palestinians threatened to use diplomatic options, including grabbing international recognition of a Palestinian state.

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Germany Pushes Israelis on Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Judy Dempsey - April 7, 2011 - 12:00am

As Germany moves closer to other European countries in adopting an increasingly tough stance toward Israel’s reluctance to resume peace negotiations with the Palestinians, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that it was more urgent than ever that the talks be restarted. With the Middle East highly volatile as fighting and protests continue in a number of countries, Mrs. Merkel warned the visiting Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, against any further delay in returning to the negotiating table.

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Christians demand freedom of access during Easter
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 7, 2011 - 12:00am

As Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza await news on permits from Israel to visit holy sites in Jerusalem, local Christians issued a call for the respect of freedom of worship. "For Christians, Holy Week in Jerusalem has a special spiritual connection," said a statement from the Kairos Palestine group on Wednesday. Holy sites "are equally important to the Palestinian Christians of Gaza and the West bank, who want to join their Jerusalemite Christian brethren in the liturgical events leading to the resurrection, the holiest celebration in Christianity."

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J Street Lauds Goldstone for Retracting War Crimes Claims
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Natasha Mozgovaya - April 5, 2011 - 12:00am

The dovish Jewish-American lobby J Street on Monday lauded South African Judge Richard Goldstone’s op-ed in The Washington Post I which he voiced regret about blaming Israel for the intentional targeting of civilians in the report he authored on the Gaza war.

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UN Human Rights Council stands by Goldstone Report
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Eldad Yaniv - April 5, 2011 - 12:00am

The United Nations Human Rights Council stands by the Goldstone Report despite its author's admission that he now questioned his own findings: UNHRC spokesman Cedric Sapey told Yediot Ahronot Monday that the op-ed written by Richard Goldstone, published in the Washington Post on Friday, expressed the judge's personal opinion and did not represent the other committee members.

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Gazan abducted in Ukraine not Hamas member: spokesman
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 1, 2011 - 12:00am

Hamas on Thursday said the Palestinian engineer kidnapped by Israel in Ukraine in February was not a member of the Islamic movement which controls the Gaza Strip. Dirar Abu Sisi, who appeared in an Israeli court, "has no relation with Hamas," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman. Israel said that Abu Sisi, the operating manager of Gaza's only power plant, had information about Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured by Hamas near Gaza in 2006.

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Source: Al-Jazeera journalists freed, with help from Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 31, 2011 - 12:00am

A diplomatic source told Ma'an Thursday night that four Al-Jazeera journalists captured in Libya on 7 March were released this afternoon, following intervention from President Mahmoud Abbas. The journalists will leave the Libyan city of Tripoli for Tunis in the coming hours, the official said, adding the journalists had met with the Palestinian ambassadors to Mauritania and Tunis at Libya's Ministry of the Interior offices.

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Israel vacates Jerusalem building claimed by Russia
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
March 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel on Monday began vacating the premises of a Russian landmark in Jerusalem, an official said, in an apparent goodwill gesture ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit this week to Moscow. The two countries had decided several years ago that the historic 19th century stone-hewn building near the Old City, would be handed over to Russia, but there were delays in implementation.

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Israel's right sees Arab essence in terrorists
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) March 18, 2011 - 12:00am

The recent murders in Itamar reminded me of the story of the SS soldier, the postwoman's "good boy" in Hans Fallada's novel "Alone in Berlin," who boasts of a photo in which he is seen banging the head of a 3-year-old Jewish child against the bumper of a car. I was reminded of it once again the next day, when I read in the newspaper that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted German Chancellor Angela Merkel's invitation for a "reconciliation visit" to Berlin next month.

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