Diplomacy Led By Cairo is Still a Stabilising Force
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) March 14, 2012 - 12:00am

It was Egyptian mediation that secured a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel after four days of deadly clashes. For all of the changes in Cairo since Hosni Mubarak's fall more than a year ago, there are signs that it is resuming its role as a powerhouse in the region. Especially because of the changes in Cairo, that renewed diplomacy has been a welcome development.

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UNRWA is Becoming Thick With BRICS
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Fillipo Grandi - (Opinion) March 14, 2012 - 12:00am

The last summit of the so-called BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) almost exactly a year ago saw the unveiling of a compelling call to global humanitarian and development action. The final communiqué envisioned an alliance united by the “overarching common objective of a strong and shared desire for peace and security, contributing significantly to the development of humanity, establishing a more equitable and fair world.”

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Gaza’s Blood Traders Fighting Assad’s Battle?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) March 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Whilst the world is in a state of shock with regard to the massacres that continue to be carried out against the Syrian people at the hands of the Bashar Assad regime, “tinplate” rockets were being fired from Gaza into Israel, and the Israelis, of course, responded to this with violence, and then suddenly it was announced that the Egyptians had mediated and therefore the situation had calmed, and then Hamas announced that it was involved in this. So why did what happen, happen? Why was the Egyptian mediation accepted in the first place?

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Israelis See Iran “Mini-Drill” in Gaza Flare Up
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Dan Williams - March 13, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, March 13 (Reuters) - Israel has emerged from the past few days of fighting with Palestinians in Gaza more confident that its advanced missile shield and civil defences can perform well in any war with Iran. Describing how the flare-up in violence had provided an impromptu opportunity to test out Israel's defences, one Israeli official said on Tuesday it gave useful indicators for any potential conflict with Tehran: "In a sense, this was a mini-drill," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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After Bibi’s U.S. visit, question remains: What’s Israel’s next step on Iran?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - (Opinion) March 13, 2012 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is waiting and watching when it comes to Iran -- although for how long, no one knows. Analysts and Jewish organizational officials who speak with Israeli and U.S. government say Netanyahu came away from his meeting last week with President Obama feeling that he has a strategic partner in seeking to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But, they say, he has yet to decide whether Obama’s tactics will do the job or if Israel must strike.

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Palestinians Are Caught in the Middle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) March 12, 2012 - 12:00am

The tension between Iran, on one hand, and Israel and the United States, on the other hand, is growing and having a variety of impacts regionally and internationally. The reason for the increased tension is numerous official statements and periodic leaks over a possible Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities as a way to prevent it from becoming a nuclear power.

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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.

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Israelis, like United States, wary about strike on Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Karin Brulliard - March 8, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM — As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from a visit to Washington this week, much of the discussion here centered on traffic-light hues. Had the Israeli leader been given a red light or a green light about attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities? The general assessment was that President Obama’s signal — his appeals to give diplomacy more time and his pledges of support for Israel — fell somewhere on the spectrum between yellow and red. To many here, that probably came as a relief.

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Should Israel Accept a Nuclear Ban?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
(Opinion) March 8, 2012 - 1:00am

The strained relationship between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu during the last few days over Israel’s threats of unilateral action against Iran has focused the world’s attention on the sensitive issue of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. Would this mess be avoided, and would Israel be safer, if Netanyahu agreed to a regional nonproliferation treaty as will be discussed at a conference in Finland later this year? Or would giving up nuclear weapons be suicidal for Israel? Why Would Jerusalem Budge? By Mya Guarnieri, blogger, +927

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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.

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