'Both Israel, Hamas responsible for escalation'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Daoud Kuttab - March 24, 2011 - 12:00am

Who is responsible for the sudden escalation of the situation in the Gaza Strip? All of a sudden rockets are coming out from Gaza after a period of calm and Israel tanks are shelling residential areas, which killed four members of the Helu family in the Shejaiya refugee camp in the Strip.

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Why Israel is wary of getting into another Gaza war
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - March 24, 2011 - 12:00am

Fighting along the Israeli-Gaza border that has killed at least 11 people continued Thursday for the sixth-straight day, despite parallel pledges by Israel and Hamas to restore calm amid the worst violence since the 2009 Gaza war. Israeli aircraft on Thursday fired on low-profile targets such as border smuggling tunnels, while Gaza militants launched mortars and homemade rockets into southern Israel. One rocket even struck within 16 miles of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.

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We Now Return to Our Regularly Scheduled Conflict
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) March 23, 2011 - 12:00am

The spread of conflict and violence across the Middle East is dampening widespread hopes of an "Arab Spring" that followed the peaceful ousters of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia. Anti-government demonstrations in Bahrain have taken on an increasingly bitter sectarian character, especially with the military intervention of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and the uprising in Libya has degenerated into an all-out civil war compounded by an international no-fly zone intervention.

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Analysis: Gaza escalation shows IDF deterrence eroding
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Yaakov Katz - (Analysis) March 21, 2011 - 12:00am

When Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz took up his post as Israel’s 20th chief of General Staff in mid-February, the Egyptian revolution had only recently succeeded in toppling Hosni Mubarak – and concern was mounting in Israel over a possible takeover by the Muslim Brotherhood. That concern has not disappeared, and will likely manifest itself in the new multiyear plan that Gantz quickly drafted since taking office, to be presented next week to the cabinet for approval. But like many of his predecessors, Gantz has found himself facing a far more immediate threat from the Gaza Strip.

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Hamas and Israel in border clashes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
March 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian militants fired a rocket into southern Israel yesterday, while Israeli troops killed two Palestinians along the volatile border with Gaza. It came a day after Palestinian militants fired about 50 mortar bombs into Israel – the heaviest assault since an Israeli offensive two years ago. Both Gaza's Hamas rulers and Israel have largely honoured an informal ceasefire since the 2009 war. The Hamas-allied Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for yesterday's rocket attack. No one was hurt.

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WEST BANK: Palestinian who went missing in Ukraine describes abduction by Mossad
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Maher Abukhater - (Blog) March 21, 2011 - 12:00am

A Palestinian who went missing last month in Ukraine after boarding a train in Kharko headed to Kiev, was kidnapped by agents of Mossad, the Israeli spy agency and brought to Israel against his will, according to a report published Monday by the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights. The report says one of its lawyers was able to visit Derar abu Sisi, 42, in his Israeli prison cell, and learn the truth behind the Gaza resident's sudden disappearance.

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Israel holding missing Palestinian engineer
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
March 20, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel's internal security service confirms that a Palestinian who was allegedly abducted from Ukraine last month is being held by Israel. Dirar Abu Sisi was reportedly abducted from a Ukrainian train last month. He was a senior engineer at Gaza's power plant and was in Ukraine seeking citizenship. Israel's internal security service confirmed he is being held but refused to comment further. Smadar Ben-Natan, an Israeli lawyer representing Abu Sisi, said her client "is doing OK." Israel is banning details of his arrest from publication, she said.

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Israel says its navy intercepts Egypt-bound ship carrying arms off Mediterranean coast
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Aron Heller - March 15, 2011 - 12:00am

The Israeli navy intercepted an Egyptian-bound ship carrying a large delivery of weapons off the country's Mediterranean coast on Tuesday, saying the arms had been sent by Syria to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. The military said the cargo vessel "Victoria" initially departed from the Lattakia port in Syria before proceeding to the Mercin port in Turkey. From there it departed for the port of Alexandria in Egypt. Israel says that Turkey had no involvement in the arms shipment.

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Unhelpful posturing
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Editorial) March 11, 2011 - 1:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear his country’s belligerent position when he confirmed that Israel will deploy troops along the Jordan River no matter what, even if there are successful peace negotiations and a Palestinian state comes into being. Such a declaration is also meant to dash all hopes for peace, not only with the Palestinians but with its other neighbours as well.

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Israel army tests advanced tank weapon
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 2, 2011 - 1:00am

A state-of-the-art anti-rocket system designed to protect tanks had its baptism of fire on Tuesday as Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian gunmen on the Gaza border, the army said. The military said an Israeli tank on border patrol was attacked by an anti-tank missile, but used the new equipment to neutralize the attack and did not return fire.

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