At AIPAC conference, U.S., Israel try to lower tensions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Glenn Kessler - March 23, 2010 - 12:00am

The United States and Israel on Monday attempted to get their relationship back on track after nearly two weeks of tension by continuing to disagree on Jewish construction in a disputed area of Jerusalem but pledging to press forward on peace efforts with the Palestinians.

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Settlements strain Israel's relationships with U.S. and Hillary Clinton
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Dana Milbank - (Opinion) March 23, 2010 - 12:00am

As members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee entered the Washington Convention Center on Monday for their annual conference, a man stood outside, handing out copies of what he called "today's statement." On AIPAC letterhead, the statement trumpeted: "AIPAC Calls on the Israeli Government to Immediately Defuse Tensions with United States; Urges Israel to Freeze All Settlements."

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Hillary Clinton stands firm on Israel construction
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Paul Richter - March 23, 2010 - 12:00am

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gave no ground Monday on U.S. opposition to Israeli construction in disputed areas, signaling that Washington would continue pressing Israel during two days of high-profile events. Clinton told a powerful, pro-Israel lobbying organization that U.S.-Israeli ties were "rock solid." But she did not retreat from the Obama administration's condemnation this month of Israel's plans for 1,600 new housing units in disputed East Jerusalem.

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Interview - Jewish settler leader sees building boom
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Allyn Fisher-Ilan - (Interview) March 23, 2010 - 12:00am

Source: Reuters * Settlers leader says it's all Jewish land * Sees no prospect of West Bank withdrawal * Predicts tripling of settlement population By Allyn Fisher-Ilan JERUSALEM, March 23 (Reuters) - Jewish settlement of the West Bank could triple to one million people despite Western pressure to curb the growth of enclaves in occupied land, says a leader of the Israeli settlers' council.

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PA cabinet: No return to violence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 23, 2010 - 12:00am

During its weekly cabinet meeting on Monday, the Palestinian government in Ramallah condemned the killing of four Palestinians in Nablus in less than 24 hours by Israel forces. The cabinet also condemned Israeli military strikes on the Gaza Strip.

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Jewish settler leader sees building boom
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Allyn Fisher-Ilan - (Interview) March 23, 2010 - 12:00am

Jewish settlement of the West Bank could triple to one million people despite Western pressure to curb the growth of enclaves in occupied land, says a leader of the Israeli settlers' council. "It's totally viable to envisage a million Jews living in Judea and Samaria," said Naftali Bennett, using biblical names for the West Bank, where 2.5 million Palestinians aspire to create their own state, along with 1.5 million in Gaza.

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U.S. to convey Israeli responses to Palestinians this week: official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 23, 2010 - 12:00am

The Palestinian leadership will on Thursday receive Israeli explanations through Washington over a U.S. offer to lead indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians, a Palestinian official said Tuesday. The offer was approved earlier this month, but Israeli plans to expand a Jewish settlement in disputed East Jerusalem shed more doubts on the success of the proximity negotiations before they started.

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Make Israel pay an 'occupation tax'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Ezzedine Choukri Fishere - (Opinion) March 22, 2010 - 12:00am

Arab intellectuals and policymakers have often accused Europe of using financial generosity to cover up its political impotence over the Arab-Israeli conflict. If Europe is to be taken seriously as a global player, they argue, it must also flex some muscle when it delivers the money. In Arab eyes, European officials implicitly plead guilty to these charges by pointing to Europe’s complex multilateral politics and the European Union’s bureaucratic nature. Europe’s Arab interlocutors are unimpressed: they want Europe to stop talking like a Great Power and start acting like one.

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EU condemns Israel over e. J'lem intent
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
March 22, 2010 - 12:00am

The European Union on Monday condemned Israel's intent to continue building in east Jerusalem, saying it represents a roadblock to international peace efforts. "The European Union has condemned all the settlement activities," said Spanish Foreign Miguel Angel Moratinos, whose nation holds the EU's rotating presidency. "We ask for a total freeze of settlement activity. We will pursue this policy." EU foreign ministers met in Brussels a day after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that Israel will not restrict construction in east Jerusalem.

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Clinton to AIPAC: Settlement activity undermines U.S. role in peace process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
March 22, 2010 - 12:00am

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday that indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians should be serious and substantive, warning that new Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank were jeopardizing progress and undermining U.S. mediation. "New construction in East Jerusalem or the West Bank undermines mutual trust and endangers the proximity talks that are the first step toward the full negotiations that both sides want and need," Clinton said in a speech to AIPAC, an influential pro-Israel lobby group, at its annual conference in Washington.

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