GAZA STRIP: Kidnapped Italian activist found dead; Hamas condemns rival radical group
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Ahmed al-Dabba - (Blog) April 14, 2011 - 12:00am

Hours after an Islamist extremist group announced it had kidnapped an Italian peace activist in the Gaza Strip, the man's body was discovered in the restive seaside territory. It was the first kidnapping of a Westerner in four years and one of the few times such an abduction has ended fatally.

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Israel believes Hamas trying to establish 'balance of terror'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - April 8, 2011 - 12:00am

A 16-year-old Israeli was critically injured on Thursday when an anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip hit a school bus near Kibbutz Sa'ad. The missile attack was followed by additional mortar shelling from Gaza. The launch occurred just four to five kilometers from the target, from a point where it was clear students were on board and it was possible to keep the bus within sight. A senior defense source told Haaretz on Thursday night that he believes this was an act by the military wing of the organization, and that their aim was to deter Israel and establish a "balance of terror."

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Poll: One-third of Palestinians support Itamar attack
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
April 6, 2011 - 12:00am

One-third of Palestinians support the attack in Itamar in March, in which an Israeli family of five was murdered while 63 percent opposed it, according to a Hebrew University poll released on Wednesday. The survey was conducted by Prof. Yaacov Shamir of the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace and the Department of Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew University, and Prof. Khalil Shikaki, Director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR).

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Aharonovitch: Israelis, Palestinians on a collision course
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
April 5, 2011 - 12:00am

Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch on Tuesday said that Israel is on a collision course with the Palestinians and cannot allow the threat to expand to the point that it is at Tel Aviv's doorstep, Israel Radio reported. Speaking while on a tour of Sderot, Aharonovitch added that Israel can not quietly accept rocket and mortar fire and that the Palestinians need to be hit hard. Aharonovitch advised Sderot residents to prepare for another round of violent conflict.

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NY court asserts jurisdiction for PLO bombings lawsuit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
April 1, 2011 - 12:00am

A New York judge has concluded that he has jurisdiction to preside over litigation resulting from a lawsuit filed against the Palestine Liberation Organization by victims of bombings in Israel. Federal Judge George Daniels in Manhattan said in a written order that the PLO had offices in Washington and New York during a three-year period when the bombings occurred.

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Boy found to have lied about rape
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yoav Zitun - March 30, 2011 - 12:00am

Police released four Palestinians residing illegally in Israel, who were arrested Tuesday on suspicion that they had raped an 11-year old Israeli boy, when it turned out the latter had been lying. The four men denied the allegations from the first, prompting police investigators to question the boy again before a scheduled lineup. During the second round of questioning, the boy admitted that some of the claims he had made were false, and also supplied a different description of the men.

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Terrorism in Jerusalem: Escalation or independent action?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Jonathan Schachter, Yoram Schweitzer - (Opinion) March 27, 2011 - 12:00am

The scene is unfortunately familiar – ambulance crews rushing toward a shattered bus, police officers establishing a safe perimeter, TV crews capturing it all and sending their reports around the country and the world.

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Settler jailed for assaulting Palestinian teen
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Aviad Glickman - March 27, 2011 - 12:00am

The Jerusalem District Court sentenced Zvi Struck, a 28-year-old resident of the Shilo settlement, to 18 months in prison for kidnapping and abusing a 15-year-old Palestinian boy. Struck was convicted on the charges of aggravated battery, kidnapping with intention to injure, causing damage and three counts of assault. In addition to the prison term, the court sentenced him to one year of probation, and ordered him to pay the victim NIS 50,000 ($14,100) in compensation.

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Escalation approaching
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - March 25, 2011 - 12:00am

The first terrorist attack in Jerusalem in three years; a home invasion and murder in a settlement for the first time in six years; more Palestinians killed in one single day than since Operation Cast Lead. It's strange how quickly Israel and the Palestinians reverted to the routine of mutual aggression that destroyed the last decade.

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'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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