March 18th

Still optimistic
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Faisal Al Rfouh - March 18, 2009 - 12:00am

Proponents of peace in the Middle East are genuinely worried over the stalemate in the ongoing unity talks between the Palestinian factions in Cairo. After a weeklong parley, the Palestinian parties failed to agree on the composition and obligations of a unity government. This impasse seems to be the result of the varying positions of the main protagonists, Hamas and Fateh.

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Egypt blocks Hamas cash at Rafah border
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
March 18, 2009 - 12:00am

Egyptian security forces blocked two Hamas officials on Tuesday from entering the Islamist-run Gaza Strip with night-vision goggles and around $900,000 in cash, security and customs sources said. The Hamas officials were stopped at the Gaza border after customs agents found the cash -- 500,000 euros and $250,000 -- during a search of their bags as they headed home after taking part in Palestinian reconciliation talks in Cairo.

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U.S. opens P.A. training center
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
March 17, 2009 - 12:00am

A top U.S. official inaugurated a training center for Palestinian security personnel built with U.S. funds. David Johnson, the assistant secretary of state for law enforcement, on Tuesday joined Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in dedicating the compound in Jericho. The center was built with $10.1 million of State Department assistance," a State Department statement said, adding that it was the first of several U.S.-funded building projects for the P.A. security forces.

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Israel's Olmert says effort to free Gilad Shalit has failed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Richard Boudreaux - March 18, 2009 - 12:00am

The split screen seemed to capture Israel's mood of frustration over its setbacks in recent years. On one side, television viewers saw the somber face of Ehud Olmert as he addressed them Tuesday evening for perhaps the last time as prime minister. His message: Marathon efforts to win the release of a captured soldier had failed. The other side showed the soldier's dejected parents as they listened from a tent outside Olmert's residence.

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A way out for Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Aluf Benn - March 18, 2009 - 12:00am

Benjamin Netanyahu has a problem. The diplomatic scene is closing in on him from all directions and he is beginning his tenure as a suspect in the eyes of the international community. The bad memories of the past decade, the statements he made during the election campaign, his opposition to a Palestinian state and what appears to be his inclination toward a right-wing government have strengthened his image as an extreme conservative who insists on going against views accepted around the world. The proposed appointment of Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister only bolsters this image.

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Who are the deadly terrorists Israel refuses to release for Shalit?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - March 18, 2009 - 12:00am

Egyptian-brokered negotiations over a deal for the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit hit an impasse this weekend after Israel refused to free all 450 long-serving Palestinian prisoners sought by Hamas. Negotiator Ofer Dekel told cabinet members on Tuesday that Israel has agreed to release about 325 prisoners on the list, 144 of whom would be sent abroad or to the Gaza Strip. The others would be allowed to return to their homes.

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Hamas Not Budging in Negotiations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
March 18, 2009 - 12:00am

An opening of Gaza's blockaded borders, access to billions of dollars in foreign aid, a popularity boost — Hamas would have much to gain by working out a prisoner swap with Israel and a power-sharing arrangement with its West Bank rivals. Instead, the Islamic militants have been clinging to their demands and displaying a stubbornness that would seem irrational considering the enormous stakes. Hamas apparently believes that time is on its side and that its adversaries — Israel, moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the West — will eventually fold.

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Why did Fayyad resign?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Avi Issacharoff - March 16, 2009 - 12:00am

A few days after Salam Fayyad's surprising announcement of his resignation, the Palestinian prime minister convened senior journalists in his office in Ramallah. For three and a half hours he laid out his "credo" regarding the peace process with Israel and explained his decision to resign by the end of March. A single motif stood out in all of Fayyad's remarks: pessimism.

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March 17th

Israel’s coalition government begins to take shape, though Netanyahu is still working to attract the support of the moderate parties (1) (6). Egyptian brokered negotiations regarding the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit reach a standstill (2) (9). The American citizen injured last week in a demonstration against the West Bank separation barrier remains in critical condition (3). Uzi Arad, widely expected to serve as national security advisor for the new Israeli government, is barred from the United States on grounds that he is an intelligence risk (4) (13). An obscure Palestinian militant group claims responsibility for the shooting of two Israeli police officers in the West Bank earlier this week (5).

Obama Rebuffs Israeli Hawk
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Nation
by Robert Dreyfuss - March 17, 2009 - 12:00am

There are very worrying signs about Israel and Iran, amid new threats from Israeli officials that they won't long tolerate Iran's nuclear program before they strike militarily. But, at the same time, there are reports that President Obama's national security team isn't buying the Israeli line that time is running out. For instance, a top Israeli military official, in Washington, was not exactly given the red carpet treatment by Obama's top officials -- yet even so, he met Jim Jones, Obama's national security adviser, Hillary Clinton, and Dennis Ross.

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