March 12th

The Country's Loss
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by David Broder - March 12, 2009 - 12:00am

The Obama administration has just suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the lobbyists the president vowed to keep in their place, and their friends on Capitol Hill. The country has lost an able public servant in an area where President Obama has few personal credentials of his own -- the handling of national intelligence. Charles Freeman, the man who was slated to be chairman of the National Intelligence Council, the high-level interagency group that prepares evaluations for the president and other senior officials, suddenly withdrew his name Tuesday night.

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Intelligence Pick Blames 'Israel Lobby' For Withdrawal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Walter Pincus - March 12, 2009 - 12:00am

The withdrawal of a senior intelligence adviser after an online campaign to prevent him from taking office has ignited a debate over whether powerful pro-Israel lobbying interests are exercising outsize influence over who serves in the Obama administration.

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The key is an end to occupation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Daoud Kuttab - March 12, 2009 - 12:00am

Following the words and efforts of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Sharm El Sheikh, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ramallah, one gets the feeling that she was on a hard-sell campaign trying to convince the majority of Israelis to accept the concept of the two-state solution. For now, Palestinians are more interested in the end of the decades-old occupation of their lands.

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Egypt urges Palestinian unity agreement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - March 11, 2009 - 12:00am

Egyptian moderators want a power-sharing agreement between the various Palestinian factions by Saturday, a participant in the talks in Cairo said on Thursday. Negotiator Samir Ghosheh, a member of one of the smaller factions, said that he and his colleagues were told by Egypt that they need to produce an agreement by the weekend. An accord is seen as essential for financing reconstruction in Gaza.

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Progress made on security in Palestinian unity talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 11, 2009 - 12:00am

GAZA, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Hamas and Fatah achieved notable progress on the issue of reforming security services during their reconciliation talks in Cairo but still divided on other issues, Palestinian officials said Wednesday. The Palestinian conferees in Cairo dialogue, who represent all the factions, work under five committees to settle the five controversial issues: forming a unity government, reforming the security services, reforming the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), holding elections and achieving the reconciliation.

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Egypt wants Palestinian unity deal by Saturday
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
March 11, 2009 - 12:00am

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: A participant in Palestinian power-sharing talks said Wednesday that Egypt wants an agreement by Saturday. Egypt is mediating between rivals Hamas and Fatah. The talks began Tuesday in Cairo. Negotiator Samir Ghosheh, who is from a tiny faction, says he and his colleagues were told by Egypt that they need to produce an agreement by Saturday. An accord is seen essential for financing reconstruction in Gaza. The deadline appeared to be a pressure tactic. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak wants to host a signing ceremony by the end of March.

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Hamas crackdown on Jihad ups tensions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - March 11, 2009 - 12:00am

A crisis has erupted between Hamas and Islamic Jihad following allegations that Hamas's security forces in Gaza have been trying to prevent rocket attacks on Israel. The latest strife coincides with the start of reconciliation talks in Cairo between Hamas and Fatah. The latest round of negotiations, which began on Tuesday under the auspices of the Egyptian government, will last for 10 days and are aimed at reaching agreement on the formation of a Hamas-Fatah government.

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Obama Administration Overhauls US Mideast Policy
Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In Voice of America - March 11, 2009 - 12:00am

The Obama administration is moving quickly to overhaul American policy on the Middle East, sending top envoys to the region and promising to push hard for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some regional analysts warn conditions on the ground may make progress especially difficult.  

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March 11th

ATFP President Ziad Asali is interviewed by The Media Line (1). The Obama administration promises that U.S. military aid to Israel will not be lessened because of the financial crisis (2). A Gaza family that lost 29 relatives in January's war drops their lawsuit against Israeli government officials (3). The Washington Post profiles the southern Israeli town of Sderot, near the Gaza border (4). Palestinian unity government talks are underway in Egypt (7) (13), while an editorial in the Arab News urges both sides to withhold public skepticism about success (8). Time Magazine examines the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad (10).

Palestinian factions begin unity meeting in Cairo
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
March 11, 2009 - 12:00am

Rival Palestinian factions met in Cairo on Tuesday at the start of a marathon effort to forge a national unity government and resolve major disputes between Hamas and Fateh, the two largest groups. Senior delegations from Hamas and Fateh and smaller factions began work in five reconciliation committees which they agreed to form last month in the Egyptian capital. The talks are expected to last for 10 days.

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