Middle East: What can Obama do to restore confidence in peace process? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Borzou Daragahi - March 11, 2010 - 1:00am Voices of skepticism and disdain abound when it comes to United States' efforts to promote peace in the Middle East. Many in the Arab world regard the Obama administration's steps to restart talks as too little too late by a government too beholden to Israel. But some also proposed ideas for moving forward, even after Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, where peace was overshadowed by Israel's announcement of plans to expand settlements in the West Bank. » Read more

Two Israeli soldiers accused of using human shield ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - March 12, 2010 - 1:00am Reporting from Jerusalem - Two Israeli soldiers involved in the Gaza Strip offensive a year ago used a 9-year-old Palestinian boy as a human shield to open packages they believed were booby-trapped with explosives, the Israeli army charged Thursday. The soldiers, whose names were not released, have been indicted in military court for "unauthorized conduct" and "exceeding their authority in a manner that endangered life or health," the army said. The boy, whose case was forwarded to the Israel Defense Forces by the United Nations, was unharmed. » Read more

Biden to Leave Mideast Amid Unease ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - March 11, 2010 - 1:00am TEL AVIV — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. came to Israel early this week to promote new Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and tighten the bonds between Israel and the United States. He left Thursday amid increased uncertainty over the nature and timing of those talks and with a sense of unease hanging over the American-Israeli relationship. » Read more