The meaning of Exodus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Moshe Dann - (Opinion) March 30, 2010 - 12:00am As if Jews needed a reminder in the form of a modern rendition of "Pharaoh's heart hardened," President Obama provides an example, emphasizing an important lesson: The Egyptian dictator/king was part of the process of liberation and, ultimately, of God's will and the destiny of the Jewish People. » Read more

Palestinian PM ploughs ahead with future state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Ali Waked - March 30, 2010 - 12:00am Prime Minister Salam Fayyad got behind a horse-drawn plough in the West Bank on Tuesday and drilled a furrow in protest against Israeli control of Palestinian land. Wearing a T-shirt and a hat, the former World Bank economist put his foot to the rusty plough as Jewish settlers watched from a hilltop outpost nearby. Arab protestors attend special ceremony in Sakhnin, cry out: 'Barak, how many children have you killed today?' MKs present complain of Israel's 'racist policies', say they won't stop fighting for 'stolen land' » Read more

Sarkozy 'condemns Israeli construction in East Jerusalem' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press March 31, 2010 - 12:00am French President Nicolas Srakozy on Tuesday said his country stands with the United States in condemning Israeli settlement activity in East Jerusalem. Sarkozy said his own commitment to Israel's security is well known but adds that the settlement activity in an area claimed by the Palestinians "contributes nothing." Speaking at a news conference with U.S. President Barack Obama after their White House meeting, Sarkozy praised Obama for trying to engage the two sides in peace talks. » Read more

Needed: An Israeli peace plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) March 31, 2010 - 12:00am While in Washington the U.S. administration is trying to reduce tensions with Israel, in Jerusalem they go out of their way to depict in war paint the demands President Barack Obama put to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Political sources in Jerusalem told Haaretz's Ari Shavit this week that hiding behind the American demands is an intention to impose a permanent settlement on the two sides in less than two years. This is being presented as a troubling change in U.S. » Read more

U.S. seeks 4-month East Jerusalem building freeze in return for direct talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - March 31, 2010 - 12:00am One of the U.S. administration's requests to Israel regarding the peace process with the Palestinians is a four-month construction freeze in all parts of East Jerusalem. In exchange, the United States would pressure Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to hold direct talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instead of the indirect talks to which the Palestinians have agreed. » Read more

ATFP Senior Fellow Examines Obama and Bush Mideast Policies at Pace Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - March 31, 2010 - 12:00am Pres. Obama's administration has reconceptualized the nature of strategic and political dynamics in the Middle East and the broader Islamic world, ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish told an audience of over 100 at Pace University on Thursday, March 25, 2010. He said that during the Bush administration and traditionally, the United States has viewed strategic relations in the Arab and Islamic worlds as a series of discrete problems and challenges to be dealt with on bilateral or trilateral bases. Read more

Senior Fatah official refuses to appear alone before Israeli court ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 31, 2010 - 12:00am A senior official from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party on Wednesday refused to stand before an Israeli military court, showing a solidarity sign with a group of detainees who were detained with him and being tried separately. Abbas Zaki, a member of Fatah central committee, was arrested with 11 Palestinians on an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank during a demonstration this week. » Read more

Fayyad joins protest to mark Land Day ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 30, 2010 - 12:00am Prime Minister Salam Fayyad joined over 200 Israeli, Palestinian and internationals marking Land Day on Tuesday in the village of Qarawat Bani Hassan, in the West Bank governorate of Salfit. The march began at around 10am and lasted until 12:30pm, Israeli peace activist Jonathan Pollack said, beginning near the Ein Entweteg Spring in the village. » Read more

Fatah calls for escalation of non-violent resistance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 31, 2010 - 12:00am Fatah's Central Committee stressed the necessity for an escalation of non-violent resistance against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, officials said following a meeting on Tuesday. United Palestinians should continue to protest the crimes committed against them by Israel, the Central Committee said, and recruit the help of international solidarity activists, officials said, noting their willingness to put forward a concerted effort toward Palestinian unity. » Read more

Hamas: Fatah must apologize to Palestine for failed efforts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 31, 2010 - 12:00am Fatah’s call for an escalation of peaceful resistance is an admission of the failure of the government to reach a peace deal for Palestinians, Hamas officials declared on Tuesday following a cabinet meeting in Gaza. Fatah and the Palestinian Authority must now "apologize to the Palestinians for forcing them into a failed process that lasted 20 years," a statement from the Gaza government said, citing the continued occupation of the West Bank, the siege on Gaza, and the unfaltering settlement construction in the West Bank including East Jerusalem. » Read more