Israeli government to organize school field trips to West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ben Lynfield - February 16, 2011 - 1:00am The Israeli government plans to begin organizing high school field trips to a contested West Bank religious site in a move that could reignite tension over a historic flash point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The initiative, announced yesterday, could bring hundreds of thousands of Israeli teens to Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, revered in Judaism as the burial site of the biblical figures Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Muslims revere the same compound for its ties to Abraham, referring to it as the Ibrahimi mosque after the man they look up to as a prophet. » Read more

Palestinians Stay Quiet as Storms Rage Across the Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Miller - February 16, 2011 - 1:00am As turmoil spread to previously quiet areas of the Middle East like Bahrain and Libya this week, the West Bank and Gaza Strip remained placid. Palestinians say they are as firmly opposed to Israel’s occupation as ever, but they don’t face the same restrictions on freedom of expression that their brothers and sisters elsewhere in the region and so they have no reason to explode in rebellion now. Most are satisfied with the rule of the Palestinian Authority (PA). » Read more

Palestinians seek global recognition through South America ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Juan Forero, Janine Zacharia - February 16, 2011 - 1:00am Before a slew of South American countries recently recognized an independent Palestinian state in quick succession, a seasoned Palestinian diplomat had quietly begun lobbying the government of one critical country on the continent: Argentina. Home to the region's largest Jewish community, Argentina posed a special challenge. But Walid Muaqqat, who has the status of Palestinian ambassador here, made sure things ran smoothly when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived for a 2009 tour. » Read more

U.S. reportedly proposing U.N. ‘statement’ on settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) February 16, 2011 - 1:00am The United States reportedly is backing a United Nations Security Council statement that would slam Israel on settlements but would stop short of a resolution. » Read more

Editorial: Israel fears change in Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) February 17, 2011 - 1:00am Indeed, everything about winds of change sweeping through the Arab world is seen by the Israelis in terms of what will the consequences be for Israel. » Read more

Israeli troops kill 3 Palestinians on Gaza border ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ibrahim Barzak - February 17, 2011 - 1:00am Israeli forces shot dead three Palestinians along the tense border with the Gaza Strip before dawn Thursday. The Israeli military released a statement saying soldiers fired on the men after they were spotted planting an explosive device in a no-go zone along the border between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. » Read more