Hamas: Fayyad unity plan 'born dead' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 3, 2011 - 1:00am Political adviser to Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Wednesday that Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's plan to create a new unity cabinet was "born dead, it is of no political value." In a government statement, Yousef Rizqa said Hamas officials never received information on Fayyad's plan, splashed across Palestinian newspapers, which said the re-appointed prime minister was consulting with Hamas members in an effort to bring the party into a new government body ahead of national and municipal elections set for September and June respectively. » Read more

Gaza banks strike after robbery, demand money back ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 3, 2011 - 1:00am The Palestinian Monetary Authority announced Thursday that all banks in Gaza would close on Thursday, following the perpetration of a robbery by unknown gunmen who stole cash from the Palestine Investment Bank in Gaza City. PMA officials did not report the amount of cash taken from the bank, but said the financial institutions would remain closed until the funds were returned. A statement from the body condemned the robbery, saying the use of weapons against the people of Gaza was unacceptable. The PMA "resents, denounces and condemns the attack," the statement said. » Read more

Right-wing Israelis, settlers 'rage' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 3, 2011 - 1:00am Following a string of protests and vandalism in the West Bank, right-wing Israelis and settlers blocked the road to Jerusalem with burning tires, and closed down train tracks to the country's airport on Thursday, in what was billed as a "day of rage." Israeli news organizations said police evacuated protesters from highway 1 after a brief closure of the main artery, with the daily newspaper Haaretz saying that in Jerusalem, tires were set alight in a separate protest action. The English news site Ynet noted that no arrests had been made. » Read more

Israel closes Gaza commercial crossing, leaving just one ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - March 3, 2011 - 1:00am After agreeing last year to relax its blockade around the Gaza Strip, Israel moved Wednesday to tighten the security cordon by permanently closing what was once its largest commercial crossing point. Israeli military officials cited unspecified security concerns for the closure and promised that all goods that would have passed through at the Karni crossing, southeast of Gaza City, would go through the Kerem Shalom checkpoint, the last operational commercial crossing, which is about 21 miles to the southwest at the point where Egypt, Israel and the Gaza Strip meet. » Read more

Israelis Float an Interim Peace Plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - March 2, 2011 - 1:00am There were signs on Wednesday of a new effort to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process after months of stagnation, but chances of a resumption of talks looked slim, and Israel appeared to be stepping back from the stated goal of reaching a framework agreement resolving the core issues of the conflict by September. Instead of a final accord on Palestinian statehood by fall, Israel is now floating the idea of an interim arrangement as a step toward a two-state solution, even without Palestinian agreement. » Read more

The Palestinians' Long Wait in Lebanon ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Josh Wood - March 2, 2011 - 1:00am Lebanon hands out and renews hundreds of thousands of work permits every year to people from Africa, Asia and other Arab countries. But until now, only a handful have been given to the country’s large Palestinian refugee population. Six months ago, the Lebanese government was internationally applauded for passing legislation granting the Palestinian population the right to work. But real changes remain to be seen. » Read more

Go to Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Roger Cohen - (Editorial) March 3, 2011 - 1:00am Go to Jerusalem, Mr. President. Israel is anxious. It preferred the old Middle Eastern order. It could count on the despots, like Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, to suppress the jihadists, reject Iran, and play the Israeli-Palestinian game along lines that created a permanent temporariness ever more favorable to Israeli power. Israelis are doubly worried. They wonder, Mr. President, if you like them in a heart-to-heart way. You’ve been to Cairo, you’ve been to Istanbul, so what’s wrong with Jerusalem? Why won’t you come and kvetch with us, President Obama, and feel our pain? » Read more

Go to Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Roger Cohen - (Editorial) March 3, 2011 - 1:00am Go to Jerusalem, Mr. President. Israel is anxious. It preferred the old Middle Eastern order. It could count on the despots, like Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, to suppress the jihadists, reject Iran, and play the Israeli-Palestinian game along lines that created a permanent temporariness ever more favorable to Israeli power. Israelis are doubly worried. They wonder, Mr. President, if you like them in a heart-to-heart way. You’ve been to Cairo, you’ve been to Istanbul, so what’s wrong with Jerusalem? Why won’t you come and kvetch with us, President Obama, and feel our pain? » Read more

Go to Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Roger Cohen - (Editorial) March 3, 2011 - 1:00am Go to Jerusalem, Mr. President. Israel is anxious. It preferred the old Middle Eastern order. It could count on the despots, like Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, to suppress the jihadists, reject Iran, and play the Israeli-Palestinian game along lines that created a permanent temporariness ever more favorable to Israeli power. Israelis are doubly worried. They wonder, Mr. President, if you like them in a heart-to-heart way. You’ve been to Cairo, you’ve been to Istanbul, so what’s wrong with Jerusalem? Why won’t you come and kvetch with us, President Obama, and feel our pain? » Read more