New Israeli system alters war against Gaza rockets ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Matti Friedman - April 10, 2011 - 12:00am A new Israeli-made missile defense system has gotten off to an encouraging start, shooting down at least eight rockets in a test run that could potentially change the long-running war between Israel and Palestinian rocket squads in Gaza. Israeli officials say the $200 million "Iron Dome" has performed beyond all expectations, raising hopes the military has finally found a way to rob Hamas militants of their most potent weapon: the short-range rockets that have made life miserable for large swaths of the population over the past decade. » Read more

Israel delays approval of east Jerusalem housing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Amy Teibel - April 11, 2011 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked a government panel to put off final approval of 2,500 new apartments in east Jerusalem, an official said Monday — a reflection of the intense international pressure Israel is under to avoid friction with the Palestinians. The move came just as tensions were easing along Israel's border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, where a fragile quiet appeared to be taking hold after several days of escalation that raised fears of another major eruption of violence. » Read more

Internal Hamas Rift Snags Efforts to End Israeli-Gaza Fighting ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Miller - April 10, 2011 - 12:00am Hamas, the Islamic group that controls the Gaza Strip, is sending out contradictory messages about its willingness to enter into a ceasefire with Israel, amid signs of a yawning rift between its military and political wings. "We are interested in calm, but we want the Israeli military to stop its operations," Ghazi Hamad, Hamas’ deputy foreign minister, said in an interview on Israel Radio on Sunday. But the night before Abu-Ubaida, a spokesman for the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, showed no intention of stepping down the violence along the border. » Read more

Arab League calls for no-fly zone over Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters April 10, 2011 - 12:00am The Arab League called on the United Nations on Sunday to impose a no-fly zone over Gaza and lift an Israeli siege of the territory after a flare-up of violence that is stoking fears of a wider escalation. The death toll since Israel launched retaliation for an attack on a school bus that critically wounded a teenager on Thursday has climbed to 19 Palestinian militants and civilians. Condemning what it called Israel's "brutal" aggression in Gaza, a gathering of the Arab League's permanent delegates chaired by Oman called on the U.N. to convene its Security Council. » Read more

Israelis and Palestinians, Particularly the Youth, Grow Apathetic ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Arieh O'Sullivan - April 7, 2011 - 12:00am A generation ago one of the most popular Israeli songs was You and Me Can Change the World. Today’s youth are more likely to be anxious over who’s going to win the Big Brother reality television show. A recent poll of Israeli youth, both Jews and Arabs, has shown that they are becoming more ambivalent and alienated and, when they do express themselves, tend to be more intolerant than their elders, if not holding downright undemocratic views. » Read more

Gaza City officials: Weekend strikes targeted water facilities ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 11, 2011 - 12:00am Officials in the Gaza Strip's northernmost municipality on Monday accused Israeli forces of striking drinking water sources and infrastructure, during a weekend of violence that saw at least 18 dead in the coastal enclave. Gaza's municipality released a report cataloging damage to the water infrastructure from artillery shells over the weekend, which included damages to the Al-Mintar water tank in Al-Quba area of Gaza City, which gives water to the eastern areas of Ash-Shuja'iyeh neighborhood. » Read more

The “Arab Spring” and the Palestinian Cause ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Raghida Dergham - April 8, 2011 - 12:00am While the U.S. President Barack Obama may want to dedicate his time to domestic affairs, in order to secure a second term in the White House, he must prepare himself for foreign policy issues intruding into his reelection campaign, especially Middle Eastern issues. This is because the “Arab Spring” may soon be followed by summer, autumn and winter, before it becomes clear whether it will blossom in the manner envisaged by Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution. » Read more

PA: State will be ready by September ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 11, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian Authority's Minister of Planning and Development announced Monday the government's "national readiness to establish an independent Palestinian state during September." Minister Ali Al-Jerbawi said the announcement came in line with the successful implementation of the 13th government's plan, "Ending the Occupation, Establishing a State," put out by the now caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in August 2009. » Read more

Lieberman: Israel should topple Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 11, 2011 - 12:00am Israel should not settle for a truce with Hamas in Gaza, and should instead seek to topple the Islamist rulers of the coastal strip, Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Monday. "The goal that we have settled on, of seeking a return to calm, is a grave error because it will allow Hamas to reinforce along the lines of Hezbollah," Lieberman told public radio, referring to the Lebanese militia with which Israel fought a 2006 war, killing 1,200, mostly civilians. » Read more

Gaza: Goldstone's recantation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Uri Avnery - (Opinion) April 10, 2011 - 12:00am First there was a veritable storm of fury when the original Goldstone Report was issued. » Read more