March 7th

The (Very) Quiet Peace Talks Between Israel and Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New Republic by Efraim Halevy - (Opinion) March 6, 2013 - 1:00am The recent news out of the Middle East has been grim. But, if there's an atmosphere of pessimism in the international press, that's because the real story hasn't been earning any attention—intentionally so. We can all read about Hamas's daily maligning of Israel, and its promises to put an end to Jewish sovereignty in the Holy Land, just as we can read about Israeli officials continuing to demand that Hamas recognize the right of Israel (including Jerusalem) to exist, knowing full well that no devout Muslim has ever done so, or can ever do so. » Read more

Why Barack Obama Must Go to Rabin Square ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Liam Hoare - (Opinion) March 7, 2013 - 1:00am When President Obama’s itinerary for his upcoming Israel trip was leaked to the press, it appeared to be noticeably safe. It is true that Obama will make a number of important gestures during the visit, chief among them laying wreathes in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem, as well as on the graves of Theodor Herzl and Yitzhak Rabin. But over the course of his 48-hour stay, Obama will remain mostly in Jerusalem, leaving only to have coffee with Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and to visit an Iron Dome battery. » Read more

Sweden upgrades Palestinian diplomatic status ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) March 7, 2013 - 1:00am Sweden on Wednesday became the ninth European country to upgrade the status of a Palestinian representative office to that of an embassy. Parliament voted by an overwhelming majority to ratify a June 28 agreement between Sweden and Palestine on upgrading the Palestinian Authority’s mission here. The agreement gives the Palestinian Authority’s representation in Sweden “the same privileges, immunities, exemptions and privileges as embassies and their representatives.” » Read more

Obama will not address Knesset during upcoming visit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Lahav Harkov - March 7, 2013 - 1:00am US President Barack Obama will not speak in the Knesset on his visit to Israel later this month, a senior Knesset source said on Wednesday. According to the source, requests for Obama to address the Israeli people in its representative body were rejected, and the Knesset is not preparing for him to give a speech in the plenum. Obama plans to visit Israel on March 20. » Read more

How Bibi Stopped Being King ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by J.J. Goldberg - (Opinion) March 6, 2013 - 1:00am In her seminal 1969 treatise On Death and Dying, psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identified five stages of grief typically experienced by individuals facing tragedy: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and, finally, acceptance. Benjamin Netanyahu lately appears to have reached Stage 3 as he struggles to digest the electoral battering his Likud-Beiteinu bloc suffered January 22 and tries to assemble a new governing coalition from the wreckage. He went through denial and anger. Now he’s bargaining. » Read more

Hebron: Separate roads for Jews, Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - March 6, 2013 - 1:00am The segregated Jewish-Palestinian bus lines offered by the Afikim bus company in the West Bank have caused quite the stir recently, but this division has already been effective in Hebron for years. » Read more

Israel agrees to demolish four West Bank outpost structures immediately ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - March 7, 2013 - 1:00am The state is planning to demolish four structures erected at the Sde Boaz outpost "as soon as possible," including a paved access road, built on Palestinian-owned land. » Read more

Israel denies entry to pro-Palestinian American Jew ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - March 7, 2013 - 1:00am A Jewish-American pro-Palestinian activist who is married to an Israeli woman was not allowed to enter the country with his pregnant wife. An Israeli court rejected his petition to cancel the order against his entry Tuesday, and he is expected to be put on a plane back to the United States Wednesday night. Adam Shapiro, 41, and his wife Huwaida Arraf, 37, are among the founders of the International Solidarity Movement and have worked on behalf of the Palestinian cause for over a decade. Arraf has both American and Israeli citizenship. » Read more

Police chief: Wave of attacks on Arabs 'despicable' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Omri Efraim - March 7, 2013 - 1:00am Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino called the wave of nationalistically-motivated assaults across Israel a "despicable and criminal" phenomenon. » Read more

Israeli Soldiers Assault Palestinians, Remove Woman's Veil at Al-Aqsa Mosque ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Palestine News Network March 6, 2013 - 1:00am On Wednesday 6th March, Al-Aqsa Association for Waqf and Heritage said in a press statement that Israeli settlers and soldiers stormed al-Aqsa mosque and assaulted several Palestinian worshipers in clashes erupted at the mosque's courtyards. Eyewitnesses said that a group of settlers raided the mosque, and the Palestinian women worshipers started following them and chanting "Allah Akbar, "God is the Greatest" as a way to protest the raid. The soldiers suppressed the protest and tried to arrest one of the women. » Read more