March 14th

Intifada far off
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Hani al-Masri - (Opinion) March 14, 2013 - 12:00am


Over the past few weeks an extensive discussion has been held regarding the possibility that the protest against the occupation in the West Bank will escalate into a full-blown intifada. Israel has contributed greatly to this discussion.


Netanyahu Prepares to Accept New Coalition
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - March 14, 2013 - 12:00am


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planned to sign agreements on Thursday to form a government with Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, two dynamic, first-time politicians who represent vastly different constituencies but teamed up to turn Israel’s coalition negotiations into


Israel forces launch arrest raids across West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 14, 2013 - 12:00am


Israeli forces conducted arrest raids in cities and villages across the West Bank overnight Wednesday. An Israeli military spokeswoman said 19 Palestinians were arrested and taken for security questioning, but locals reported a higher number of detentions. The army spokeswoman told Ma'an that forces detained 11 people in Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem.


Politics clouding Obama's coming visit to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Daniel Estrin - March 13, 2013 - 12:00am


A week before President Barack Obama is set to arrive in the region, Middle East politics are already casting a cloud over the visit as Israeli and Palestinian officials plan a series of events to promote their agendas.


Palestinians Address Obama Directly with Billboard Campaign
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Kifah Zaboun - March 14, 2013 - 12:00am


Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat—“President Obama, don’t bring your smartphone to Ramallah, you won’t have mobile access to [the] internet. We have no 3G in Palestine!”


Israel and the Palestinians Gearing up For Obama Visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Diana Atallah, Linda Gradstein - March 13, 2013 - 12:00am


Security and Kosher for Passover Food Preparing for a US presidential visit is a huge job. Preparing for a US presidential visit the week before Passover is an almost insurmountable task. While in Jerusalem, the President will be staying at the historic King David hotel, which used to be the site of the British headquarters during the pre-state period. In 1946, an extremist Zionist group bombed the hotel, killing 91 people.


Obama may scrap visit to Ramallah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 14, 2013 - 12:00am


US President Barack Obama could skip Ramallah during his upcoming visit to the region, a Palestinian Authority source said Wednesday. Obama will meet President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem and will spend only four hours in the West Bank during the trip, which will include a visit to the Nativity Church, said the government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. A spokesman for the US consulate in Jerusalem did not immediately return a call late Wednesday.


Israel's Demographic Destiny
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Aaron David Miller - March 13, 2013 - 12:00am


 


The settlers will rise in power in Israel's new government
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - March 14, 2013 - 12:00am


U.S. Ambassador Dan Shapiro probably sat down Wednesday to write a long cable to the White House ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to report on the new government in Israel. Aside from noting the obvious fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is even weaker and has become the political hostage of all of his coalition partners, Shapiro probably emphasized the dramatic rise in the power of the settlers in Netanyahu’s third government.


Obama’s Israel Itinerary Includes Some Standard Stops, but Not Others
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Mark Landler - March 13, 2013 - 12:00am


WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to visit the Church of the Nativity, but not the Western Wall, when he travels to Israel next week. He will speak at Jerusalem’s convention center, but not before the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament. And he will inspect a mobile missile-defense battery, though not one in the field, where they protect Israel from enemy rockets.



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