Labor and Likud launch coalition talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post March 23, 2009 - 12:00am Coalition talks between Labor and Likud negotiations teams kicked off Monday morning in Kfar Hamaccabiah in Ramat Gan. Entering the meeting, Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon (Labor) said that the meeting would focus on diplomatic and socioeconomic issues. "We will try to arrive at an agreement so that we can present it to the party's conference tomorrow, but we may be unsuccessful," Simhon said.

PA source: Iran-backed group may be behind Haifa bomb attempt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - March 23, 2009 - 12:00am A senior source in the Palestinian Authority told Haaretz Sunday that he suspects Hezbollah or another organization with links to Iran was behind the attempted bombing of the Lev Hamifratz shopping mall in Haifa on Saturday night. According to the source, the PA holds definitive intelligence that Hezbollah has been trying for some time to recruit members of Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in an attempt to get operatives of those terror groups to carry out an attack in Israel. » Read more

End of the one-state solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Adel Safty - March 22, 2009 - 12:00am Commentators in Israel and elsewhere have noted the two major trends to emerge from the recent Israeli elections, namely the collapse of the Labour party and the left bloc, and the rise of the extreme right. But there is a more significant development. The Israeli assault on Gaza and the vehement opposition from the Palestinian citizens of Israel to it brought to the fore the tension inherent in the Zionist tenet of a state that is both Jewish and democratic. » Read more

Enough with the cosmetics ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) March 23, 2009 - 12:00am Don't let them tell you that Benjamin Netanyahu needs Labor in order to handle the Iranian threat. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will probably continue building the bomb, regardless of whether Ehud Barak continues comfortably filling the defense minister's chair or, like Tzipi Livni, supports action against Iran from the opposition bench. » Read more

Dead Palestinian babies and bombed mosques - IDF fashion 2009 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Uri Blau - March 20, 2009 - 12:00am The office at the Adiv fabric-printing shop in south Tel Aviv handles a constant stream of customers, many of them soldiers in uniform, who come to order custom clothing featuring their unit's insignia, usually accompanied by a slogan and drawing of their choosing. Elsewhere on the premises, the sketches are turned into plates used for imprinting the ordered items, mainly T-shirts and baseball caps, but also hoodies, fleece jackets and pants. A young Arab man from Jaffa supervises the workers who imprint the words and pictures, and afterward hands over the finished product. » Read more

Suing Politicians for Political Malpractice ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times March 23, 2009 - 12:00am Have you ever wondered what the real problem is with politics? Why is it that in politics everything takes years and decades to accomplish when in the private sector life moves at a faster pace? The answer is because, for the most part, politicians are only accountable to themselves. Oh, of course, in democracies those elected to office answer to the electorate at the end of the day. But in some cases that day can be a pretty long one. » Read more

Reality check: Tied in knots? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Jeff Barak - (Opinion) March 22, 2009 - 12:00am Ehud Barak's shameless determination to stay on at the Defense Ministry, even at the expense of destroying the Labor Party and making a mockery of the election results, is diverting attention from a more problematic ministerial appointment: the choice of Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister. » Read more

Israeli Soldiers Confirm Indiscriminate Killing, Destruction in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times by Mel Frykberg - March 23, 2009 - 12:00am Testimony coming to light, starting last week, from a growing number of Israeli soldiers who took part in Israel's three-week bloody offensive in Gaza in January, codenamed Operation Cast Lead, is confirming what the media and human rights organizations have been saying for several months. Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations, among others, accused Israel of committing extensive war crimes in Gaza and called for those responsible to be brought to justice. » Read more

Netanyahu signs coalition deal with hawkish Shas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press March 23, 2009 - 12:00am Incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brought a nationalist religious party into his emerging coalition today, taking a major step toward securing the parliamentary majority he needs to form a government. As Netanyahu wrapped up the deal with the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, he also launched formal coalition talks with the centrist Labour Party in the hope of moderating what is shaping up to be a narrow, hawkish government. Adding Labour could provide stability and international credibility, but many Labour politicians oppose joining forces with Netanyahu. » Read more

Responsibility sought by injured American's parents ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ronen Medzini - March 23, 2009 - 12:00am The parents of American national Tristan Anderson, who was critically injured during a protest in Naalin against the security fence by a tear gas shell fired by anti-riot forces, held a press conference Monday in Jerusalem. Nancy and Mike Anderson said their son never presented a threat to anyone and demanded that the State of Israel take responsibility for their son. » Read more