March 12th

The Country's Loss ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by David Broder - March 12, 2009 - 12:00am The Obama administration has just suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the lobbyists the president vowed to keep in their place, and their friends on Capitol Hill. The country has lost an able public servant in an area where President Obama has few personal credentials of his own -- the handling of national intelligence. Charles Freeman, the man who was slated to be chairman of the National Intelligence Council, the high-level interagency group that prepares evaluations for the president and other senior officials, suddenly withdrew his name Tuesday night. » Read more

Intelligence Pick Blames 'Israel Lobby' For Withdrawal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Walter Pincus - March 12, 2009 - 12:00am The withdrawal of a senior intelligence adviser after an online campaign to prevent him from taking office has ignited a debate over whether powerful pro-Israel lobbying interests are exercising outsize influence over who serves in the Obama administration. » Read more

The key is an end to occupation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab - March 12, 2009 - 12:00am Following the words and efforts of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Sharm El Sheikh, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ramallah, one gets the feeling that she was on a hard-sell campaign trying to convince the majority of Israelis to accept the concept of the two-state solution. For now, Palestinians are more interested in the end of the decades-old occupation of their lands. » Read more

Egypt urges Palestinian unity agreement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - March 11, 2009 - 12:00am Egyptian moderators want a power-sharing agreement between the various Palestinian factions by Saturday, a participant in the talks in Cairo said on Thursday. Negotiator Samir Ghosheh, a member of one of the smaller factions, said that he and his colleagues were told by Egypt that they need to produce an agreement by the weekend. An accord is seen as essential for financing reconstruction in Gaza. » Read more

Progress made on security in Palestinian unity talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua March 11, 2009 - 12:00am GAZA, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Hamas and Fatah achieved notable progress on the issue of reforming security services during their reconciliation talks in Cairo but still divided on other issues, Palestinian officials said Wednesday. The Palestinian conferees in Cairo dialogue, who represent all the factions, work under five committees to settle the five controversial issues: forming a unity government, reforming the security services, reforming the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), holding elections and achieving the reconciliation. » Read more

Egypt wants Palestinian unity deal by Saturday ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press March 11, 2009 - 12:00am GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: A participant in Palestinian power-sharing talks said Wednesday that Egypt wants an agreement by Saturday. Egypt is mediating between rivals Hamas and Fatah. The talks began Tuesday in Cairo. Negotiator Samir Ghosheh, who is from a tiny faction, says he and his colleagues were told by Egypt that they need to produce an agreement by Saturday. An accord is seen essential for financing reconstruction in Gaza. The deadline appeared to be a pressure tactic. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak wants to host a signing ceremony by the end of March. » Read more

Hamas crackdown on Jihad ups tensions ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - March 11, 2009 - 12:00am A crisis has erupted between Hamas and Islamic Jihad following allegations that Hamas's security forces in Gaza have been trying to prevent rocket attacks on Israel. The latest strife coincides with the start of reconciliation talks in Cairo between Hamas and Fatah. The latest round of negotiations, which began on Tuesday under the auspices of the Egyptian government, will last for 10 days and are aimed at reaching agreement on the formation of a Hamas-Fatah government. » Read more

March 11th

Palestinian factions begin unity meeting in Cairo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) March 11, 2009 - 12:00am Rival Palestinian factions met in Cairo on Tuesday at the start of a marathon effort to forge a national unity government and resolve major disputes between Hamas and Fateh, the two largest groups. Senior delegations from Hamas and Fateh and smaller factions began work in five reconciliation committees which they agreed to form last month in the Egyptian capital. The talks are expected to last for 10 days. » Read more

In ruins for 18 months, a Palestinian enclave languishes in disrepair ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Nicholas Blanford - March 11, 2009 - 12:00am Rebuilding Gaza isn't the only effort under way to improve the Palestinians' plight. Eighteen months after it was wrecked in fighting between the Lebanese Army and Islamist militants, this impoverished refugee camp is just beginning to be put back together again in a project hampered by a political crisis, slowed by donor apathy, and overshadowed by the war between Hamas and Israel. » Read more

Cause for optimism in the Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Telegraph by Adrian Michaels - March 10, 2009 - 12:00am An outbreak of amity is threatening to destabilise long-held opinions on the Middle East. A series of recent gatherings has featured surprising lists of guests being nice to each other, and there are more to come. First came last week's meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Attendees included Hillary Clinton, the new US Secretary of State, Nicolas Sarkozy, French President, and a group of Arab nations. They agreed on $4.48bn in aid for the Palestinian economy and the rebuilding of Gaza after the recent Israeli conflict. » Read more