March 29th

Arabs Weigh Alternatives as Peace Stalls ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters March 27, 2010 - 12:00am Arab states should prepare for the possibility that the Palestinian-Israeli peace process may be a total failure and prepare alternatives, the secretary general of the Arab League said on Saturday. The official, Amr Moussa, did not specify what the alternatives might be. But one possibility is a revival of an initiative first proposed eight years ago under which Arab states would normalize ties with Israel in exchange for concessions on territory. » Read more

Rift Exposes Split in Views on Mideast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - March 28, 2010 - 12:00am When Israel announced new housing units for Jews in East Jerusalem at the start of a visit this month by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized for the timing and expressed regret at the embarrassment. Mr. Biden accepted his explanation, and the two sides seemed prepared to move on. » Read more

US 'may not veto UN resolution on Jerusalem' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News March 29, 2010 - 12:00am The possibility surfaced at talks in Paris last week between a senior US official and Qatar's foreign minister. The official said the US would "seriously consider abstaining" if the issue of Israeli settlements was put to the vote, a diplomat told the BBC. US officials in Washington have not confirmed the report. There are no concrete plans at present to table such a resolution at the UN. But it is likely that the US is considering how to maintain pressure, and a UN resolution would be one way, says BBC state department correspondent Kim Ghattas. » Read more

Binyamin Netanyahu's efforts to heal rift marred as Barack Obama branded 'disaster for Israel' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Rory McCarthy - March 29, 2010 - 12:00am Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, tried to smooth over a breach in relations with the US today, speaking out against unnamed confidants who described Barack Obama as pro-Palestinian and Israel's "greatest disaster". Netanyahu made his first public comments after a fraught visit to Washington last week, where he held a long but low-key meeting with Obama that ended with significant disagreement. » Read more

Arab League still backs peace initiative ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) March 29, 2010 - 12:00am The Arab League voted at its annual summit to continue backing an initiative that would give Israel land for peace. The renewed support for the Arab peace initiative announced Sunday in Libya came despite efforts by Syria and Lebanon to convince the league to withdraw from peace efforts. Continued Israeli building and building approvals in eastern Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as the capital of a future state, has angered league members. » Read more

March 26th

USTDA ASSISTS PALESTINIANS IN ADVANCING INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT GOALS ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United States Trade and Development Agency March 15, 2010 - 12:00am USTDA supports local efforts in the West Bank to develop information and communications technologies (ICT) and wastewater treatment infrastructure. The two grants awarded today will support the Rawabi Project, a private sector development that will create an affordable and environmentally sustainable residential community in the West Bank. The project is being developed on a 250-acre site in the West Bank, six miles north of Ramallah and is envisaged to eventually grow to accommodate 40,000 residents, plus a commercial center, schools, a clinic and a hotel. » Read more

Settlements in Focus: Top 6 Bogus Excuses for East Jerusalem Settlement Expansion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Americans For Peace Now by Lara Friedman - (Opinion) March 25, 2010 - 12:00am Bogus Excuse #1 - "Everybody knows these areas will always remain part of Israel." The Truth: There is nothing objective or neutral, or even constant, about what "everybody knows" in East Jerusalem. » Read more

A healthy decision: American Jews rally to Barack Obama ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Telegraph by Julian Kossoff - (Opinion) March 25, 2010 - 12:00am Over 80 per cent of American Jews voted for President Barack Obama; only African-Americans backed him in greater numbers. They voted for him because he is a Democrat, a liberal and a reformer. They voted for him because he signalled early on that the right to health care, enjoyed by citizens of most Western nations, would be a top legislative priority and a signature moral mission. » Read more

Is It Too Late to Share Jerusalem? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Time by Andrew Lee Butters - March 26, 2010 - 12:00am The disputed fate of Jerusalem has long epitomized the stalemate in the Middle East peace process, and over the past two weeks it has been at the center of rare diplomatic brawl between Israel and the U.S. But even as the Obama Administration and the Israeli government square off over demands that Israel refrain from announcing new construction projects in occupied East Jerusalem, the tussle as Israel extends its grip and Palestinians push back is a flashpoint. "The tinder is dry in Jerusalem," says one Western diplomat. » Read more

US general reaffirms military bond with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Hanan Greenberg - March 25, 2010 - 12:00am Political crisis, but no military crisis: US General David Petraeus on Wednesday spoke with Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi and reassured him that he never said Israel's policies endanger US troops in the Middle East. Recent reports about Patraeus' alleged comments during a Congress hearing were denied by American security officials. However, the general insisted on clearing the air himself and called the Israeli chief of staff. » Read more