Israel: Gaza smuggling rising amid Mideast unrest ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press March 10, 2011 - 1:00am A top Israeli diplomat says smuggling of arms from Egypt into the Gaza Strip has grown following the unrest in the Arab world. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon says Israel has observed "increased activity" in Gaza. He accused militants of "trying to take advantage of the uncertainties in the region to booster their capabilities to attack Israeli cities and Israeli citizens." Ayalon says explosives and terrorists are also being smuggled. Gaza militants have fired thousands of rockets at Israel in recent years. » Read more

Gaza Strip's Hamas leader reshuffles Cabinet ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press March 10, 2011 - 1:00am The Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip reshuffled his Cabinet on Thursday, naming the first foreign minister for the isolated militant-run Palestinian territory. Hamas said Ismail Haniyeh's move was unrelated to the unrest rocking the Arab region, but it is likely to be seen as an effort by the hard-line movement to convey a more open image to the outside world. For the first time since the group's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, there is a Hamas foreign minister. Haniyeh appointed Mohammed Awad to the post. Awad will also keep his job as planning minister. » Read more

Netanyahu condemns settler violence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters March 9, 2011 - 1:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised Jewish settlers who assault Palestinians or Israeli security personnel in the occupied West Bank, calling them a "marginal minority". Alluding to violent protests and attacks perpetrated since the attempted removal of an unauthorised settlement last week, Netanyahu told a parliamentary panel: "Israel shall not tolerate or accept any attacks on Arab residents as a means of protest against the government." Netanyahu said he was referring to "a small and marginal minority, a small extremist group of among our brothers, the settlers. » Read more

Rival factions snub Hamas unity offer ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Nidal al-Mughrabi - March 10, 2011 - 1:00am Hamas has presented what it described as a new Palestinian unity initiative, a move widely seen as an attempt to pre-empt any public pressure for change in the territory it runs while revolt flares in the Arab world. The proposal, raised with several factions at a meeting late on Wednesday, called for a unified leadership to handle Palestinian affairs until the Palestine Liberation Organisation is restructured to include Hamas and the Islamic Jihad group. » Read more

Elections committee opens voter registration ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 9, 2011 - 1:00am The Palestinian Authority-appointed Central Elections Commission announced Wednesday that voter registration had opened, in the latest step ahead of July 9 municipal elections. Registration will continue for one week only, a statement from the CEC said, and would include teams sent out to high schools to ensure participation of voters who turned 17 since the last voter registration was conducted in 2010. » Read more

Court: Settlers to share Palestinian home in Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 10, 2011 - 1:00am An Israeli court issued a decision last week allowing Israeli settlers to take part of a Palestinian family home in the Rad Al-Amoud neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem. The court decision came after an 11-year battle between the Hamdella family and American-Israeli billionaire Irving Moskowitz, who purchased the property in 1990 from a Jewish group claiming to own the land. » Read more

Denmark ups Palestinians to mission status ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 10, 2011 - 1:00am The PLO representative office in Copenhagen has been designated as a mission with full diplomatic status, giving officials powers equal to that of other countries. Denmark is the latest in a string of European nations to recognize Palestinian diplomats with full rank, making the announcement Wednesday after British officials did the same in London, Dublin, Paris and Stockholm. The official Palestinian Authority news agency WAFA quoted President Mahmoud Abbas, who learned of the change at a news conference in the Danish capital, as saying it "supports us politically and diplomatically." » Read more

In West Bank, a loss in soccer is still seen as a victory ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - March 9, 2011 - 1:00am When the game was finally over, after extra time and penalty kicks, the Palestinian squad had lost to Thailand. But the Palestinian national team's first official soccer match on home turf Wednesday gave thousands of raucous fans who braved a cold and rain-lashed night a taste of international recognition. A qualifying game for the 2012 London Olympics, the match was more than a sporting event. It was also freighted with symbolism for both organizers and ordinary people who packed the stadium in Al-Ram, a West Bank suburb of Jerusalem that is cut in two by Israel's separation barrier. » Read more

Obama taps top foreign policy aide as ambassador to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Peter Nicholas - March 9, 2011 - 1:00am President Obama is nominating a top foreign policy aide, Daniel B. Shapiro, as ambassador to Israel — tapping for the sensitive diplomatic post a Hebrew-speaking Middle East specialist who has been in charge of outreach to the American Jewish community. If he wins Senate confirmation, Shapiro, whose nomination was announced Wednesday, will replace James Cunningham, a George W. Bush appointee who will be rotating out of the job later this year. » Read more