March 29th

Abbas would give up US aid for Palestinian unity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - March 28, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is making a heavy push for reconciliation with Hamas and is willing to give up hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid if that's what it takes to forge a Palestinian unity deal, a top aide said Monday. The comments were the latest sign that Abbas is giving up on stalled peace talks with Israel and prefers to pursue unity with Gaza's Hamas rulers as he makes a push toward independence. "Of course we need the American money. But if they use it as a way of pressuring us, we are ready to relinquish that aid," said Azzam Ahmed, an Abbas aide. » Read more

Abbas would give up US aid for Palestinian unity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - March 28, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is making a heavy push for reconciliation with Hamas and is willing to give up hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid if that's what it takes to forge a Palestinian unity deal, a top aide said Monday. The comments were the latest sign that Abbas is giving up on stalled peace talks with Israel and prefers to pursue unity with Gaza's Hamas rulers as he makes a push toward independence. "Of course we need the American money. But if they use it as a way of pressuring us, we are ready to relinquish that aid," said Azzam Ahmed, an Abbas aide. » Read more

The single demand that can unite the Palestinian people ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Karma Nabulsi - (Opinion) March 29, 2011 - 12:00am After another week of breathtaking demonstrations from Jordan to Yemen heralding dramatic revolutionary change, in occupied Palestine things appear much the same. The repetitions of bombing, air attacks on civilians, muted international protests, and dubious gestures towards a bankrupted peace process: all lend an air of futility and hopelessness to the trajectory of Palestinian freedom. » Read more

Israel considering annexing West Bank settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press March 28, 2011 - 12:00am An Israeli official says Israel is considering annexing major West Bank settlement blocs if the Palestinians unilaterally seek world recognition of a state. The official said Tuesday that Israel can respond to unilateral Palestinian action with one-sided acts of its own. Annexation of settlements is one option. He says others could include restricting water supplies beyond agreed-upon amounts and restricting Palestinian use of Israeli ports for business purposes. The official spoke on condition of anonymity on Tuesday because no final decisions have been made. » Read more

Israel eases steps to revoke citizenship ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Allyn Fisher-Ilan - March 28, 2011 - 12:00am Israel passed a law on Monday that eases the process of revoking citizenship in a step denounced as a move to threaten primarily its Arab minority. The amendment to a so-called "Citizenship Law" was the latest in a list of parliamentary measures taken this past month that civil rights activists denounce as undemocratic but Israeli rightists see as essential to the Jewish state's defence. » Read more

Unhelpful to peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times (Editorial) March 29, 2011 - 12:00am Israel has shown yet again its true, intransigent, position on peace with the Palestinians by rejecting a national unity government comprising both Fateh, the Palestinian party ruling in the West Bank, and Hamas, the Islamic movement in control of Gaza Strip. » Read more

Israeli tanks accompany bulldozers into Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 29, 2011 - 12:00am Several Israeli military tanks crossed the border into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning near the Kissufim military post north of Khan Younis. Witnesses northeast of the town of Qarara, close to where the military action was reported, said three tanks and four bulldozers were operating inside the coastal enclave. Gunfire was reported, but no injuries, and onlookers said the bulldozers began leveling agricultural areas around the Kissufim military base.

Abbas moves on PLO constitution amendments ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 28, 2011 - 12:00am President Mahmoud Abbas asked the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization to convene the body's Constitution Committee, government news agency WAFA reported. He advised the committee that it should draw up amendments to the PLO charter by the end of September. The committee was first convened in 2005, after unity talks between 13 Palestinian factions in Cairo led to an agreement which paved the way for legislative elections in 2006. » Read more

Israelis and Palestinians, take note ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - (Blog) March 28, 2011 - 12:00am The past ten days of revolution in the Arab world have been marked by four dramatic developments that could be relevant to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its solution. Saudi Arabia led a Gulf Cooperation Council expeditionary force into Bahrain. A coalition of mainly western countries led an armed intervention in Libya upon the request of the Arab League. In Egypt, a referendum overwhelmingly approved a series of constitutional amendments that were supported by the Muslim Brotherhood and the army but opposed by the youth coalition that led the revolution. » Read more

Awarta residents DNA tested in Itamar case ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency March 29, 2011 - 12:00am The deputy mayor of Awarta and two of his brothers were detained along with dozens of others Tuesday morning by Israeli forces. Officials say the detained men are being given DNA tests and questioned by soldiers. The detentions come as the investigation into the murders of five Israeli settlers - including two children and an infant - enters its third week. More than 40 had been detained from the village in the first week of the investigation, and foreign workers in the settlement were said to have been questioned. » Read more