Goldstone does not clear Israel of civilian deaths ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) April 4, 2011 - 12:00am Two years ago, the Israeli government was infuriated by the Goldstone Report, which concluded that the country's defence forces had intentionally targeted civilians during Operation Cast Lead in 2008 - a three-week war against Hamas which cost more than 1,400 Gazan lives. » Read more

First female leader of Palestinian party elected ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 4, 2011 - 12:00am The Central Committee of the Palestinian Democratic Union convened Saturday in Ramallah and Gaza City and elected the first ever female secretary-general of a Palestinian faction, Zahira Kamal. Kamal was born in Jerusalem in 1945 and has held several official political positions. She was the first Palestinian Minister of Women's Affairs. The Palestinian Democratic Union also raised women's representation to 40 percent in the general conference, and to 50 percent for the youth conference. » Read more

UN: Israel's demolitions of Palestinian homes hit record high ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 4, 2011 - 12:00am Israel's demolitions of Palestinian homes and buildings reached a record high in March for the third consecutive month, according to figures from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. The UN Relief and Works Agency recorded 76 demolitions of Palestinian buildings in March, forcibly displacing 158 Palestinians including 64 children. So far this year, Israel has demolished the homes of 333 Palestinians, including 175 children, UNRWA reported. Meanwhile, Israel has built a record number of Jewish-only homes on occupied Palestinian land, in contravention of international law. » Read more

Israeli commander testifies in lawsuit over death of US activist in Gaza, says it was accident ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press April 3, 2011 - 12:00am An Israeli military commander testifying Sunday in a civil lawsuit over the death of American activist in the Gaza Strip eight years ago said the young woman and other activists ignored army warnings to move before she was crushed by an armored bulldozer. Rachel Corrie, 23, of Olympia, Washington, was killed in March 2003 as she tried to block the Israeli military vehicle in a dangerous area along the Gaza-Egypt border. The activists believed the Israelis were about to demolish nearby Palestinian houses. » Read more

Obama's retreat leaves Israel at the mercy of multilateralism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Tony Karon - (Opinion) April 4, 2011 - 12:00am 'This is how the international community should work," said President Barack Obama a little more than a week ago. "More nations, not just the United States, bearing the responsibility and cost of upholding peace and security." He was referring to the military campaign in Libya, in which the US insisted it was simply following the lead of the Europeans and the Arab League, and quickly handed off command of the operation to Nato and a multilateral consensus. » Read more

Israel lauds Gaza war crimes investigator’s reversal, mulls dealing with ‘human shields’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press April 3, 2011 - 12:00am Many modern armies have struggled with how to battle an enemy who uses human shields, perhaps none more so than Israel. So Israeli leaders were especially pleased Sunday after an admission by Richard Goldstone — a Jewish U.N. investigator who became persona non grata in the Jewish state — that war crimes accusations contained in his report on Israel’s offensive in Gaza two years ago should be reconsidered. » Read more

Arabs yearn to move on ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Hussein Ibish - (Blog) April 30, 2011 - 12:00am Probably the most important clause in the Arab Peace Initiative, first adopted by the Arab League at the Beirut summit in 2002 and reaffirmed on several occasions including in 2007, is its commitment to "establish normal relations with Israel in the context of [a] comprehensive peace." This represented the culmination of decades of evolution of Arab thinking regarding relations with Israel, and the final repudiation of the Khartoum resolution of 1967, which insisted the Arabs would have "no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it". » Read more

Reconsidering the Goldstone Report on Israel and war crimes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Richard Goldstone - (Opinion) April 1, 2011 - 12:00am We know a lot more today about what happened in the Gaza war of 2008-09 than we did when I chaired the fact-finding mission appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council that produced what has come to be known as the Goldstone Report. If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document. » Read more

Reconsidering the Goldstone Report on Israel and war crimes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Richard Goldstone - (Opinion) April 1, 2011 - 12:00am We know a lot more today about what happened in the Gaza war of 2008-09 than we did when I chaired the fact-finding mission appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council that produced what has come to be known as the Goldstone Report. If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document. » Read more

Strike Kills Gaza Fighters, Spurring Hamas Warning ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Fares Akram, Isabel Kershner - April 2, 2011 - 12:00am Thousands of Palestinians attended the funerals on Saturday of three senior Hamas militants killed by Israel in an overnight airstrike in southern Gaza, and Hamas leaders warned that Israel would bear the consequences. But the area remained calm on Saturday, and Hamas, the Islamic group that controls Gaza, seemed wary of fueling a new round of hostilities. » Read more