The API in thrall to the Arab spring ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Nathalie Tocci - (Opinion) April 6, 2011 - 12:00am The Arab Peace Initiative, first endorsed at the Beirut summit in 2002, was born of a specific context. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, what was to become the "moderate" Arab camp was intent on asserting its credentials to the West. Offering Israel full normalization of relations in return for an end of Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights and an (unspecified) "just" solution to the refugee problem was an unprecedented move. » Read more

Saudi dilemmas and the Arab Peace Initiative ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Madawi Al-Rasheed - (Opinion) April 6, 2011 - 12:00am The Arab Peace Initiative, proposed by Saudi Arabia's then-Crown Prince Abdullah (king since 2005) and announced during the Arab League summit in Beirut in 2002, is hard to resurrect amidst revolutions and protests in the region. Not only was the initiative a stillborn baby, but over time it became a corpse in need of a death ritual. We all know how important such rituals are for the living, but unfortunately, the illusion of peace persists while the reality attests that "no solution has become the solution". » Read more

Israel Aiming Punitive Measures at Soft Targets ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Mel Frykber - April 5, 2011 - 12:00am As the international community becomes increasingly critical of Israel's discriminatory treatment of Israeli-Arabs and the brutal occupation in the Palestinian West Bank, the Israeli authorities are venting their anger against soft targets such as Arab-Israeli parliamentarians and Palestinian and Israeli non-violent peace activists. The majority of Knesset (Israeli parliament) members recently voted in favour of stripping Israel-Arab Knesset member Haneen Zoabi of her parliamentary privileges following her participation in the ill-fated Mavi Marmara flotilla to Gaza last year. » Read more

Goldstone’s message ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) April 8, 2011 - 12:00am It was definitely coincidental - but harbouring many unclear scenarios - that Richard Goldstone’s infamous volte face came on April Fool’s day, when it appeared on the website of The Washington Post. » Read more

US plotting strategy to have Goldstone report withdrawn ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Hilary Leila Krieger - April 8, 2011 - 12:00am The US is consulting with allies at the United Nations to work to end any consideration of the Goldstone Report by the international body, US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said on Thursday. The US has long been opposed to the report’s accusations that Israel intentionally targeted civilians in its war just over two years ago against Hamas, but has added momentum in its push to see the report shelved since its presiding jurist Richard Goldstone last Friday reconsidered his findings. » Read more

Settlers' poll: 78% of Likudniks oppose Palestinian State ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gil Hoffman - April 8, 2011 - 12:00am Three quarters of Likud members believe that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu should wait until the fate of uprisings in the Muslim world becomes clearer before he takes any steps toward the Palestinians, a Ma’agar Mohot poll sponsored by the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip revealed on Thursday. » Read more

Removing Israeli leaders' masks of hypocrisy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) April 8, 2011 - 12:00am WikiLeaks' "Israel file," parts of which appear in detail in today's newspaper, makes an important contribution to public discourse in Israel. The publication makes it clear that senior Israeli officials and public figures have presented positions to American officials different from those they voiced in public. Exposing the reports of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and general consulate in Jerusalem removes the masks of hypocrisy and doublespeak and contributes to political transparency and cleanliness. » Read more

Israel believes Hamas trying to establish 'balance of terror' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - April 8, 2011 - 12:00am A 16-year-old Israeli was critically injured on Thursday when an anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip hit a school bus near Kibbutz Sa'ad. The missile attack was followed by additional mortar shelling from Gaza. The launch occurred just four to five kilometers from the target, from a point where it was clear students were on board and it was possible to keep the bus within sight. A senior defense source told Haaretz on Thursday night that he believes this was an act by the military wing of the organization, and that their aim was to deter Israel and establish a "balance of terror." » Read more

Goldstone's 'regret' is a result of emotional pressure ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Oudeh Basharat - (Opinion) April 8, 2011 - 12:00am In any event, when Richard Goldstone "retracted" he didn't really retract. Read his op-ed in the Washington Post once, twice - there's no retraction there on any substantial issues. And when he stated in his "regret" that Israel had started its investigation after his conclusions were made, that is a kind of reaffirmation of Goldstone's report. At the time, we should recall, Israel vehemently refused to conduct a probe of Operation Cast Lead. According to the strange interpretations of his "regret," 1,400 people - most of them civilians - were killed in Gaza by mistake. » Read more

Over 20 ships expected for second Gaza flotilla ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 7, 2011 - 12:00am A Turkish human rights organization said here on Thursday that it is organizing another Gaza flotilla of more than 20 ships as the anniversary for the first ill-fated voyage on May 31 approaches. The IHH Human Rights Foundation which organized last year's flotilla, which was attacked by Israeli commandos in international waters killing 9, is in the planning stage of a second larger flotilla. IHH board member Huseyin Oruc told Xinhua that currently there are activists from more than 20 countries interested in participating. » Read more