April 18th

Itamar attack: 'My son was tortured into confessing' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - April 17, 2011 - 12:00am The families of the two terrorists who confessed to murdering five members of the Fogel family refuse to believe the two committed the massacre. Hakim Awad's mother, Nawef, claimed that her son was at home the night of the murder and never left the house. "Five months ago Hakim underwent a surgery in his stomach and I'm sure he was tortured and forced into confessing." The mother claimed that Israel was trying to cover up for crimes it committed in Awarta last month and noted that their home in the village was very far from the settlement of Itamar. » Read more

Awarta stunned over Itamar attack revelation; 'They're just kids' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - April 17, 2011 - 12:00am Following Sunday's revelations with regards to the arrest of two Palestinians from the village of Awarta for the murder of the Fogel family in the Itamar massacre last March, villagers in Awarta, the village adjacent to the settlement of Itamar, were stunned to discover that two teens, Hakim Mazen Awad (18) and Amjad Mohammad Awad (19) are the main murder suspects. » Read more

Kassam rocket fired explodes in Sha'ar HaNegev, none hurt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Yoni Cohen, Debra Kamin - April 18, 2011 - 12:00am A Kassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip exploded in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council Monday afternoon. Warning sirens sounded prior to the rocket landing. Police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld confirmed that the rocket landed near a kibbutz in the area. No injuries or damage were reported. The South has experienced a relative calm for over a week since a tense ceasefire with Hamas was brokered. Last Friday, two Grad rockets exploded separately in the cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod overnight. No casualties or damages were reported.

Likud's right gears up to fight 'Bar Ilan 2' speech ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Rebecca Anna Stoil - April 17, 2011 - 12:00am The Likud’s right wing geared up for a fight before the Pessah holiday, with MK Danny Danon requesting a special faction meeting before Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s anticipated trip to the US next month. Danon expressed concern Sunday that “instead of hearing from the prime minister what he intends to tell the Americans from him, we’ll end up hearing it first on C-Span, the congressional television channel.” Netanyahu is expected to address Congress on May 24, in what some are already dubbing “Bar-Ilan II.” » Read more

US-Israel relations: An Interview with Gil Hoffman ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Interview) April 18, 2011 - 12:00am Gil Hoffman is the chief political correspondent and analyst for The Jerusalem Post. I met him in Cincinnati, where he spoke on recent developments in the Middle East. What follows is a synopsis of our interview together (4/5/2011). Q: Netanyahu, Abbas, and Obama all agree in theory on the need for peace through a two-state solution. Why is there currently no progress on this issue? » Read more

Israeli boy Daniel Viflic dies after rocket hits bus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News April 18, 2011 - 12:00am Daniel Viflic, 16, was on a school bus in southern Israel on 7 April when it was hit by an anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip. The driver was slightly hurt in the attack, which happened just after the other children had been dropped off. Nineteen Palestinians died in the ensuing wave of Israeli air strikes and Palestinian counter-attacks. It was the most serious violence since Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009. About 1,400 Palestinians, more than half of them civilians, and 13 Israelis, including 10 soldiers, were killed.

‘Irvine 11’ plead not guilty in Oren incident ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Marcy Oster - April 17, 2011 - 12:00am Eleven Muslim students arrested for disrupting a speech by Israeli U.S. Ambassador Michael Oren at the University of California, Irvine pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges. The students were arraigned April 15 in Orange County Superior Court on charges of conspiracy to disturb a meeting and misdemeanor disturbance of a meeting. » Read more

Hamas's ability to control radical groups in question ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - April 18, 2011 - 12:00am The murder of an Italian activist in Gaza last week has raised questions about the capability of Hamas to control radical groups, some with suspected links to al Qa'eda, operating in the Palestinian territory. Vittorio Arrigoni, 36, part of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement, was found dead in an empty apartment building in Gaza City. An al Qa'eda-inspired group calling itself Tawhid and Jihad released a video of his kidnapping on Thursday and is widely believed to have carried out the murder. » Read more

Washington Committed to Middle East Peace Process- US Officials ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Mina Al-Oraibi - (Opinion) November 16, 2009 - 1:00am Many questions are being asked whether it is possible to resume peace negotiations in the Middle East that can achieve real and concrete results after the peace process has been faltering over the past few months. A total of 10 months have passed since US President Barack Obama announced his determination to bring peace to the Middle East on his first day in the White House. However, there have been no indications that such a peace would be reached. » Read more

America’s Partnership with the Arab People ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Raghida Dergham - (Opinion) April 15, 2011 - 12:00am The Barack Obama Administration has drafted the features of its new strategic policy resulting from the “Arab Spring” with an effaceable pencil, as it is still at the stage of reacting and responding to events. There is not yet what would be called a “blueprint” for a strategic framework for broad American policy towards the Middle East, since ‘using permanent ink’ would tie down the hands of President Barack Obama at a time when he needs flexibility for electoral reasons. » Read more