Social Issues Drive Jews Back to Obama ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - April 3, 2012 - 12:00am Washington — With the battle over the Jewish vote in full swing, a new poll suggests that Democrats have little reason for concern: Jews are firmly in President Obama’s corner. And the reason, the poll suggests, has nothing to do with Obama’s views on Israel or Iran. It is all about the economy and social justice. The survey showed that 62% of Jewish voters plan to support Obama in the 2012 election, compared to 30% who say they will vote for one of the four Republican candidates. » Read more

A Middle East Twofer ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Thomas L. Friedman - (Opinion) April 4, 2012 - 12:00am There is so much going on in the Middle East today, it’s impossible to capture it all with one opinion. So here are two for the price of one. » Read more

PM: Legalize Status of 3 Settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Attila Somfalvi - April 3, 2012 - 12:00am Amid the uproar surrounding an evacuation order of Jewish settlers from the disputed Machpelah house in Hebron, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working to prevent the razing of the Ulpana neighborhood in Beit El and legalize three other settlements, Ynet reported Wednesday. » Read more

Clinton: Unilateral Israeli Strike on Iran is in no one’s interest ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Natasha Mozgovaya - April 3, 2012 - 12:00am U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told ABC news on Tuesday that a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran is "not in anyone's interest." "The U.S. has "worked very hard with Israel on all levels from the military, intelligence, strategic, and diplomatic level to make sure we were sharing information," she said. "It's our very strong belief, as President Obama conveyed to the Israelis, that it is not in anyone’s interest for them to take unilateral action." » Read more

Arrests of Palestinian Government Critics Raise Alarms ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - April 4, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH // The Palestinian Authority is endangering free speech with the latest arrest and detention of government critics and reporters, say Palestinian journalists and human-rights workers. Two Palestinians have been arrested and two others detained in a little more than a week for either publishing articles critical of the West Bank government or posting unfavourable remarks on Facebook about its leader, the Palestinian Authority (PA) president, Mahmoud Abbas. » Read more

HRW: PA Detains Another Man Over Facebook Post ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 4, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinian Authority police on Monday detained Jamal Hlaihel over a Facebook post deemed critical of the government, Human Rights Watch reported Tuesday. Hlaihel is the fourth Palestinian to be arrested recently for criticizing the Ramallah-based government. Two journalists and a university lecturer were also detained for newspaper articles and Facebook posts that the authorities said were slanderous. The academic remains behind bars. » Read more

‘Battle of Letters’ Shaping up Between PM, Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - April 4, 2012 - 12:00am With Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas expected to deliver a sharply-worded letter to Israel in the coming days, blaming it for the impasse in the diplomatic process, Jerusalem is preparing a letter of its own to present to the PA, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Though the final draft of the letter has not yet been completed, it is expected to contain the following points: • Israel is prepared for peace talks with the Palestinians where all the core issues will be on the agenda. • Israel places no preconditions whatsoever on entering the talks. » Read more

Palestinian Delegation to Deliver Letter to Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 4, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A delegation of Palestinian officials will deliver a letter from President Mahmoud Abbas to Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu next week, a presidential adviser said. Nimr Hammad said PA Prime Minster Salam Fayyad, PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo and negotiator Saeb Erekat will head the delegation, Hammad told the official Voice of Palestine radio. In the letter, Abbas will outline the PLO's position on the peace process and remind the Israeli government of previous accords and international agreements, Hammad said. » Read more

Medics: Body Found East of Gaza City ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 4, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Medical authorities on Wednesday discovered the body of a man who appeared to have been shot dead late Tuesday east of Gaza City. Gaza medical official Adham Abu Salmiya said the body of Hisham Misbah Saad, 17, was discovered near the eastern cemetery. Medics coordinated with the Red Crescent to remove his body from an area hard for Palestinians to reach. Abu Salmiya said he was transferred to Kamal Odwan hospital in northern Gaza. » Read more

ICC Rebuffs Palestinians’ Gaza War Crimes Case Against Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - April 3, 2012 - 12:00am REPORTING FROM JERUSALEM -- The International Criminal Court on Tuesday rejected a Palestinian request to investigate war crimes allegations arising from Israel’s 22-day military offensive in the Gaza Strip three years ago, saying it had no jurisdiction because a Palestinian state has not been recognized by the U.N. General Assembly. But ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo appeared to leave the door open for future claims if Palestinians succeed in upgrading their status at the U.N. from "observer" to "non-member state." » Read more