AIPAC is an awe-inspiring organization, but the right-wing tilt is in its DNA
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chemi Shalev - (Opinion) March 6, 2013 - 1:00am

Regardless of one’s political convictions - whether you believe Israel is warmonger or peace seeker, aggressor or defender, victim or victimizer, hero or villain, sinner or saint – the Annual AIPAC Policy Conference is a sight to be seen, a pageant to behold, a formidable spectacle that cannot be ignored.

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Obama is promoting, not proposing, peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) March 6, 2013 - 1:00am

resident Barack Obama plans to go to the Middle East in two weeks, and the Israeli Left and the Palestinians are praying he’ll be bringing an American peace initiative. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Right are praying he won’t. Even if he wanted to, President Obama knows another US peace push wouldn’t work. All the rhetoric aside – and it really is little more than rhetoric – neither side is interested in, much less ready for, serious peace talks.

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President Obama’s Visit to Israel: Too Little Too Late?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Linda Gradstein - March 6, 2013 - 1:00am

Young Israelis Want the President to See their Side A group of students sit around a conference table at the Hadassah Academic College in downtown Jerusalem. They are all majoring in politics and government, and started college only after finishing their mandatory army service. Overall, they are pleased that President Obama is coming to visit Israel, but say he should have come during his first term.

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Israeli PM calls for "credible military threat" against Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 5, 2013 - 1:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called for "a clear and credible military threat" against Iran, saying the Islamic republic is getting closer to building a nuclear bomb. The hawkish Israeli leader, told a pro-Israel lobby group in Washington via satellite link from Jerusalem that diplomacy and sanctions have not worked to stop Iran from pressing ahead with its controversial nuclear program.

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US bipartisan bill to make Israel 'strategic ally'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
March 5, 2013 - 1:00am

A Republican and a Democrat in the US House of Representatives introduced legislation that would make Israel a "major strategic ally," a one of a kind designation. The bill, introduced Monday by Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), was timed for the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, and 13,000 activists are expected to lobby for it and for Iran-related bills on Tuesday.

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Kerry's Impromptu Meeting With Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Andrea Stone - March 5, 2013 - 1:00am

John Kerry’s unscheduled meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Monday during his first official trip abroad was anything but a rogue moment for the new secretary of State.

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Hard Questions, Tough Answers with Yossi Alpher: March 4, 2013
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Americans For Peace Now
(Interview) March 4, 2013 - 1:00am

Alpher discusses whether Netanyahu will form a government by the new deadline of March 16th, what the appointment of Philip Gordon as White House coordinator for the Middle East might tell us about Obama's approach to the Israeli-Palestinian issue in his second term, and whether there is any hope at all for Turkish-Israeli rapprochement,

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AIPAC and American Jews: Be proud of Jewish power
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Eric H. Yoffie - (Opinion) March 4, 2013 - 1:00am

American Jews have a complex about power, and they need to get over it. The simple fact is that power – or more precisely, influence - is a good thing. To the extent that Jewish Americans have influence, they should nurture it and use it responsibly. But they should never minimize it, apologize for it, or be squeamish about it. And they should avoid the trap of thinking that the exercise of influence in our political system is contrary to some abstract notion of American interests; it is not.

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Biden and Netanyahu Stress Points of Unity in Speeches to Pro-Israel Group
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Mark Landler - March 4, 2013 - 1:00am

The thundering ovations, slickly produced videos and legions of lawmakers were the same as ever. But something was missing as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee convened here this week for its annual conference: tension.

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Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu suspends housing settlements ahead of Obama’s visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times
by Cheryl K. Chumley - March 1, 2013 - 1:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suspended all housing construction in contested areas of east Jerusalem and the West Bank as a diplomatic nod at President Obama’s upcoming visit.

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