July 1st

Israeli warplanes target 3 sites in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 1, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli aircraft shelled two locations in the southern Gaza Strip and one in the north Thursday morning, damaging the already destroyed Yasser Arafat International Airport, a residential area, and an empty field. Eyewitnesses said at least two F16 warplanes were involved in the operation, and one Gaza City resident said a strike targeted the Abu Jerad area, damaging several homes.

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Gaza lawyer challenges West Bank study ban
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - July 1, 2010 - 12:00am

A 29-year-old lawyer from Gaza has launched a legal challenge against Israel's refusal to allow her to travel to the West Bank to study human rights and democracy. Fatima Sharif must register for her masters degree at Birzeit University near Ramallah in two weeks' time or she will lose her place. The Israeli authorities have denied her permission to leave Gaza on the grounds that she does not meet Israel's criteria of "humanitarian and exceptional" need.

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Tensions build in Palestinian neighborhood over plans to demolish 22 houses
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Joel Greenberg - July 1, 2010 - 12:00am

In a warren of cramped alleys in the crowded Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, a slogan scrawled on a wall warns: "Silwan is in danger." The danger, as residents see it, is a city development plan that calls for the demolition of 22 homes to make room for a park that would flank a promenade of restaurants, art studios and shops. Mayor Nir Barkat says the plan -- aimed at attracting visitors to the historic valley near Jerusalem's Old City where Silwan is located -- will improve services to residents, provide jobs and boost commerce.

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U.S. envoy welcomes Israeli steps to relax Gaza blockade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Joel Greenberg - July 1, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel's first steps toward easing its blockade of the Gaza Strip were welcomed Wednesday by the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East as he visited this crossing where goods are transferred to the Palestinian territory.

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Turkish and Israeli Officials Meet Secretly on Raid Crisis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Dina Kraft - July 1, 2010 - 12:00am

The Turkish foreign minister and an Israeli cabinet member met secretly in Europe on Wednesday to try to defuse the crisis that erupted after Israel’s deadly raid on a Turkish aid boat bound for Gaza. According to Israeli news reports, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu of Turkey and Industry Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer of Israel met in Zurich.

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Direct talks if PM clarifies stand
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - July 1, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in an apparent charm offensive aimed at the Israeli public, has told reporters from the Hebrew media he is willing to enter direct negotiations with the Netanyahu government, as soon as he hears from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu regarding Israel’s position on borders and security issues. Abbas, in the briefing with Israeli journalists Tuesday in Ramallah, said that originally he wanted to hear from Netanyahu whether he was willing to accept the understandings agreed upon by his predecessor, Ehud Olmert.

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Turkish Aid From Flotilla Begins Arriving in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - July 1, 2010 - 12:00am

One month after Israeli commandos killed nine Turks in a raid on a flotilla trying to break the Gaza blockade, the ships’ cargo of aid has begun to arrive here by land, starting Wednesday with 82 second-hand battery-powered scooters for the handicapped. In the same pipeline are hundreds more scooters, hospital beds, drugs, crutches and surgical tools, building materials, food and clothing, said Mahmoud Daher, a health officer for the World Health Organization here.

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The Two Sides of a Barbed-Wire Fence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Nicholas D. Kristof - (Opinion) July 1, 2010 - 12:00am

The Israeli occupation of the West Bank is widely acknowledged to be unsustainable and costly to the country’s image. But one more blunt truth must be acknowledged: the occupation is morally repugnant.

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Peace Demands Courage
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) July 1, 2010 - 12:00am

Too often Israeli-Palestinian relations are seen as a zero-sum conflict in which whatever is good for one party is bad for the other. In reality, both parties, for different reasons, need the same thing: a negotiated agreement that ends the occupation and the conflict once and for all. Palestinians cannot achieve their basic goal of independence and statehood without a negotiated agreement. Similarly, Israel cannot achieve peace, defined borders, regional acceptance and long-term security without a negotiated agreement with the Palestinians.

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June 30th

Tom Friedman says Palestinian economic growth in the West Bank is changing everything. Pres. Obama and the Saudi King discuss the peace process. A Hamas member who spied for Israel begs not to be deported from the United States. Under much criticism, Israel may extend the remit of the Gaza flotilla investigation. Pres. Abbas urges stronger efforts on peace. Disabled activists fight for rights in Gaza. A new poll shows Palestinians and Israelis are hopeful but cautious about peace. Projectiles fired from Gaza strike southern Israel. Bradley Burston says Israel has been taken over by tea party-like fanatics. Settlers announce an “aggressive campaign” against PM Netanyahu. The Hamas-Fatah divide is proving unbridgeable. A proposed Israeli law would outlaw all forms of boycott, including against settlement goods. DM Barak is acting more as Israel's Foreign Minister than FM Lieberman. PM Hariri calls for more rights for Palestinians in Lebanon, and Rami Khouri says the situation is shameful. Yossi Alpher says the Gaza blockade has been counterproductive.

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