May 24th

Hamas: We caught Egyptian spy in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - May 24, 2010 - 12:00am Hamas' Interior Minister Fathi Hamad on Monday revealed that security forces recently arrested a senior Egyptian officer that infiltrated into the Gaza Strip in order to collect information on its residents and the Hamas government. Hamad added that the officer "was intending to perform other tasks," on which he did not elaborate. » Read more

Report: Israel legalized over 1,600 unauthorized Palestinian homes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - May 24, 2010 - 12:00am The Civil Administration retroactively legalized 1,611 Palestinian structures built without the necessary permits all over the territories in recent years, according to internal documents obtained by Haaretz. Meanwhile, the High Court of Justice is deliberating over a number of petitions filed by Israeli settlers demanding that the Civil Administration, which deals with non-military issues in the West Bank, retroactively legalize homes built without permits in Jewish towns there. » Read more

Israel denies offering nuclear weapons to Apartheid South Africa ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz May 24, 2010 - 12:00am Israel on Monday vehemently rejected claims in a British newspaper that it offered to sell nuclear warheads to Apartheid-era South Africa in 1975. "There exists no basis in reality for the claims published this morning by The Guardian that in 1975 Israel negotiated with South Africa the exchange of nuclear weapons," the president's office said in a statement. » Read more

MESS Report / Palestinian villagers trapped by permanent red light ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - May 24, 2010 - 12:00am Israel's defense establishment is not permitting residents of the Palestinian village of Sheikh Sa'ad, southeast of Jerusalem, to leave the town in their cars. There are even restrictions on walking out of the village, a privilege reserved for residents with Israeli identity cards. » Read more

3 wounded during West Bank weekly anti-wall demonstration ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 22, 2010 - 12:00am Three Palestinians were injured and five others detained during the weekly protests against the separation wall that Israel is building in the West Bank, witnesses and medical sources said Friday. The witnesses said that the Israeli army dispersed by rubber bullets and tear gas canisters a demonstration near the village of Bel'ein, west of Ramallah, in the West Bank. » Read more

Palestinians, Israelis dispute size of land swap ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by David Harris - May 23, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinians and Israelis have agreed to the principle of swapping land in any peace deal, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told reporters in Ramallah on Saturday. This is the one concrete advance made public following the launch of indirect peace talks between the two neighbors that took place last week. U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell is heading the proximity talks, which at this stage are between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. » Read more

Gaza assailants vandalize UN summer camp ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Rizek Abdel Jawad - May 23, 2010 - 12:00am Armed assailants in black masks burned and vandalized a U.N. summer camp site Sunday and left behind three bullets next to written death threats against U.N. officials — the latest escalation of tensions between Islamic extremists and U.N. representatives in Hamas-ruled Gaza. Also Sunday, a U.N. agency reported that three-quarters of the damage inflicted on Gaza by Israel's war against Hamas more than a year ago has not been repaired or rebuilt. The report warned that the international community is being increasingly sidelined in Gaza because of Israel's blockade of the territory. » Read more

Settlement goods no longer sold in Italian grocery chains ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 22, 2010 - 12:00am The Italian Coalition Against Carmel-Agrexco announced Saturday that two major Italian supermarket chains, COOP and Nordiconad, said they would suspend the sale of products from a settlement good exporter. Products from Agrexco, what the coalition calls a "principal exporter of produce from Israel and the illegal Israeli settlements" will be cleared from stores by the end of the month, the director of Nordiconad told the coalition. » Read more

Australia expels Israeli diplomat over Mabhouh hit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 24, 2010 - 12:00am Australia has expelled an Israeli diplomat after a probe revealed Israel was behind the forging of four Australian passports linked to the murder of a Hamas operative in Dubai, various media outlets reported Monday. Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told parliament that Israel's conduct was "not the actions of a friend," the British Broadcasting Corporation reported. » Read more

Israeli army to ease some restrictions on WB movement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 24, 2010 - 12:00am The Israeli army said Monday evening that it would relieve some of the restrictions placed upon travel in the West Bank, after meeting with Palestinian Authority officials, a statement read. The apparent "good will gestures" include the entry of Palestinians with Israeli citizenship and ID cards through all checkpoints into the West Bank, and Tulkarem via the 104 checkpoint at weekends. Restrictions will be eased on senior Palestinian businessmen going through checkpoints and 60 roadblocks will be lifted throughout the West Bank, the army said. » Read more