April 4th

'Goldstone retraction reduces chance of similar probe' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Yaakov Katz - April 4, 2011 - 12:00am Judge Richard Goldstone’s retraction and new-found faith in the Israeli legal system will likely contribute to Israeli efforts to prevent the establishment of a new probe following military action in a future conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a senior IDF officer predicted on Sunday. On Friday, Goldstone published an op-ed in The Washington Post in which he said he that he no longer believed that Israel had intentionally targeted civilians during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip in 2009. » Read more

Next Gaza war is getting closer ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - April 4, 2011 - 12:00am After a week-long lull in violence along the Gaza border, the southern front is heating up once again following an Israeli assassination on Saturday of three Hamas men in Khan Yunis, one of them a senior member of the organization's military wing. According to the IDF, the three men were planning to abduct Israeli tourists in Sinai over the Passover holiday. Hamas denies the allegation. » Read more

'Israel faces threat of becoming a religious state' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Ben Hartman - April 3, 2011 - 12:00am Israel is on its way to becoming a religious state – a reality that would pose a threat to its survival, according to a report released by the University of Haifa on Sunday. The report, entitled “Israel 2010-2030, on the Path to a Religious State,” examines the demographic factors set to change Israel in the coming years, through a comparison of the religious, haredi, secular and Arab birthrates in the country. » Read more

Gaza Militants Declare Truce Over; Israel Says Deterrence Holding ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Omar Ghraieb, Arieh O'Sullivan - April 3, 2011 - 12:00am Lashing out verbally following an Israeli air strike that killed three members of the armed wing of Hamas, Islamic militant groups in the Gaza Strip declared the de-facto two-year-old ceasefire with Israel null and void. But an Israel official said the threat was empty. » Read more

Israel government unveils counter-cyberterrorism unit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 3, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli officials have said they are set to implement a new strategy aimed at foiling the growing wave of cyberterrorism and cybertheft attacks perpetrated against its government ministries, military agencies, and major banking and commercial entities. » Read more

Despite its flaws, the Goldstone report has changed Israel's behaviour in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Aluf Benn - (Opinion) April 4, 2011 - 12:00am Since releasing his report in the September after the fighting, Judge Richard Goldstone has been Israel's most hated person. In the eyes of the Netanyahu government and its rightwing supporters, he personified the effort to "de-legitimise" the Jewish state and deprive it of its ability to defend itself. He was portrayed in the popular mediaas the quintessential self-hating Jew. Human rights groups that gave the commission information have been branded as collaborators and traitors. » Read more

Israeli tells citizens to leave Sinai immediately ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Ian Deitch - April 2, 2011 - 12:00am Israel warned its citizens in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to evacuate immediately Saturday, hours after launching an airstrike that killed three Hamas militants accused of planning to abduct Israelis over the upcoming Jewish festival of Passover. The government warned its citizens to "leave Sinai immediately and return to Israel," and quoted intelligence sources about "terrorist plans to kidnap Israelis and use them as bargaining chips." » Read more

Goldstone does not clear Israel of civilian deaths ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) April 4, 2011 - 12:00am Two years ago, the Israeli government was infuriated by the Goldstone Report, which concluded that the country's defence forces had intentionally targeted civilians during Operation Cast Lead in 2008 - a three-week war against Hamas which cost more than 1,400 Gazan lives. » Read more

First female leader of Palestinian party elected ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 4, 2011 - 12:00am The Central Committee of the Palestinian Democratic Union convened Saturday in Ramallah and Gaza City and elected the first ever female secretary-general of a Palestinian faction, Zahira Kamal. Kamal was born in Jerusalem in 1945 and has held several official political positions. She was the first Palestinian Minister of Women's Affairs. The Palestinian Democratic Union also raised women's representation to 40 percent in the general conference, and to 50 percent for the youth conference. » Read more

UN: Israel's demolitions of Palestinian homes hit record high ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 4, 2011 - 12:00am Israel's demolitions of Palestinian homes and buildings reached a record high in March for the third consecutive month, according to figures from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. The UN Relief and Works Agency recorded 76 demolitions of Palestinian buildings in March, forcibly displacing 158 Palestinians including 64 children. So far this year, Israel has demolished the homes of 333 Palestinians, including 175 children, UNRWA reported. Meanwhile, Israel has built a record number of Jewish-only homes on occupied Palestinian land, in contravention of international law. » Read more