Egyptian protesters mark Nakba outside Israeli Embassy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Masry Al-Youm by Ali Abdel Mohsen - May 15, 2011 - 12:00am Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters gathered at the Israeli Embassy early on Sunday to mark the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel, commonly known across the Arab world as the “Nakba”, or catastrophe. Among other demands, the protesters called for the “right of return” for Palestinians forced to flee after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The protesters displayed Palestinian flags of varying sizes, some of them hung from nearby lamp posts. They simultaneously called for the removal of the Israeli flag from the embassy. » Read more

George Mitchell resigns as U.S. Middle East envoy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Yahoo News by Laura Rozen - May 13, 2011 - 12:00am George Mitchell, Obama's special envoy for Middle East peace, will step down after a frustrating two and a half years seeking to jump-start the stalemated Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warmly thanked Mitchell, 77, the former Senate majority leader from Maine and North Ireland peace negotiator, for his service, in statements sent out by the White House Friday. Mitchell, in a brief resignation letter to the president, said he'd agreed to serve two years, and had now served longer than that. » Read more

Changing realities in the Mideast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Khaleej Times by Naava Mashiah, Ghanem Nuseibeh - (Opinion) May 14, 2011 - 12:00am The uprisings in the Middle East are plunging the region into uncharted territory. But, as international and other regional powers scramble to adjust to the changing realities, they are also an opportunity for Israel and Arab countries to forge mutually beneficial economic ties and to coalesce around common regional interests. » Read more

Palestinian refugees call for third intifada during deadly clashes at Israel-Lebanon border ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Nicholas Blanford - May 15, 2011 - 12:00am At least six people were killed and scores wounded Sunday when Israeli troops opened fire on a massive crowd of Palestinian refugees who gathered on Lebanon’s southern border with Israel to demand a return to the homes they were forced to leave 63 years ago. Another four Palestinians were reportedly killed when they infiltrated the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria during another demonstration to mark the anniversary of the "nakba," or "catastrophe," as many Palestinians call the day Israel was founded in 1948. » Read more

Palestinian president calls for 3 days of mourning for 15 dead in marches on Israeli borders ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press May 16, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday declared three days of mourning for 15 people killed in mass marches toward multiple Israeli borders that marked a stunning new tactic in the struggle for Palestinian statehood. Sunday’s marches, on the date Palestinians mourn their uprooting as a result of Israel’s 1948 creation, illustrated Arab dissatisfaction with the deadlocked efforts to establish a Palestinian state. The unprecedented tactic also reflected an Arab world emboldened by the anti-government protests sweeping the Middle East this year. » Read more

Syrian Border Violence May Hold Message for Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Anthony Shadid - May 15, 2011 - 12:00am For 37 years the border between Israel and Syria, still technically at war, has proven as quiet as any of the Arab-Israeli frontiers silenced by peace agreements. On Sunday, it was not, and the tumult on the Golan Heights could augur a new phase of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and the web of international relations he is navigating. » Read more

Israeli Troops Fire as Marchers Breach Borders ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - May 15, 2011 - 12:00am Israel’s borders erupted in deadly clashes on Sunday as thousands of Palestinians — marching from Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank — confronted Israeli troops to mark the anniversary of Israel’s creation. More than a dozen people were reported killed and scores injured. » Read more