May 17th

Obama's draft speech to urge '67 borders, negate PA's state bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yitzhak Benhorin - May 17, 2011 - 12:00am US President Barack Obama is set to give his next political speech at 6pm Thursday, just hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves for Washington and according to a draft of the speech, obtained by Yedioth Ahronoth, the American president's Middle East policy, though unwavering, may not be as discordant as some have feared. Obama is expected to urge Israel to return to the 1967 lines while negating the Palestinian Authority's planned unilateral bid for statehood in September. » Read more

Not all Palestinian demands are a threat to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) May 17, 2011 - 12:00am The defense minister was right to say he refuses to get excited over the fact that "a few dozen" Palestinians succeeded in entering Israel from Syria and thereby "violated Israel's sovereignty." Ehud Barak was also right to say that the Israel Defense Forces cannot station thousands of soldiers along the border to prevent such a "violation of sovereignty." » Read more

Israeli army northern command, intelligence trade accusations over border breach ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 17, 2011 - 12:00am In the wake of violent clashes on Israel's northern frontiers on Sunday, in which around 10 Palestinian demonstrators were killed at two locations, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Military Intelligence (MI) division said a warning it issued well ahead of the confrontations was ignored. All eyes were turned to the West Bank early on Sunday, as thousand of Palestinians took to the streets to commemorate Nakba, an annual ritual that marks the "catastrophe" of Israel's creation in 1948. » Read more

Israel's Likud demanding West Bank settlement annexation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 17, 2011 - 12:00am Israel's Likud party on Monday asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex areas of the West Bank containing Israeli settlements, ahead of a possible United Nations General Assembly resolution in September recognizing a Palestinian state. The call comes after Likud Knesset member Danny Danon announced findings of a party-sponsored poll that showed more than half of the respondents supporting annexation of West Bank settlement areas, the Ynet news site reported on Monday. » Read more

Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Syria bury dead ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Albert Aji - May 16, 2011 - 12:00am Tens of thousands of Palestinians in Lebanon and Syria carried coffins through the streets of their refugee camps Monday as they buried those killed when protesters marched on Israel's border. Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of Arab protesters who marched toward Israel's borders with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza on Sunday in an unprecedented wave of demonstrations, killing at least 15 people, including 10 in Lebanon. The Palestinians were marking a Palestinian day of mourning for their displacement in the war that followed Israel's creation in 1948. » Read more

Palestinians test tactic of unarmed mass marches ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Karin Laub - May 16, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian activists are calling it a preview of new tactics to pressure Israel and win world support for statehood: Masses of marchers, galvanized by the Arab Spring and brought together by Facebook, descending on borders and military posts — and daring Israeli soldiers to shoot. It could prove more problematic for Israel than the suicide bombings and other deadly violence of the past — which the current Palestinian Authority leadership feels only tainted their cause. » Read more

Israel's Netanyahu takes aim at Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ian Deitch - May 16, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday took a tough line toward an emerging Palestinian government ahead of a high-profile trip to Washington, saying "those that want to destroy us are not partners in peace." Netanyahu reiterated a willingness to agree to a Palestinian state under certain conditions but made clear he did not believe it was possible if the Islamic militant group Hamas, which is set to join a Palestinian unity government with the Western-leaning Fatah movement, does not recognize Israel. » Read more

Palestinian "Arab Spring" confronts Israel on borders ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Dan Williams - (Analysis) May 16, 2011 - 12:00am Founded as a Jewish homeland and post-Holocaust haven, forged in border wars with Arab forces, Israel now confronts a redefinition of the conflict after Palestinian refugees massed fearlessly on its frontiers. The thousands of protesters who surged from Syria, Lebanon and Gaza on Sunday, flattening some buffer-zone fences and drawing deadly Israeli gunfire, reminded many in the country of the image-corroding consequences of pitting the region's mightiest military against stone-throwing demonstrators. » Read more

Palestinians feel stronger through unity, protests ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Tom Perry - May 16, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinians have declared Sunday's protests on Israel's borders a historic moment in the Middle East conflict, a turning point inspired by Arab revolts that could set the tone for more activism to come. Coming three weeks after rival Palestinian groups agreed to end four years of internal conflict, leading Palestinians say the protests have injected new hope into their national struggle as the U.S.-led peace process has ground to a complete halt. » Read more

Netanyahu: Palestinian unity govt not a peace partner ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Jeffrey Heller - May 16, 2011 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, setting the stage for a high-profile U.S. visit, said on Monday a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas Islamists could not be Israel's peace partner. But in what could be a departure from long-held positions, the right-wing leader appeared to hold out the prospect of future territorial compromise if his peace terms -- which have drawn Palestinian rejection in the past -- are met. » Read more