September 6th

Turkey shouldn't let Israel off the hook ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Linda Heard - (Opinion) September 6, 2011 - 12:00am Ankara should be congratulated on standing up to its former ally Israel over Tel Aviv's refusal to apologize for the killing of nine Turkish activists on a Turkish aid ship attempting to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. Adding salt to the wound is a leaked report from the UN-authorized Palmer Commission into the incident that is heavily weighted in Israel's favor to the point of legalizing its siege of Gaza and confirming Israel's right to challenge ships in international waters to prevent weapons smuggling. » Read more

Palestinian statehood must come about by the democratic will of the people ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Guy Goodwin Gill - (Opinion) September 6, 2011 - 12:00am In August 2011, I drafted an opinion on certain legal questions regarding the issue of "popular representation", so far as they might arise in the context of the push for the state of Palestine to be admitted to membership of the United Nations (to see the updated document click here). The opinion provoked considerable comment, including by those who admitted to not having read it, but the overall result appears to have been a stimulating debate about the link between statehood, UN membership and representation of the people of Palestine. » Read more

Borderline Views: Freedom of expression in danger ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by David Newman - (Opinion) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am I write a column in a newspaper for two purposes. One is to inform, the other is to contribute to the public debate by presenting views which are not always popular to the specific readership, but which are designed to raise questions and debate. I write as an individual and am personally responsible for the views expressed in my columns. » Read more

Encountering Peace: The loss of youth ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am One of the most uplifting characteristics of summer 2011 in Israel was the realization of the leadership of Israel’s youth. Inspiring! There is no better word to describe how uplifting it was to see our young people take to the streets and demonstrate their leadership. Their organization, supported by their command of new technologies and new media and augmented by their energy and optimism, swept across the land, and their enthusiasm captured the very spirit of Israel. » Read more

Robert Gates Says Israel Is an Ungrateful Ally: Jeffrey Goldberg ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Jeffrey Goldberg - (Opinion) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am It was an extraordinary scene: President Barack Obama, sitting impassively in the Oval Office in May as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lectured him, at considerable length and at times condescendingly, on Jewish history, Arab perfidy and the existential challenges facing his country. What was extraordinary wasn’t the message -- it was not an untypical Netanyahu sermon. What was notable was that Netanyahu was lecturing the president live on television, during a photo opportunity staged so that the two leaders could issue platitudes about the enduring bonds between their nations. » Read more

Opinion: Why the United States should vote 'Yes' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Nidal Foqaha - (Opinion) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinians are demanding that the world and the United Nations recognize the State of Palestine within the June 4, 1967 borders. The purpose of the peace process between the Palestinians and Israel - which has been in place for 18 years - was to end the conflict between the two parties and to establish an independent Palestinian state living in peace side by side with Israel, within the borders of 1967. » Read more

Israel Isolates Itself ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Roger Cohen - (Opinion) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am LONDON — Here’s what the United Nations report on Israel’s raid last year on the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara had to say about the killing of a 19-year-old U.S. citizen on board: “At least one of those killed, Furkan Dogan, was shot at extremely close range. Mr. Dogan sustained wounds to the face, back of the skull, back and left leg. That suggests he may already have been lying wounded when the fatal shot was delivered, as suggested by witness accounts to that effect.” » Read more

Israeli Arab couple wins legal battle to build home in northern Jewish town ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jack Khoury - (Analysis) September 6, 2011 - 12:00am An Arab couple will finally be permitted to take possession of a plot of land and build a house in the Jewish community of Rakefet in the Misgav region of the Galilee, the Israel Lands Administration decided last week. The decision came after a long legal battle, still ongoing, against the ILA and the community's Admissions Committee. The couple, Ahmed and Fatina Zabeidat, residents of Sahknin, petitioned the High Court of Justice over their rejection by Rakefet's Admissions Committee five years ago - a story made public in a 2007 Haaretz expose. » Read more

Fischer warns of damage to Israeli-Turkish trade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Lilach Weissman - (Analysis) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am Bank of Israel Governor Prof. Stanley Fischer warned Monday that the deterioration in Israeli-Turkish relations could be harmful to Israel in the future. "Turkey is an important trading partner for Israel, and the consequences of damage to trade with it will be severe for us," Fischer told the regional cooperation conference, chaired by Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom, in Tel Aviv today. » Read more

News Analysis: Would Turkish-Israeli differences serve the Palestinians? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Emad Drimly, Osama Radi - (Analysis) September 6, 2011 - 12:00am GAZA, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian observers and analysts see the current differences between Israel and Turkey an opportunity for the Palestinian people and their just cause due to the significant role of Turkey in the region. However, they disagreed over evaluating the advantages the Palestinians would harvest. One question is that whether Ankara would show clear and practical position, and the other is whether the current crisis between the two countries is just a summer cloud since they are two old allies. » Read more