May 13th

Israel trying to push Palestinians out of Jordan Valley, says report ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Vita Bekker - May 13, 2011 - 12:00am By exploiting the land, water resources and tourist sites of the Jordan Valley and northern Dead Sea areas, Israel is trying to annex the territory, an Israeli human rights group said yesterday. Such exploitation of the strip of land on the eastern part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank helps Israel maintain its authority over the area's borders and prevent them from falling under the control of the Palestinians, according to the group, B'Tselem, and other analysts. » Read more

Close the door on Israel's land grab ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) May 13, 2011 - 12:00am What would you do if your citizenship were rejected once your passport expired? Impossible, you would think - a travel document isn't your only, or even your primary, tie to your land of origin. But that was the fate of 140,000 Palestinians, as the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported this week, when Israel quietly cancelled their West Bank residency status between 1967 and 1994. It was as if residents simply blinked out of existence when their travel documents expired. » Read more

Israel’s Security Elite Joins the Opposition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by J.J. Goldberg - (Opinion) May 11, 2011 - 12:00am It probably won’t surprise you to hear that the leaders of Israel’s security establishment, the people who’ve led the fight against the state’s enemies for decades, are more frightened now than they’ve been in a long time. You might be shocked, though, to hear what’s got them in a panic. It’s not the Iranian nuclear project they’re scared of, nor Hamas, nor the unrest that’s rocking the Arab world. Israel has always faced dangers, and it’s always come out on top. What scares them most is their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. » Read more

CUNY trustee asked to resign over anti-Palestinian comments ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Jordana Horn - May 13, 2011 - 12:00am The trustee who opposed Jewish-American Tony Kushner’s honorary degree on the basis of the playwright’s views on Israel is being called on to resign. Kushner had originally been removed from a list of candidates for honorary degrees from the City University of New York after trustee Jeff Wiesenfeld denounced his past statements about Israel and Palestinians, including a reference to “ethnic cleansing” during the formation of the state. A special meeting of the trustees was held on Monday night, and Kushner was put back on the list to receive a degree. » Read more

The Invisible Return ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Danny Rubenstein - May 13, 2011 - 12:00am THE MAIN ROAD BETWEEN Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and the coastal area is especially crowded on spring days between the festivals of Passover and Shavuot, when tens of thousands – tourists and hikers, Jews, Christians and Muslims – make the traditional pilgrimage to the holy sites in Jerusalem. » Read more

IDF on Lebanon alert for Nakba Day demonstrations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Yaakov Katz - May 13, 2011 - 12:00am IDF troops will be deployed in large numbers throughout the West Bank and along the border with Lebanon on Friday, amid expectations that massive demonstrations will break out on both fronts ahead of Nakba Day (“the day of the catastrophe”). The IDF began reinforcing troops in the West Bank earlier this week, and sources in the Northern Command said on Thursday that there were expectations that Palestinians in Lebanon will also travel to the border to participate in the protests. » Read more

Shin Bet: Egypt doing little to stop Gaza arms smugglers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Hanan Greenberg - May 12, 2011 - 12:00am A Shin Bet document paints a bleak picture of Gaza arms smuggling operations and states that the potential threat they pose to Israel has increased since the Egyptian revolution. According to Shin Bet data, hundreds of rockets capable of hitting targets within a 12-25 mile range, have been smuggled into the Gaza Strip since last year. In addition, some 1,000 mortar shells, dozens of anti-tank missiles and tons of both explosives and explosive-manufacturing materials, have found their way into the hands of Gaza militants in the past year. » Read more

Palestinians: Prepare for 3rd intifada ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - May 13, 2011 - 12:00am Text messages were sent to tens of thousands of cellular subscribers in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, calling them to take part in the events marking the Palestinian day of mourning over Israel's inception and to ignite a third Intifada. Police intelligence suggests that the Palestinians intend on holding several prequel events on Friday and Saturday; and though the police believe chances of events escalating into riots are low, reinforced police and Border Guard forces will deploy in east Jerusalem, the Old City and Temple Mount plaza, to maintain order. » Read more

Flying to his country's defense ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yossi Verter - May 13, 2011 - 12:00am Some 500 journalists have signed up to cover the speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the annual conference of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC in Washington, according to the Prime Minister's Bureau. Netanyahu's remarks to the American Jews, in about 10 days' time, are not expected to generate banner headlines. The real headlines will come from the address he will deliver a day or two later before a joint session of Congress. » Read more

Israel has to choose: Mideast peace or apartheid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Saeb Erakat - (Opinion) May 13, 2011 - 12:00am Having all Palestinian political factions come together for national reconciliation was an emotional experience for all Palestinians who witnessed the events taking place in Cairo. The Arab Spring has finally reached Palestine. The left, the religious right, and the nationalist camp ? across the Palestinian political spectrum ? with the support of the new Egyptian government, reached an agreement to establish a technocratic administration in order to hold elections within one year and rebuild the Gaza Strip. This is a critical step in our path toward freedom and independence. » Read more