June 1st

Abbas vows to crack down on Hamas violence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - May 31, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said following clashes between Fatah and Hamas in the West Bank Sunday that the Palestinian Authority would "strike with an iron fist" against anyone attempting to harm Palestinian interests. A Palestinian Authority (PA) official said that Sunday's fierce clashes in Qalqilya, which left six people dead, were part of the Authority's efforts to curb Hamas' increased activity in the West Bank, which includes resuming the activity of its military cells and obtaining arms and explosives. » Read more

Halutz: Conflict with US must be avoided ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Daniel Edelson - May 31, 2009 - 12:00am Former IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. (res) Dan Halutz, warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against engaging in a diplomatic conflict with the United States. He also reminded Netanyahu that despite criticisms regarding the Second Lebanon War, Hizbullah has not attacked Israel since it ended. » Read more

What will happen if Israel 'defeats' Obama? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Editorial) June 1, 2009 - 12:00am You had to read it twice to believe it: "Criticism of the United States in Jerusalem." A senior Israeli official warns: "We are disappointed." The fly hovering about is complaining that the elephant is not obeying its orders. What chutzpah on the part of Barack Obama. He just entered the White House and already has something to say - about how many new houses we are building in Ofra, and about when we will dismantle the walls in the "illegal outposts," which are already beginning to disintegrate because of old age. » Read more

Anti-Hamas crackdown sign of renewed PA confidence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - June 1, 2009 - 12:00am The Hamas leader who was killed in a shootout with Palestinian policemen in Qalqilyah on Sunday had been on the Shin Bet security service's most wanted list for a long time. His terror network is believed to be responsible for the failed attempt to detonate an explosives-laden truck in the Dan region two years ago. It was the Palestinian Authority that finished the job - dealing Hamas in the West Bank a second blow, after last week's killing of another Hamas leader by an Israeli SWAT team near Hebron. » Read more

Egypt rejects U.S. plan for Arab-Israel normalization ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zvi Barel - June 1, 2009 - 12:00am Egypt has rejected an American proposal for gradual normalization between the Arab world and Israel that would have allowed Israeli planes to fly freely through Arab air space. The idea arose during discussions in Washington last week between Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and senior White House and State Department officials, including National Security Advisor James Jones and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. » Read more

Goldstone's UN inquiry team arrives in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News June 1, 2009 - 12:00am A UN team investigating possible war crimes in Gaza, led by Richard Goldstone, has arrived in the Strip on a week-long fact finding mission. The four-member team entered from Egypt after Israel failed to grant visas, despite repeated requests by the UN. The UN wants to investigate whether Israel and Hamas committed war crimes during Israel's three-week operation in Gaza in December and January. Israel accuses the UN branch carrying out the mission of bias against it. » Read more

Jewish settler attack injures Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News June 1, 2009 - 12:00am Several Palestinian workers have been hurt in an attack by a group of Jewish settlers in the northern West Bank. One worker suffered serious head injuries, as dozens of masked settlers threw rocks at their vehicles. Police say no arrests have been made following the attack near the Palestinian city of Nablus, which is circled by Israeli settlements. Friction and violence is common between Jewish settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank, captured by Israel in 1967. » Read more

West Bank fight a grim reminder ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) June 1, 2009 - 12:00am The six people who have been killed in a firefight between Hamas fighters and Palestinian policemen is not only the worst clash in the West Bank since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip two years ago. The deaths also served as a grim reminder that it is not just Benjamin Netanyahu who stands in the way of peace. The Palestinians themselves are doing a fairly decent job of hampering their own aspirations. » Read more

The Middle East peace process may be on the line ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Mkhaimar Abusada - (Opinion) June 1, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House, the first such visit since US President Barack Obama came to power, revealed major differences between the two leaders. Most importantly, Netanyahu could not say the magic words, "two states for two peoples." He did concede that both Palestinians and Israelis will have to live and coexist side-by-side, and that he supported self-rule for Palestinians. But he made no mention of a state and thus failed to endorse the cornerstone of Washington's Middle East policy, underscoring a rare rift in United States-Israel relations. » Read more

A Historic Opportunity for Obama ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Raghida Dergham - May 29, 2009 - 12:00am When US President Barack Obama gives his awaited speech in Egypt next Thursday on June 4, it will be in his interest to have thoroughly examined the speech given by his predecessor, George W. Bush, on April 4, 2002, which was the most powerful speech given by a US President concerning the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel. » Read more