Tel Aviv faces a formidable Middle East coalition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Patrick Seale - (Opinion) June 11, 2010 - 12:00am A formidable coalition against Israel is taking shape in the Greater Middle East. At its core are Turkey, Iran and Syria, three countries harbouring bitter grievances against the Jewish state. They are determined to hold in check Israel's military power and force it to change course. » Read more

The Hidden Victim of Israeli Piracy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Osman Mirghani - (Opinion) June 11, 2010 - 12:00am In addition to the nine victims who were killed by Israeli bullets in the attack on the Freedom Flotilla there was also a tenth victim who was buried in silence. The attack on the Turkish ship took place four days before the first anniversary of President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo in which he defined the necessary fundamentals for a new beginning between the US and Muslims around the world. » Read more

Abbas: Quran Recognizes Jewish Ties to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - June 11, 2010 - 12:00am The Quran itself, Islam’s holy book, recognizes the Jews’ historic ties to the land of Israel, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told a group of American Jewish leaders at a June 10 meeting in Washington. “He made clear that the Jews have a historic connection to the land and said the Quran is full of references to that,” said David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who attended the event. “I think it was important because people don’t hear these kinds of statements from an Arab leader every day.” » Read more

Israel plans to send bill to Palestinians over boycotts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Catrina Stewart - June 11, 2010 - 12:00am What do The Pixies, Elvis Costello, and Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, have in common? A cursory glance might suggest not much yet all have deeply irked Israel. When Mr Fayyad first embarked on a door-to-door campaign to persuade Palestinians to shun all products made by Jewish settlers, the Israeli public simply shrugged. But when veteran crooner Costello peered into his conscience and pulled a scheduled appearance in Tel Aviv, Israelis sat up and took notice. » Read more

The EU must show real courage on the Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Chris Patten - (Opinion) June 11, 2010 - 12:00am Today's miserable standoff in the Middle East requires new initiatives. The short-term failure of Israeli policies has concentrated global attention on their blockade of Gaza rather than on Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons. The long-term failure has rendered increasingly difficult a two-state solution as Palestine is broken up into barriered Bantustans. » Read more

Remaining impartial in the Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Tim Franks - (Opinion) June 11, 2010 - 12:00am First an admission: I am a Jew, and a journalist. And now an apology: I hate the solipsistic writing I am about to be guilty of, where the journalist puts himself at the centre of the story. But let me try to explain. The reason for the admission is that my dual identity - Jew and journalist - has not just been a matter for me these past three-and-a- half years. From the start, it was of apparently burning import for a good number of friends, acquaintances and people whom I had never met. » Read more

A shared strategy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Ephraim Sneh - (Opinion) June 11, 2010 - 12:00am The cumulative evidence – the Mavi Marmara’s own closed circuit TV coverage and video photos from the actual naval operation – all strengthen the conclusion that the Gaza flotilla was a well-planned provocation. What angers me as an Israeli is that the government walked right into this trap. » Read more

'Nobody denies Jewish history here' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Hilary Leila Krieger - June 11, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas laid out new requirements for moving to direct talks with Israel Thursday, dropping earlier calls for a settlement freeze in favor of progress on borders and security. Specifically, he said he was looking for agreement from the Netanyahu government that the basis for borders would be the 1967 lines with agreed land swaps, an arrangement he said was in place during his direct talks with the previous prime minister, Ehud Olmert. » Read more

Israel, Egypt, PA and Quartet discuss alternatives to Gaza blockade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - June 11, 2010 - 12:00am Israel, Egypt, the international Quartet of Mideast mediators and the Palestinian Authority have held talks in recent days to try to open further crossings into the Gaza Strip. This regime would supplant the current blockade enforced by Israel and Egypt. Israeli security forces say that the new agreement would have to include the partial opening of at least one more cargo crossing. For the first time in two years, stationing PA policemen at the crossing is being seriously considered. » Read more

Gaza flotilla captain: Activists prepared attack against IDF raid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz June 11, 2010 - 12:00am The captain and first mate of the Mavi Marmara, the ship which led the Gaza flotilla raided by Israel Defense Forces special forces last week, had attempted to prevent premeditated violent clashes between activists and the Israeli military, evidence released Friday showed. Late last month, Israeli commandos rappelled onto the deck of one of the ships trying to break Israel's three-year-old blockade of Gaza. The soldiers were intercepted by a crowd of activists, setting off a clash that killed nine men - eight Turks and a Turkish American. » Read more