Allegiance to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Osman Mirghani - June 17, 2010 - 12:00am


"It would have been hypocritical for me not to speak out about Israeli violations of international law simply because I am Jewish." This is what Judge Richard Goldstone said in self-defense against the violent attack that he faced from South African Jewish leaders and Israel as a result of his report on the Gaza War.


US lawmakers rap Turkey for its stance on Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
June 17, 2010 - 12:00am


U.S. lawmakers warned Turkey on Wednesday that its ties with Washington would suffer if it continued on what they considered an anti-Israel path. "There will be a cost if Turkey stays on its present heading of growing closer to Iran and more antagonistic to the state of Israel," Representative Mike Pence, the No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, said. At a news conference, Republicans and Democrats denounced NATO ally Turkey for supporting an aid convoy of ships that recently tried to run the Israeli blockade of Gaza.


UN: Israel removed some checkpoints
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 17, 2010 - 12:00am


A senior UN official said Israel has dismantled 20 percent of its West Bank checkpoints in the past year, according to the Associated Press. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN humanitarian affairs office in Jerusalem, said Israel has removed 121 checkpoints, easing Palestinian movement between villages and towns, but 505 checkpoints and dozens of road obstacles still hinder travel, AP reported. Israel has said it has removed dozens of roadblocks.


Erekat slams Israeli 'claim' of relaxed Gaza siege
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 17, 2010 - 12:00am


Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erakat called the Israeli cabinet decision to ease Gaza restrictions "not sufficient," in a statement released moments after the decision was announced. "With this decision, Israel attempts to make it appear that it has eased its four-year blockade and its even longer-standing access and movement restrictions imposed on the population of Gaza. In reality, the siege of the Gaza Strip, illegally imposed on Palestinians continues unabated," the statement read.


Presbyterian report condemns Israeli policies in Palestinian territories
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by David Waters - June 17, 2010 - 12:00am


America's largest Presbyterian denomination is preparing for a contentious General Assembly next month as delegates will be asked to consider approving a strongly worded report that calls on the U.S. to stop sending billions of dollars in aid to Israel until it changes its policy toward Palestinians. "Israel has both the responsibility and the ability to reverse the course of the precipitous decline throughout the region," states the 172-page report "Breaking Down Walls," written by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s nine-member Middle East Study Committee.


Israel Easing Gaza Land Blockade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
June 17, 2010 - 12:00am


Israel said on Thursday it was easing a land blockade of the Gaza Strip that drew heightened international criticism after its deadly raid on an aid flotilla bound for the Hamas-run territory. A new Israeli-approved product list included all food items, toys, stationery, kitchen utensils, mattresses and towels, said Raed Fattouh, the Palestinian coordinator of supplies to the enclave.


Rattling the Cage: Dodo birds vs. Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Larry Derfner - (Opinion) June 17, 2010 - 12:00am


There are off-the-record sources saying West Bank leader Mahmoud Abbas told the Americans he wanted Israel’s blockade of Gaza to continue. Abbas denies it, of course, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it were true. After all, if Israel lifts the blockade, Hamas will be able to tell Palestinians: “We chased the Zionists out of Gaza with resistance, with jihad, and look at the West Bank – they’re everywhere, taking our land, standing over us with their guns. The collaborators Abbas and Fayyad have to beg ‘Mr. Bibi’ to lift a few checkpoints, and then they’re expected to say thank you.”


Another sham inquiry
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Michael Jansen - June 17, 2010 - 12:00am


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to appoint an internal commission of inquiry into Israel's commando raid on the Freedom Flotilla that left nine people dead because he is scared stiff of another independent commission of inquiry. Israel is still reeling from the Goldstone report that said it should be investigated for possible war crimes for its 2008-09 onslaught on Gaza.


While No One's Looking, the Palestinians Are Building a State
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Hussein Ibish - June 17, 2010 - 12:00am


In the world of Palestinian politics, the recent weeks have been a study in contrasts. The international media has trained its focus off the shores of Gaza, where the flotilla fiasco has generated dramatic images of dead civilians and battered Israeli soldiers. The politics of this incident reflect the traditional sturm und drang of the Palestinian national movement: full of grand gestures and transformative ambitions that might result in bloodshed and embarrassment for Israel, but make no substantive contribution to Palestinian liberation.


While No One's Looking, the Palestinians Are Building a State
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Hussein Ibish - June 17, 2010 - 12:00am


In the world of Palestinian politics, the recent weeks have been a study in contrasts. The international media has trained its focus off the shores of Gaza, where the flotilla fiasco has generated dramatic images of dead civilians and battered Israeli soldiers. The politics of this incident reflect the traditional sturm und drang of the Palestinian national movement: full of grand gestures and transformative ambitions that might result in bloodshed and embarrassment for Israel, but make no substantive contribution to Palestinian liberation.



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