August 11th

UN panel on Gaza flotilla incident begins work ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Patrick Worsnip - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am The United Nations sought to head off any potential clash with Israel over a U.N. inquiry into a deadly Israeli assault on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, as a panel began work on the task on Tuesday. A U.N. statement on an inaugural meeting between the four-man team and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed that the inquiry was "not designed to determine individual criminal responsibility." Instead it would "examine and identify the facts, circumstances and the context of the incident." » Read more

UNRWA calls Israeli TV portrayal of Palestinian refugees a 'stack of lies' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gili Izikovich - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am The United Nations' relief agency for Palestinian refugees, lashed out Tuesday at the Israel Broadcasting Authority for airing what it called a a dishonest portrayal of the organization on Saturday in "Ro'im Olam" on Channel 1 television. The news magazine's anchor and the journalist behind the segment have fired back. » Read more

As UN Gaza flotilla inquiry opens, a chance for improved Turkey-Israel relations? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Christa Case Bryant - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am The UN investigation into Israel's Gaza flotilla raid that left 8 Turks and one Turkish-American dead opens today with Turkey insisting that Israel bears full responsibility for the deaths and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak saying a Turkish aid group's attempt to breach the economic blockade of Gaza was a "deliberate provocation." The UN investigation will start with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon meeting with the four-member panel, which includes both an Israeli and a Turkish representative. The panel will investigate the fatal Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid boat. » Read more

'Barak wanted to avenge border incident, attack Lebanon' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roee Nahmias - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am France dissuaded Israel from opening a large-scale military operation against Lebanon in response to the border incident which killed Ltc. Dov Harari, the London-based al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Wednesday. French sources told the paper that Defense Minister Ehud Barak had informed French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner that "Israel intends on opening a large-scale military operation to educate the Lebanese Army and avenge the death of the senior Israeli officer." » Read more

Is Hezbollah right that Israel assassinated Lebanon's Rafik Hariri? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Nicholas Blanford - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am On Monday night, the leader of Hezbollah showed intercepted Israeli reconnaissance footage and confessions of Israeli spies to back his accusation that Israel was responsible for the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri – an explosive murder under investigation by an international tribunal. » Read more

A soldier's word ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am Children in the West Bank throw stones at army vehicles and Israeli cars, mainly those belonging to settlers. That is the undeniable truth. Throwing stones is the classic way of telling the occupier, who is armed from head to toe, that he has forced himself on the occupied. Sometimes it's part of a sweeping resistance movement, sometimes it's a ceremonial remnant of such a movement, not devoid of braggadocio and adolescent boredom, while also a reminder to adults not to adapt. » Read more

Israel's Gaza blockade: Millions of dollars worth of aid piles up in warehouses ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Anne Usher - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am In a half-dozen warehouses in this southern Israeli port, refrigerators and roofing materials for Israeli homes share space with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of PVC pipes, generators, and other equipment intended for 37 wells and water treatment facilities in the Gaza Strip. Stacked in other warehouses close to the Gaza border are steel pipes and cement for building the facilities’ foundations – part of $85 million set aside for water projects by UNICEF and other international donors. » Read more

US: Direct talks ‘getting closer’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and US envoy George Mitchell on Tuesday failed to reach agreement on the issue of direct talks between the PA and Israel. The two men met in Ramallah to discuss the latest developments surrounding the peace process and US efforts to launch direct talks between the two parties. » Read more

Bibi’s catastrophic testimony ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Nahum Barnea - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am For weeks, Benjamin Netanyahu prepared for his appearance before the Turkel Committee. First, he hired the services of Dori Klagsblad, a top-notch lawyer considered the greatest expert on overcoming commissions of inquiry. The attorney briefed the prime minister, prepared a list of possible questions, and drafted answered memorized by the PM. » Read more

US officials optimistic about direct talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am The White House's Mideast envoy failed Tuesday to secure Palestinian agreement to go to direct talks with Israel, but U.S. and Palestinian officials said a possible solution to the standoff is emerging. The U.S. has been calling for a speedy resumption of face-to-face negotiations, with officials citing Sept. 1 as a target date. » Read more