May 28th

Defying Blockade, Cargo and Passenger Vessels Head for Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - May 27, 2010 - 12:00am Israel braced Friday for a showdown with a flotilla of nine vessels carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists and thousands of tons of supplies headed for Gaza. It was the most ambitious attempt so far to break Israel’s maritime blockade of the Hamas-run coastal enclave. The flotilla of cargo ships and passenger boats, led by the Free Gaza Movement and a Turkish organization, Insani Yardim Vakfi, converged at sea from a number of countries over the last 10 days. » Read more

A way forward for Netanyahu and Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Globe and Mail by Aluf Benn - (Opinion) May 28, 2010 - 12:00am After much effort, U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration has succeeded in resuming the Israeli-Palestinian peace process through “proximity talks.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is visiting Canada this weekend, and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meet separately with U.S. envoy George Mitchell to discuss the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. » Read more

Palestinian fund to help workers quitting jobs at Jewish settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 28, 2010 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian government will soon launch a fund of 50 million U.S. dollars with the aim of supporting Palestinian workers who intend to leave their jobs at Israeli settlements, labor minister at the Ramallah-based government said Thursday. "The government has adopted this choice since it has made its decision to boycott the Israeli settlements," Ahmed Majdalani told Xinhua. » Read more

Fayyad hands out settlement boycott leaflets ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Ali Waked - May 28, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinians will continue to adhere to the anti-settlement boycott until their homes "will be empty of settlement goods," Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Thursday. The PM passed out leaflets on Thursday urging consumers to boycott products made by Jewish settlements in the West Bank. He handed out leaflets bearing the names and pictures of 500 items on the black list of his Palestinian Authority, from peanuts to door frames. » Read more

May 27th

Israel indicts 2 Arab citizens in aiding Hezbollah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Ben Hubbard - May 27, 2010 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel indicted two prominent activists from its Arab minority on Thursday for allegedly spying for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, deepening a case that has raised tensions with the country's Arab minority. Both men denied the charges, the latest in a series of cases in which the government has accused Arab citizens of aiding Israel's staunchest enemies. Israel's Shin Bet security service said Arab activist Amir Makhoul confessed to meeting with a Hezbollah agent in Denmark in 2008 and agreed to collect information for the Lebanese militia. » Read more

Activists say bound for Gaza despite Israel warning ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Michele Kambas - May 27, 2010 - 12:00am Pro-Palestinian activists vowed to press ahead and break an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip on Thursday by sending in a convoy of relief aid ships despite Israeli warnings it will be stopped. Eight ships, including four cargo vessels, were heading towards Gaza in defiance of a three-year Israeli closure on the sliver of desert territory, home to 1.5 million Palestinians. "We are planning on going. This is not going to stop us. The boats are already on their way," said Greta Berlin, a spokeswoman for the Free Gaza Movement. » Read more

Jihadists challenge Hamas western approach ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Nidal Al-Mughrabi - May 27, 2010 - 12:00am Bandleader Jamal Al-Bayouk said he and his musicians would not risk performing in the southern Gaza Strip any more after militant Islamists threatened to kill them at a wedding party. They had just finished performing east of Khan Younis when armed militants burst in, set fire to $40,000 worth of instruments and fired shots between the legs of band members. "One gunman told another: Don't shoot between the legs. Shoot at the legs!" Bayouk told Reuters. » Read more

Amnesty: U.S., Europe shielding Israel over Gaza war crimes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz May 27, 2010 - 12:00am Amnesty International complained in its annual report released Thursday that the U.S. and members of the European Union had obstructed international justice by using their positions on the UN Security Council to shield Israel from accountability for war crimes allegedly committed during last year's Gaza war. The rights group also accused Israel of continually violating human rights in the Gaza Strip. It cited Israel's ongoing economic blockade as violating international law, leaving Gaza residents without adequate food or water supplies » Read more

Far-rightists greet Rahm Emanuel in Jerusalem with cries of 'anti-Semite' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yair Ettinger - May 27, 2010 - 12:00am White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and his family toured the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday for a celebratory tour to mark his son's bar mitzvah. The family, surrounded by heavy security, was met during the visit by a crowd of angry far-rightists who accused him of being an "anti-Semite" and "hating Israel". Police forces were on hand to dispel the demonstrators and to arrest their leaders, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Maezel. » Read more

Construction materials continue to enter Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 27, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli crossings officials allowed the entry of limited construction materials into Gaza for the fourth day on Thursday, a Palestinian liaison officer said, noting the goods were for UNRWA re-building projects. The official, Raed Fattouh, said between 100 to 110 truckloads of aid would enter Gaza through the southernmost Kerem Shalom crossing, noting three of the trucks were loaded with 120 tons of cement, and one truck with iron rebar. » Read more