May 11th

'Ruling others erodes our global status' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post May 10, 2010 - 12:00am Israel’s continued control over the Palestinians is eroding Israel’s global standing, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday. “We won’t give up anything connected to security, but it’s important to say that continuing to control another nation is very problematic,” he said at the Labor faction meeting. “We can reach an agreement to end this without sacrificing our security. “ Saying that ruling over the Palestinians “causes our erosion internationally,” Barak called for Israel to present a peace plan “on all diplomatic issues.” » Read more

NGO petitions against reopening Highway 443 to Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Dan Izenberg - May 11, 2010 - 12:00am The Shurat Hadin Israel Law Center organization on Monday petitioned the High Court of Justice on behalf of more than 1,000 Israelis who drive on Highway 443, asking it to reject as insufficient to ensure safety the security measures the IDF intends to apply when the road is reopened to Palestinian traffic on May 29. Until such time as effective measures are in place, Palestinians should continue to be prohibited from driving on the road, Shurat Hadin attorney Nitzana Darshan-Leitner wrote. » Read more

Hundreds protest arrest of alleged Arab spies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Sharon Roffe-ofir - May 10, 2010 - 12:00am Some 300 people rallied in Haifa Monday evening in protest of the arrest of well-known Arab figures Omar Said and Ameer Makhoul on suspicion of contacting a Hezbollah agent. Several Arab Knesset members attended the rally as well, including Balad Chairman Jamal Zahalka, Hadash Chairman Mohammad Barakeh and MK Talab El-Sana (United Arab List-Ta'al). "We won't let (Israel) turn our political activities into security offenses," said Zahalka. » Read more

UN report says human security absent in Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 11, 2010 - 12:00am Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - The widespread absence of human security in the occupied Palestinian territory has impeded progress for Palestinians, the latest UN Human Development Report found. » Read more

Israel's security measures? Don't make me laugh ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Opinion) May 9, 2010 - 12:00am Who says Jewish humor has disappeared from Israel? Who says that even the state's shadowiest organizations don't enjoy occasional moments of levity, in between carrying out assassinations and foiling conspiracies? Israel's ongoing fascistization, isolation, nationalism and militarism don't make for much comic relief. So listen to what Barak Ravid reported in Haaretz on Thursday. » Read more

Israel to demolish West Bank construction freeze violations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - May 11, 2010 - 12:00am The Civil Administration is planning to raze buildings in 46 locations in the northern West Bank where violations of the freeze on settlement construction were found to have occurred. According to a document obtained by Haaretz, the plan includes razing six foundations for buildings in the settlement of Yitzhar. A law enforcement source told Haaretz that efforts to raze structures erected in violation of the freeze will be expedited in the near future, due to Israel's desire to show that it is serious about the freeze now that proximity talks with the Palestinians are beginning. » Read more

Special Place in Hell / If the secret police ran a Jewish state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - (Opinion) May 10, 2010 - 12:00am If a Jewish state were run by the secret police, Israelis could disappear without a trace. No contact with lawyers. Court-ordered muzzles on broadcast and print news media. If a Jewish state were run by the secret police, there were be gag orders forbidding journalists to write even of the existence of the gag orders. Thank God such a thing couldn't happen here. » Read more

Israeli Settlers Step Up Attacks on Palestinian Mosques ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Mel Frykberg - May 11, 2010 - 12:00am "Despite living under a brutal military occupation and being subjected to regular attacks by Israeli settlers for decades, normally places of worship were spared," Hussein, a spokesman from this Palestinian village, near Nablus, in the northern West Bank, told IPS. "People could forget about the economic hardship, the political oppression and their personal problems for a few hours a week as they retreated to pray in the mosque." All this changed dramatically for the agricultural village of 3,000 residents a few weeks ago. » Read more

Fire at Israeli warehouse causes heavy losses to Gaza traders, importers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Emad Drimly - May 11, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian traders and importers said Monday they suffered heavy losses due to a massive fire that broke out several days ago in a warehouse in southern Israel, where their goods, supposed to be sent to the Gaza Strip soon, are stored. Gaza traders and merchants told Xinhua that the massive fire destroyed the entire warehouse in the area of Moshav Shuva in Negev in southern Israel, adding "the losses were estimated with a value of seven million U.S. dollars." » Read more

2 Israeli Arabs suspected of spying for Hezbollah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Ian Deitch - May 10, 2010 - 12:00am Israel has arrested two Israeli Arabs suspected of spying for Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, police and security services said Monday, partially lifting a gag order on the case. Websites flouted the gag order and made the arrest of political activist Amir Makhoul into a rallying cry for critics of Israel's treatment of its Arab minority. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the gag order was imposed to avoid harming the investigation. » Read more