April 27th

Nablus governor: Don't be deterred by shooting ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - April 26, 2011 - 12:00am The West Bank city of Nablus was quick to resume normalcy following Sunday's tragic shooting, which left one Israeli dead and five others injured. Nablus Governor Jibrin al-Bakri insisted Tuesday that the incident could have been avoided if the worshipers had simply coordinated their arrival with the proper authorities. Al-Bakri told Ynet that Joseph's Tomb has seen several dozen Israeli visitors since the shooting, who followed proper security protocol: "We welcome visits by people of all religions in Nablus, including Jews, of course, but we want them to coordinate their visit." » Read more

'Egypt-Israel gas pipeline attacked by armed gang' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post April 27, 2011 - 12:00am Saboteurs on Wednesday blew up a pipeline running through Egypt's North Sinai near the town of El-Arish that supplies gas to Israel and Jordan, a security source told Reuters. "An unknown armed gang attacked the gas pipeline," the security source said, adding that the flow of gas to Israel and Jordan had been hit. "Authorities closed the main source of gas supplying the pipeline and are working to extinguish the fire," the source said, adding there was a tower of flame at the scene. » Read more

‘We'll continue to enter Joseph’s Tomb with vigor' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Jonah Mandel - April 27, 2011 - 12:00am The head of the group behind the clandestine forays into Nablus to access Joseph’s Tomb stressed on Tuesday that such nocturnal expeditions would continue “with greater vigor and might,” just two days after Ben-Yosef Livnat was killed at the site by PA policemen. Benny Machlev, director-general of the Yesod Olam Society, explained why some – primarily Breslav Hassidim like himself – put themselves at risk to be physically present, even if for short periods of time, at sites believed to be the burial sites of important Jewish figures. » Read more

'Annexation for declaration' idea advancing in Knesset ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gil Hoffman - April 26, 2011 - 12:00am Ideas about annexing parts of the West Bank that until recently were considered extreme have been gaining traction in the Knesset in recent weeks as the Palestinian Authority continues threatening to declare a state unilaterally in September. National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau raised the idea at Israel Beiteinu’s convention in Jerusalem two weeks ago and then spoke about it at length in an interview with The Jerusalem Post’s web site last week. » Read more

In the Eye of Jerusalem’s Archaeological Storm ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Israel Finkelstein - (Opinion) April 27, 2011 - 12:00am Archaeological activity in Jerusalem has been sucked into a whirlwind of conflicting political agendas, and the site commonly referred to as “the City of David” is in the eye of the storm. At issue is a place of seminal importance for the Jewish people and indeed for anyone who cherishes the heritage of Western civilization. When dealing with archaeology in Jerusalem, one must first know the facts. Otherwise it is easy to be led astray by unfounded historical interpretations or to succumb to misinformation from those pursuing their own political agendas. » Read more

Outdoing Israel in brutality ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Faisal Al Qasim - (Opinion) April 27, 2011 - 12:00am The Arab media has, for over half a century or so, strongly condemned Zionist crimes against the Palestinians and other Arab peoples. It has in actual fact provided a hell of a lot of satire on Zionist brutality, which is fair enough. But is the Arab media still able to satirise Israeli barbarism with the same vigour after it has witnessed what Arab dictators have done to their own people? Isn't it a bit silly to bombard the Israelis with criticism and keep quiet about savagery against unarmed demonstrators? » Read more

The two things we know about a Middle East in flux, and what they mean for Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by David Rothkopf - (Blog) April 26, 2011 - 12:00am A Pew Poll released this week shows that more than half of all Egyptians would like to see the peace treaty with Israel annulled. Almost two-thirds indicated that they thought that the country's laws should be based on the Koran and about half felt it was "very important" that religious parties be part of the next government. It is further evidence that Egypt's push for democracy has been fueled as much by its decades-long conservative shift as it has been by its decades long exploitation by the Mubarak regime. » Read more

April 26th

Turkey warns Israel against repeating 'flotilla mistake' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews April 26, 2011 - 12:00am Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Israel against repeating "the same mistake" ahead of the Gaza-bound flotilla scheduled to set sail next month. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Davutoglu added that "It is Israel's responsibility not to implement (a blockade) against Gaza. A fact-finding mission of the UN declared that this … is illegal." The Turkish foreign minister further added: ''In the flotilla last year, people were killed 72 miles (116 kilometres) from the coast, so this was in international waters. The Mediterranean does not belong to any nation.'' » Read more

Obama urges Erdogan to improve relations with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews April 26, 2011 - 12:00am US President Barack Obama spoke to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday and expressed his hope that Turkey and Israel will find opportunities to improve their relations in the interest of regional stability. The White House issued a statement saying the two leaders discussed recent developments in the Middle East. According to the statement Obama and Erdogan expressed their deep concern about the Syrian government’s unacceptable use of violence against its own people. » Read more

Trouble brewing between Palestinians and Israelis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - April 26, 2011 - 12:00am As late as 5 A.M. Sunday, a Givati Brigade battalion still had guards stationed at the entrance to Nablus to keep Jews seeking to pray at Joseph's Tomb from approaching the area without making arrangements first. About half an hour after the forces left, a group of Hasidim broke into the city, which led to the incident that ended in the killing of Ben-Yosef Livnat by a Palestinian policeman. » Read more