June 21st

The morning after the UN vote ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) June 21, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian strategy to attain statehood is making significant progress in certain international political circles, but still lacks the necessary coordination and cohesion to bear the desired results. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad have succeeded in unleashing the usual anti-Palestinian arsenal that Israeli hasbara has been using on Palestinian aspirations. » Read more

Obama warns of new US tactical spats with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 21, 2011 - 12:00am US President Barack Obama warned that new "tactical" disagreements loomed between Israel and Washington, but vowed to leverage his administration's "creative powers" in the cause of peace. Obama, who has had a difficult relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke at length on the stalled peace process at a fundraiser for his 2012 re-election campaign with the Democratic friends of Israel group. » Read more

The IDF is leading Israel to destruction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Sefi Rachlevsky - (Opinion) June 21, 2011 - 12:00am Imagine if hundreds of 18-year-olds were to inform the government and the chief of staff this summer that they will not enlist in the Israel Defense Forces. » Read more

June 20th

The PA's historic mistake, and opportunity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Jeff Halper - (Opinion) June 20, 2011 - 12:00am No one knows the precise plans of the Palestinian Authority vis-a-vis September: Will Mahmoud Abbas declare a Palestinian state within recognized borders and ask that it be admitted as a full member of the UN – or not? Perhaps Abbas himself does not know. » Read more

Palestinian economic boom unsustainable without overseas donations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - June 20, 2011 - 12:00am How nice it would be if statistics and events on the ground would line up in a logical, orderly manner, without any inconsistencies. How easy it would be to report then. » Read more

For Gaza, but not against Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Chicago Sun-Times by Esther Cepeda - (Opinion) June 20, 2011 - 12:00am In a few days, slightly more than a year since a flotilla of ships attempted to breech Israel’s naval blockade to call attention to the plight of the 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, 50 passengers, including three from the Chicago area, will sail to the Gaza Strip on a boat named “The Audacity of Hope.” As part of the second international “freedom flotilla,” they’ll attempt the same feat to deliver humanitarian aid in the form of letters of support and friendship. » Read more

Peres: Need to strike peace with PA 'urgent' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews June 19, 2011 - 12:00am President Shimon Peres said Sunday that there was an "urgent" need to reignite the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and an even more urgent need to finalize a peace deal – as both sides were "running out of time." "It is very urgent," Peres said in an interview with CNN. "I think neither side has much time. We have to act dynamically." » Read more

Israeli arms industry a major economic engine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Adam Gonn - June 20, 2011 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Israeli defense sales in 2010 totaled 7.2 billion U.S. dollars, making the small nation the world's fourth largest exporter. Defense officials released the figure in an official report ahead of the Paris Air Show, which is scheduled to open on June 26. A bevy of Israeli firms hope to garner even more sales at the show, after a string of recent successes. Most of the sales are from four leading companies: Elbit Systems, Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael, and Israel Military Industries, a Defense Ministry statement said. » Read more

Mofaz: Israel must prevent UN Palestinian state bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Lahav Harkov - June 20, 2011 - 12:00am Foreign Affairs, Defense C'tee chair says Israel must look like a leader, act wisely with a plan to prevent unilaterally declared Palestine. Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chair MK Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) warned on Monday that Israel must initiate a plan to combat a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood in the UN this September. "This is a historically significant time, and we must act wisely and responsibly," Mofaz said. "Israel has to look like a leader, like a country that takes initiative and has what to offer." » Read more

Why is Obama so tough on Israel and timid on Syria? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jackson Diehl - (Opinion) June 19, 2011 - 12:00am One of the hallmarks of the Arab Spring has been the emergence of a new and more modest American foreign policy. The Obama administration has insisted on not taking the lead in promoting democratic change; it has declined to act unless not just the French and British but the Arab League go first. It still can’t bring itself to say that Bashar al-Assad, a dictator and implacable U.S. enemy who is using tanks and helicopter gunships to slaughter his people, is not qualified to lead Syria to democracy. » Read more