June 17th

‘Declaration of war’? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) June 17, 2011 - 12:00am Saudi Arabia has apparently dropped the gauntlet in its loud tiff with the Obama administration’s “misguided policies” towards the Middle East, and particularly its stance on the Palestinian debacle, now in its 64th year, whereby Barack Obama recently reiterated the “unshakeable” US support for Israel. » Read more

Peres warns: Israel in danger of ceasing to exist as Jewish state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yossi Verter - June 17, 2011 - 12:00am President Shimon Peres is concerned that Israel might become a binational state, in which case, he warned, it would cease to exist as a Jewish state. "I'm concerned about the continued freeze [in the peace talks]," Peres said to people who visited him this week. "I'm concerned that Israel will become a binational state. What is happening now is total foot-dragging. We're about to crash into the wall. We're galloping at full speed toward a situation where Israel will cease to exist as a Jewish state." » Read more

The Steve Simon call ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - (Blog) June 16, 2011 - 12:00am The Washington Post's left and right columnists are having a grand old time mixing it up over a call that Steve Simon, the White House go-to guy on Israel, had last Friday with the Jewish leadership. I heard the call. To put it gently, Greg Sargent, the Plum Line, or "left" columnist, has it right. And I don't know where Jennifer Rubin, the "Right Turn" columnist, is getting her info. The short story I put out Friday did not quote Simon at length, but I did not expect his remarks would be misreported. » Read more

U.S. Pushes New Effort on Peace in Mideast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal by Jay Solomon - June 17, 2011 - 12:00am WASHINGTON—The Obama administration and European governments are stepping up efforts to revive Arab-Israeli peace talks, saying they have little time to head off a Palestinian drive to seek United Nations recognition as a state. The White House this week dispatched its top Middle East negotiators, Dennis Ross and David Hale, to the region to try to gain Israeli and Palestinian agreement to resume negotiations based on parameters President Barack Obama laid out last month, according to U.S. and Israeli officials. » Read more

Cabinet expected to curtail Barak's power to veto West Bank settlement construction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - June 17, 2011 - 12:00am The cabinet is expected to vote on Sunday to curtail Defense Minister Ehud Barak's authority to supervise construction in West Bank settlements. The proposal would revoke Barak's right to veto West Bank construction by the World Zionist Organization's Settlement Division. The division budgets NIS 25 million a year for this purpose. The Settlement Division was set up in 1967 after Israel conquered the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula. For years, it was tasked with building settlements in the West Bank and did not deal with the Negev or Galilee at all. » Read more

September declaration of the Palestinian State: Is it possible? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post June 16, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian determination to go to the UN Council for recognition of the Palestinian state increases everyday. Reports about secret channels of negotiations were denied by the Palestinian official Sa’ab Erekat who confirmed that without a complete freeze of the settlements building, no progress can be achieved in the peace process. » Read more

Egyptian FM: Palestine UN membership doesn’t negate Israel’s legitimacy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Masry Al-Youm June 16, 2011 - 12:00am Arab efforts to enable Palestinians to obtain membership in the United Nations do not aim to render Israel an illegitimate state, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Araby said in a Thursday statement. Araby said that diplomatic efforts to request Palestinian state membership in the UN General Assembly are expected in September, and that these efforts are justified in light of ongoing Israeli intransigence and refusal to bring an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. » Read more

Israel Warns of Using Force if New Flotilla Heads to Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - June 16, 2011 - 12:00am TEL AVIV — Israel made clear on Thursday that if a new flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists sought to break its naval blockade of Gaza like the one a year ago when its commandos killed nine people, the Israeli military would use force again, including boarding the ships and confronting the activists. » Read more

Jewish leftists need to have the Talk ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - (Blog) June 16, 2011 - 12:00am These days, it's a little too easy for Jewish Leftists to avoid having the Talk. The Talk, an open-minded consideration of the Palestinian right of return, might well be divisive, corrosive, just one further blow at a time of Israeli – and world Jewish - apathy and depression and paralysis. It's certainly more comfortable to let the issue run in the background, as many groups on the left have done, either coming down at one stroke on one side or the other, as if the issue were not breathtakingly complex, or, alternatively, deciding not to decide. » Read more

Dubai's Rasmala Investment Bank starts Palestinian fund ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Farah Halime - June 17, 2011 - 12:00am Rasmala Investment Bankis the latest financial institution to launch a Palestinian-focused fund even as it is cutting costs elsewhere as part of a debt restructuring programme it announced in November. The bank, based in Dubai, is hoping to raise US$115 million (Dh422.3m) for the fund, which will target stocks listed on the Palestine Stock Exchange. » Read more