April 8th

Settlers' poll: 78% of Likudniks oppose Palestinian State ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gil Hoffman - April 8, 2011 - 12:00am Three quarters of Likud members believe that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu should wait until the fate of uprisings in the Muslim world becomes clearer before he takes any steps toward the Palestinians, a Ma’agar Mohot poll sponsored by the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip revealed on Thursday. » Read more

Removing Israeli leaders' masks of hypocrisy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) April 8, 2011 - 12:00am WikiLeaks' "Israel file," parts of which appear in detail in today's newspaper, makes an important contribution to public discourse in Israel. The publication makes it clear that senior Israeli officials and public figures have presented positions to American officials different from those they voiced in public. Exposing the reports of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and general consulate in Jerusalem removes the masks of hypocrisy and doublespeak and contributes to political transparency and cleanliness. » Read more

Israel believes Hamas trying to establish 'balance of terror' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - April 8, 2011 - 12:00am A 16-year-old Israeli was critically injured on Thursday when an anti-tank missile fired from the Gaza Strip hit a school bus near Kibbutz Sa'ad. The missile attack was followed by additional mortar shelling from Gaza. The launch occurred just four to five kilometers from the target, from a point where it was clear students were on board and it was possible to keep the bus within sight. A senior defense source told Haaretz on Thursday night that he believes this was an act by the military wing of the organization, and that their aim was to deter Israel and establish a "balance of terror." » Read more

Goldstone's 'regret' is a result of emotional pressure ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Oudeh Basharat - (Opinion) April 8, 2011 - 12:00am In any event, when Richard Goldstone "retracted" he didn't really retract. Read his op-ed in the Washington Post once, twice - there's no retraction there on any substantial issues. And when he stated in his "regret" that Israel had started its investigation after his conclusions were made, that is a kind of reaffirmation of Goldstone's report. At the time, we should recall, Israel vehemently refused to conduct a probe of Operation Cast Lead. According to the strange interpretations of his "regret," 1,400 people - most of them civilians - were killed in Gaza by mistake. » Read more

Over 20 ships expected for second Gaza flotilla ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 7, 2011 - 12:00am A Turkish human rights organization said here on Thursday that it is organizing another Gaza flotilla of more than 20 ships as the anniversary for the first ill-fated voyage on May 31 approaches. The IHH Human Rights Foundation which organized last year's flotilla, which was attacked by Israeli commandos in international waters killing 9, is in the planning stage of a second larger flotilla. IHH board member Huseyin Oruc told Xinhua that currently there are activists from more than 20 countries interested in participating. » Read more

Israeli officials file suit against Goldstone after regret over Gaza war report ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Dave Bender, Khaled Khalefe - April 8, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli President Shimon Peres is set to ask United Nations to invalidate Judge Richard Goldstone 's 2009 report on the Israeli army's role in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. The presidential request comes in the wake of the South African jurist's regret over some of UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict probe's conclusions, in an op-ed published in The Washington Post last week. Peres has called the report "a mockery of history," and "fails to distinguish between the aggressor and those acting in self- defense." » Read more

Minister: New Israeli defense system appears to successfully shoot down 1st Palestinian rocket ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press April 7, 2011 - 12:00am Minister: New Israeli defense system appears to successfully shoot down 1st Palestinian rocket.

Abbas urges West to stop Israeli strikes on Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters April 7, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged Western powers on Thursday to intervene after Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed four Palestinians. He called on the West "to immediately intervene to stop this aggression", the official Wafa news agency reported. Abbas also urged Palestinian militants not to give Israel an excuse to hit Gaza. The flareup of violence followed an attack on an Israeli school bus in which an anti-tank missile fired from Gaza wounded two people, drawing a swift Israeli response. » Read more

Ahead of games, West Bank summons Olympic spirit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 8, 2011 - 12:00am "It's one thing winning the medal, that's great, but I think some of the other things I've been able to experience because of this have been enriching as much as completing that original goal," says Jamie Staff, 2008 Beijing Gold medal winner for the UK. "It changed my life," he reflected on the tail end of a whirlwind trip to the West Bank. With the gold medal in his pocket, Staff arrived in the West Bank as part of London's Cultural Olympiad, in events celebrating 500 days to the opening of the Summer Games. » Read more

Christians demand freedom of access during Easter ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 7, 2011 - 12:00am As Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza await news on permits from Israel to visit holy sites in Jerusalem, local Christians issued a call for the respect of freedom of worship. "For Christians, Holy Week in Jerusalem has a special spiritual connection," said a statement from the Kairos Palestine group on Wednesday. Holy sites "are equally important to the Palestinian Christians of Gaza and the West bank, who want to join their Jerusalemite Christian brethren in the liturgical events leading to the resurrection, the holiest celebration in Christianity." » Read more