June 6th

Abbas to Israelis: Don't turn your backs on peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - June 6, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday called on Israel “not to turn [its] back to the prospects of peace” and cautioned that the chances to achieve peace may not remain for too long. » Read more

Obama worried PA not interested in peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) June 6, 2012 - 12:00am WASHINGTON -- US President Barack Obama is worried that Palestinian leadership was no longer as interested in advancing toward peace, he said in a conversation with Orthodox Jewish leaders on Tuesday. » Read more

Learning from the Nakba ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Common Ground News Service by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) June 5, 2012 - 12:00am I do not need anyone to teach me about the Palestinian Nakba. It is the defining moment of my existence. During the war in 1948, my family had already fled our home in Talpiot in southeast Jerusalem and taken shelter in a monastery. We quickly gathered some possessions and climbed down and up the mountain to Bethany, and then to Jericho. » Read more

A Glimmer? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times (Editorial) June 5, 2012 - 12:00am There is a plenty of blame to be shared for why peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians are going nowhere. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem are a big part of the problem. There may be some glimmer of hope in Mr. Netanyahu’s decision to support an Israeli Supreme Court order to close an illegal neighborhood, known as Ulpana, in the West Bank settlement of Beit El. » Read more

Six days in Israel, 45 years ago ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Miko Peled - (Opinion) June 6, 2012 - 12:00am In early June 1967, as I cowered with my mother and sisters in the "safest" room of our house near Jerusalem — the downstairs bathroom — we feared the worst. None of us imagined that the war that had just begun would end in six days. » Read more

PM to head ministerial committee on settlement affairs ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Attila Somfalvi - June 6, 2012 - 12:00am In a move meant to placate right-wing ministers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that he will head a new ministerial committee that would deal with settlement affairs. The announcement was made hours before the Knesset convened to vote on a bill aiming to legalize homes built on contested land in the West Bank. » Read more

Knesset votes down bill to sanction illegal West Bank outposts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis, Oz Rosenberg - June 6, 2012 - 12:00am Israel's Knesset on Wednesday voted down a bill that aimed at legalizing homes on the Ulpana Hill neighborhood in the West Bank settlement of Beit El, which were built on privately owned Palestinian land. In a preliminary reading, 69 Knesset members voted against the bill, while 22 voted for it. » Read more

Israeli airstrike injures 2 in Gaza City ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 6, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli warplanes fired on a naval police base in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, injuring two Palestinians. Medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya said two people were evacuated to Shifa hospital, one of whom was in a critical condition. The dawn airstrike hit a naval police post in the Sudaniyya neighborhood of Gaza City, a Ma'an correspondent said. Witnesses also said Israeli fighter jets fired at a poultry farm in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip early Wednesday morning. No injuries have been reported. » Read more

Palestinians agree on electoral system for PLO's parliament ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 6, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Representatives of Palestinian factions agreed Tuesday on the electoral system of the National Council, the parliament of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The agreement opens the door for factions like Hamas and the Islamic jihad to join the PLO, which represents all Palestinians, including those in Diaspora, or exile. The factions reached the deal during two days of discussions in Amman, Jordan, a statement said. » Read more

The Netanyahu government and the Arab stereotype ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Carlo Strenger - (Blog) June 6, 2012 - 12:00am It used to be an old Jewish habit to try to understand our surroundings. One reason was curiosity; the other was to figure out whether current events are good for the Jews or not – because this allowed Jews to survive under often very difficult circumstances. The first motivation is certainly laudable; the second reflects good old prudence. » Read more