Date
Type

June 4th

News:

The US will work with and fund the new Palestinian government. (Reuters)

The EU is also prepared to work with the new Palestinian government. (AP/Ynet)

PM Netanyahu says he is “deeply troubled” by the US decision to maintain relations with the new Palestinian government. (AP/AFP/Ha’aretz/Ynet)

Israel denounces the US for accepting the new Palestinian government. (Times fo Israel)

PM Hamdallah urges the international community to continue supporting Palestinians and their legal rights. (Xinhua)

Pres. Abbas says new elections will be held within six months. (Ma’an)

Israel will bar members of the new Palestinian government from moving freely. (Ha’aretz)       

Many Jewish American organizations urge the US to either review or cut off its financial support of the PA. (Ha’aretz)                                 

Israeli Amb. Dermer expresses “deep disappointment” in the US decision to continue supporting the PA. (JTA)

The New York Times answers questions about the new Palestinian government. (New York Times)

Palestinians in Ramallah say the new government must prove itself. (Jerusalem Post)

Hamas’s interior ministry in Gaza is abolished with the swearing in of a new Palestinian government. (Times of Israel)

Israeli occupation forces kill a Palestinian man who allegedly attacked a checkpoint in the West Bank. (Reuters/Ma’an/Xinhua/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz)  

Syrians vote in a presidential election. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/The National)

Turkey lists the al-Nusra Front as a terrorist group. (Xinhua)

Libya’s new PM Maiteeq holds his first cabinet meeting. (Reuters)

Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef ends his show. (AP/New York Times)

Commentary:

The Jordan Times says Israel’s move to boycott the new Palestinian government is “childish and counterproductive.” (Jordan Times)

Chemi Shalev says Israel’s decision to isolate the new Palestinian government is aimed at two audiences: Israeli public opinion and Republican lawmakers. (Ha’aretz)

The Media Line interviews Abbas advisor Dr. Sabri Saidam. (The Media Line)

David Horovitz outlines 12 ways the Obama administration has failed Israel. (Times of Israel)

Ron Ben-Yishai says Israel should try to enhance the positive aspects of the new Palestinian government. (Ynet)

Akiva Eldar says Israel can learn from the Palestinian narrative. (Al-Monitor)

Ha’aretz says Israel’s use of administrative detention must be reviewed. (Ha’aretz)

Steven Heydemann says the Syrian presidential election is a farce, but it is still dangerous. (Foreign Policy)

David Kenner looks at the other two candidates of the Syrian presidential election. (Foreign Policy)

Diana Moukalled says the ballot that took place in Lebanon among Syrians was not a “genuine election.” (Al Arabiya)

Mustapha Tlili says the Obama administration has failed to grasp the nature of political Islam. (New York Times)

Hassan Barari says a new equilibrium in the Gulf and the Levant can only materialise if Iran changes course. (Jordan Times)

Mohsin Khan says Pres. Sisi must solve numerous economic problems if Egypt is to “bounce back.” (The National)

Mamoun Fandy says Egypt has five major crises that need to be prioritized. (Asharq al-Awsat)

The Daily Star says Iran and the Gulf need to work together to minimize threats posed by extremists from both sides of the divide. (Daily Star)

News:
The PA says PM Netanyahu has failed to isolate the new Palestinian government. (Ma’an)
The State Department says it will judge the new Palestinian government based on itsactions. (Ha’aretz/Ynet/Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)
India, China and Turkey endorse the new Palestinian government. (Ha’aretz)
Israeli restrictions prevent the first cabinet meeting for the new Palestinian ministers in Gaza. (Ma’an/Ha’aretz)
Israel officially notifies the PA about its sanctions against the Palestinians. (Ma’an)
Israeli doctors say they will not force-feed Palestinian prisoners. (AP/Ha’aretz)
The PLO says Israel is responsible for the lives of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike. (Ma’an)
Jordan condemns Israeli actions at the Al-Aqsa mosque, after Israeli police limit Muslim access to the holy site. (Times of Israel)
Allies of Pres. Assad praise the vote of the Syrian presidential election. (AP)
The Syrian presidential election sends a powerful signal of Assad’s control. (Washington Post/The National/AFP)
Sec. Kerry arrives in Lebanon to meet with PM Salam, Speaker Berri and Maronite Patriarch Rai. (Daily Star)
Lebanon appeals for more international support to prevent economic collapse amid the refugee crisis. (Xinhua)
Pres. Sisi tells Egyptians it is now “time to work” to rebuild the economy. (AP)
The White House welcomes Sisi’s election but expresses concerns about the "restrictive political environment." (Reuters)
Gen. Haftar survives a suicide attack in his residence in Benghazi. (AP/Reuters)
Algeria’s FM Lamamra says the Arab Spring has increased the influence and power of terror groups. (AP) 
Turkey restores access to YouTube. (AP/Xinhua)
Commentary:
Rami Khouri says the new Palestinian government offers important new possibilities. (Daily Star)
The National says the focus of the new Palestinian government needs to be the creation of a Palestinian state. (The National)
Yossi Mekelberg says the new Palestinian government was born as a matter of urgent necessity for the Palestinians. (Al Arabiya)
Peter Beinart says many from Netanyahu’s coalition would not pass his litmus test on peace for Hamas. (Ha’aretz)
Ben Caspit says FM Lieberman is offering a plan for open contacts with moderate Arab states. (Al-Monitor)
Ali Ibrahim says Hamas has learned a lesson from Tunisia’s Ennahda party. (Asharq al-Awsat)
Ehud Yaari says Hamas is opting for the Hezbollah model. (Times of Israel)
The New York Times says the significance of the Syrian election is that Assad remains in power and is unlikely to leave anytime soon. (New York Times)
Abdul Rahman Al Rashed believes Sisi will bolster support for Egypt’s closest allies such as Saudi Arabia, and support the Syrian revolution. (Al Arabiya)
The Daily Star says Assad’s “clear-cut victory” is against Syria and the Syrian people. (Daily Star)
Osama Al Sharif says one cannot count on America’s intervention or leadership to resolve the crisis in Syria. (Jordan Times)
Hussein Ibish says Sisi will be judged on performance, not voter turnout or his large mandate. (Now)
H.A. Hellyer says the departure of Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef from the Arab media scene is sad. (Foreign Policy)
Thomas Friedman says Kurdistan remains the “unsung success story” of the Iraq war. (New York Times)

American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017