Egypt to Open Border With Gaza, in the Face of Israeli Objections
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by David Kirkpatrick - May 25, 2011 - 12:00am

Egypt will permanently open its border with the Gaza Strip on Saturday despite Israeli protests, Egypt’s transitional government confirmed Wednesday, upending the dynamics of regional politics in a bid to shake up the deadlocked peace process and better respond to Egyptian public opinion. The opening of the border will be the latest geopolitical aftershock of the Egyptian revolution, and it is likely to strengthen the militant group Hamas, while easing life for 1.6 million residents.

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Obama Walking a Fine Line on Borders Issue
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
by Robert Satloff - May 24, 2011 - 12:00am

One week ago, on May 19, President Barack Obama delivered powerful remarks on democracy and reform in the Middle East. He not only raised these normally hortatory ideals to top-tier U.S. interests, but he put the dictator of America's most dangerous Arab antagonist -- Syria's Bashar Assad -- on personal notice that he may soon find himself joining the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia in forced retirement. All this was welcome news.

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Israel's Netanyahu: 1967 borders can't be defended
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Josef Federman - May 19, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel's prime minister on Thursday gave a cool reception to President Barack Obama's Mideast policy speech, warning a withdrawal from the West Bank wold leave Israel vulnerable to attack and setting up what could be a tense meeting at the White House. In his speech, Obama endorsed the Palestinian position on the borders of their future state, saying it should be based on Israel's lines before the 1967 Mideast war. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip in the fighting, and the Palestinians claim those areas for their state.

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Israeli army northern command, intelligence trade accusations over border breach
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 17, 2011 - 12:00am

In the wake of violent clashes on Israel's northern frontiers on Sunday, in which around 10 Palestinian demonstrators were killed at two locations, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Military Intelligence (MI) division said a warning it issued well ahead of the confrontations was ignored. All eyes were turned to the West Bank early on Sunday, as thousand of Palestinians took to the streets to commemorate Nakba, an annual ritual that marks the "catastrophe" of Israel's creation in 1948.

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Palestinians storm into Israel
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In The Washington Times - May 16, 2011 - 12:00am

Thousands of Palestinian demonstrators clashed with Israeli security forces on three hostile borders Sunday in an unprecedented wave of protests marking an annual ritual against the founding of the Jewish state in 1948. Israeli soldiers opened fire, leaving at least 15 dead and many more injured, as rioting Palestinians poured across the borders with Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Israeli officials said 13 troops were wounded and blamed Syria and Iran for orchestrating the clashes.

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Defense Minister: Border infiltrations are just the beginning
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
May 16, 2011 - 12:00am

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Sunday that Israel Defense Forces soldiers succeeded in defending Israel's sovereignty when Palestinian refugee demonstrators breached the border with Syria and attempted to cross the border with Lebanon. Barak cautioned, however, that Israel will in the future have to deal with similar and perhaps more complex incidents. IDF forces opened fire on demonstrators on the Syria border, apparently killing several of them.

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Israeli Troops Fire as Marchers Breach Borders
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - May 15, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel’s borders erupted in deadly clashes on Sunday as thousands of Palestinians — marching from Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank — confronted Israeli troops to mark the anniversary of Israel’s creation. More than a dozen people were reported killed and scores injured.

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Syrian Border Violence May Hold Message for Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Anthony Shadid - May 15, 2011 - 12:00am

For 37 years the border between Israel and Syria, still technically at war, has proven as quiet as any of the Arab-Israeli frontiers silenced by peace agreements. On Sunday, it was not, and the tumult on the Golan Heights could augur a new phase of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and the web of international relations he is navigating.

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Palestinians storm into Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times
by Shaun Waterman - May 15, 2011 - 12:00am

Thousands of Palestinian demonstrators clashed with Israeli security forces on three hostile borders Sunday in an unprecedented wave of protests marking an annual ritual against the founding of the Jewish state in 1948. Israeli soldiers opened fire, leaving at least 15 dead and many more injured, as rioting Palestinians poured across the borders with Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Israeli officials said 13 troops were wounded and blamed Syria and Iran for orchestrating the clashes.

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Nablus checkpoint closed as settler stone cars
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 12, 2011 - 12:00am

Israeli forces closed the Nablus-area Huwwara military checkpoint Thursday afternoon, following incidents of rock-throwing that hit Palestinian cars, that local officials said was done by local settlers. Ghassan Doughlas, the Fatah official charged with monitoring settlement activity in the northern West Bank, said dozens of settlers from the nearby Yitzhar settlement threw rocks at Palestinian cars causing damages, but no injuries.

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