Middle East News: World Press Roundup

Five more Palestinians are detained in an Israeli raid on a West Bank village. The UN says Palestinian progress is sufficient for statehood. The complete blockade of Gaza reaches its seventh day, and farmers are suffering greatly from the closure. Israeli soldiers will now be equipped with cameras. Hamas denies Syria is sponsoring Palestinian reconciliation negotiations. PM Netanyahu is reportedly considering a partial pullback in the West Bank, prompting settler panic, but Palestinian leaders question the idea. Netanyahu meets with a Canadian teenage pop star. The Quartet postpones a meeting on negotiations. Amir Peretz seeks the leadership of the Labor Party. A new poll shows 51% of Americans oppose a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood. FM Lieberman gives an unusual radio interview. Gershon Baskin says another war in Gaza is a trap for Israel. E. Kontorovich says Israel will not face a “diplomatic tsunami” in September. Palestinians rename Jerusalem streets. Rachel Shabi eulogizes Juliano Mer-Khamis. Proposed US legislation would call on the UN to rescind the Goldstone Report. Mel Frykberg says a new war in Gaza is still possible. Rami Khouri says the “Israeli Peace Initiative” is worth careful consideration, and Hussein Ibish says it reminds us negotiations are both possible and indispensable.

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Awarta raided overnight, 5 more detained ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 12, 2011 - 12:00am Concern is mounting for the residents of Awarta, as 71 villagers including a teenage girl and two elderly women remain held in Israeli custody without charge, and official visits to ensure their well being were prevented by Israeli forces. Three Palestinians from the village who were living in Ramallah were detained from their homes there overnight, as their relatives in Awarta, including two brothers, were detained during an overnight raid. From Awarta, Hasan Awwad, deputy mayor of the village, and his brother Salah, a local journalist, were both detained. » Read more

UN: PA progress 'sufficient for functioning govt of a state' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 12, 2011 - 12:00am A UN report on progress by the Palestinian Authority in building institutions released Tuesday assessed that "in six areas where the UN is most engaged, government functions are now sufficient for a functioning government of a state." The report, prepared by UN officials for an upcoming meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee in Brussels, reviews progress in the implementation of the PA's August 2009 plan to build state institutions, which was backed by the AHLC and Quartet. » Read more

Total blockade of Gaza hits seventh day ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 12, 2011 - 12:00am With a truce holding and calm restored in southern Israel and the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces informed Gaza crossings officials that terminals would remain closed, citing only "security reasons." Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said he was not told when goods transport would resume for Gaza, adding that the closure meant no goods had entered Gaza for a week. Crossings were closed two days ahead of an escalation in confrontations along the Gaza border area, cutting off access to supplies including aid and humanitarian goods. » Read more

Israel to arm combat soldiers with cameras ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Aron Heller - April 11, 2011 - 12:00am The next time Israel goes to war, its combat soldiers will likely be carrying cameras in addition to more conventional weapons. Reeling from war crimes accusations during a major offensive against Hamas-ruled Gaza more than two years ago, the Israeli military is studying the wide distribution of cameras as a tool to make its case to the world. The plan would appear to put Israel at the vanguard of such efforts around the world — and reflects the intense and growing scrutiny of Israel's conflict with the Palestinians. » Read more

Gaza farmers suffer severe loss due to crossing shut down ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 12, 2011 - 12:00am The closure of the only commercial crossing point in the Gaza Strip may cause severe losses to Gaza farmers, a farming society warned Tuesday. The Society of Palestinian Flower and Strawberry Farmers said that more than two million flowers are reserved in refrigerators and cannot be delivered to the European markets because Kerem Shaloom crossing has been closed since Wednesday by Israel authorities due to security concerns. "The flowers and those still not harvested would shrivel," the society warned in a statement. » Read more

Hamas denies report of Syria sponsoring inter-Palestinian dialogue ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 12, 2011 - 12:00am Damascus-based Palestinian Hamas ' politburo member Izzat al-Rishq said here on Tuesday that reports about Egypt's proposal for Syria to sponsor inter-Palestinian dialogue are not true. Al-Rishq told Xinhua via the phone that Egypt remains the official custodian of the reconciliation talks between the Palestinian Hamas and Fatah organizations. London-based Arab daily al-Hayat reported earlier the day that Egypt has suggested Syria to sponsor the reconciliation rounds between Fatah and Hamas. » Read more

Palestinian leadership questions Israeli PM's pullout plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 12, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian leadership on Tuesday questioned the possibility of further Israeli withdrawals from the West Bank. Reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering withdrawing troops from the West Bank "were no more than plays," said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee. "Don't believe what the Israeli media said... these are trial balloons and plays by the Israeli governments to avoid their international obligations," Abed Rabbo told Voice of Palestine radio. » Read more

Settler council: Netanyahu's West Bank pullout plan radiates panic ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - April 12, 2011 - 12:00am The Yesha Council of Settlers reacted angrily Tuesday to a Haaretz report detailing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan for a West Bank withdrawal as part of a diplomatic initiative to counter an impending unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood. Netanyahu is weighing a withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces troops from the West Bank and a series of other measures to block the "diplomatic tsunami" that may follow international recognition of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders at the United Nations General Assembly in September. » Read more

Even Bibi is getting caught up in Biebermania ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yael Gaton, Barak Ravid - April 12, 2011 - 12:00am The throngs of tween girls who mobbed Justin Beiber upon his arrival in Israel on Monday aren't alone. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apparently has a hankering for the Canadian pop idol as well. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will host Bieber at his office on Wednesday evening. Netanyahu's office said the young singer and his manager were the ones who had asked for the meeting and the prime minister consented. » Read more

U.S. postpones Quartet meet on Israel-Palestinian peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press April 12, 2011 - 12:00am The United States blocked an initiative by Britain, France and Germany to restart stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks by proposing the outlines of a final settlement to their long conflict, United Nations diplomats and a U.S. official said Monday. The three European countries wanted UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the European Union to propose a settlement text at a meeting of the Quartet of Mideast mediators - the U.S., UN, EU and Russia - tentatively scheduled to take place Friday in Berlin on the sidelines of a NATO ministerial meeting, the diplomats said. » Read more

Amir Peretz makes bid for Labor chairmanship ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Attila Somfalvi - April 12, 2011 - 12:00am Former Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz announced that he intends to seek a second term as party chairman. Peretz, who lead Labor in 2006, called a press conference Tuesday and announced his plans. "It saddens me to see society today. Many of the important things have been eroded. I plan on submitting an extensive plan, a social Iron Dome, to protect three major things: society, democracy and peace. » Read more

Poll: 51% in US oppose unilateral creation of Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yitzhak Benhorin - April 12, 2011 - 12:00am A new survey released Monday by the Israel Project, revealed support for Israel among the American public is strong. The national survey, which included 800 registered voters from both major parties, and stated a margin of error of 3.46%. According to the data, 51% of US voters oppose the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state without a signed peace treaty with Israel; and 54% believe that without a peace agreement, the United States should not recognize a Palestinian state. » Read more

Live from the bathroom – Lieberman ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews April 12, 2011 - 12:00am Avidgor Lieberman is known as an outspoken politician who generally shuns the prevalent politically correct culture, but on Monday Israel’s foreign minister reached new heights, or is it lows, in his conduct vis-à-vis the media – by flushing the toilet during a radio interview. » Read more

Encountering Peace: The bombs bursting in air ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) April 11, 2011 - 12:00am Yes, it’s difficult to think about peace when missiles are flying from Gaza into Israel, and when innocent civilians on both sides are regularly forced to take cover. Yes, it’s true that Hamas and its proxies in Gaza intentionally shoot at Israeli civilians, but it’s also true that many innocent civilians inside Gaza end up paying with their lives – killed by Israeli bombs. Go and explain to their families that their deaths were not intentional. » Read more

Palestinian Road Warriors Give Jerusalem Streets New Names ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Miller - April 11, 2011 - 12:00am A group of Palestinian activists erected nine street signs in Jerusalem’s Jabel Mukabber neighborhood last Saturday, assigning the anonymous thoroughfares road names in Arabic and English. One was named Farouk Street, a popular nick name for Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, the Muslim general who conquered Jerusalem in 637 A.D. » Read more

Juliano Mer-Khamis obituary ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Rachel Shabi - April 11, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian-Israeli actor Juliano Mer-Khamis, who has been shot dead at the age of 52, was a successful stage and screen performer, film-maker and activist, widely known for his work as the artistic director of the Freedom theatre in the refugee camp in the West Bank town of Jenin. Dedicated to equipping young Palestinians with the potent powers of art and self-expression, Juliano carved out a stage on which children could find their feet – and voice. The theatre's achievements have resonated around the world as a focal point of creativity against the odds. » Read more

Congressional Legislation Calls on U.N. To Rescind Goldstone Report ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) April 12, 2011 - 12:00am Legislation calling on the United Nations to rescind the Goldstone report is circulating in both houses of Congress. A Senate resolution, introduced April 8 by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and James Risch (R-Idaho), calls on the U.N. Human Rights Council to “reflect the author’s repudiation of the Goldstone report’s central findings, rescind the report, and reconsider further Council actions with respect to the report’s findings.” » Read more

War Clouds Back Over Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Mel Frykber - April 12, 2011 - 12:00am After several days of intense violence, during which 19 Palestinians were killed and one Israeli wounded, a fragile calm has returned to Gaza. But political commentators argue that this could well be a precursor to Israel’s next war on the coastal territory. During the last week the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) launched a series of attacks following a rocket attack from Gaza which hit an Israeli school bus, seriously injuring a 16-year-old pupil. » Read more

An Israeli initiative worth watching ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) April 9, 2011 - 12:00am The historic transformations under way in many Arab countries have temporarily overshadowed other major regional issues. Well, this period seems to be coming to an end, forcing us all to refocus on understanding the hard reality that we can no longer isolate a single issue or conflict in the Middle East – Palestine-Israel, Iran, democratization, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, terrorism, Anglo-American invaders, corruption, take your pick – and address it on its own. » Read more

What the “Israeli Peace Initiative” has to offer ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) April 12, 2011 - 12:00am On April 6, a group of prominent Israelis released the “Israeli Peace Initiative,” an answer to the Peace Initiative adopted by the Arab League in 2002. The biggest difference between the two documents is that one is official, formally adopted by a large group of states, and the other is a civil society initiative. This puts the two documents on significantly unequal footing. However, the new Israeli private initiative bears serious consideration, given the paucity of any other Israeli response to the API and the lack of diplomatic activity generally. » Read more

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