Amnesty criticizes proposed flotilla inquiry ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 16, 2010 - 12:00am Amnesty International has criticized Israel’s proposed investigation into its military action against a Gaza aid flotilla on 31 May as lacking in transparency and unlikely to ensure accountability over the nine deaths of activists during the operation. The Israeli cabinet approved a three-man Israeli commission, with two international observers, to examine Israel’s military action off the Gaza coast in which nine international activists were killed by Israeli forces. » Read more

Israeli troops kill drug smuggler from Egypt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters June 16, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli soldiers shot and killed a drug smuggler who infiltrated from Egypt on Wednesday, a military spokesman said. The smuggler was part of a group, some of whose members were armed, that crossed into Israel's southern desert carrying bags of drugs, the spokesman said. Some of the smugglers, he said, fled back into Egypt after the shooting, leaving the drugs on the Israeli side of the border. Israel coordinated its actions with Egypt, the official said. Egypt is one of two Arab countries with which Israel has a peace treaty, signed in 1979.

Family of Palestinian driver killed by police demands investigation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Maher Abukhater - (Blog) June 16, 2010 - 12:00am Israel on Monday was facing another demand for an investigation into its military's actions, this time from the Palestinian Authority and the family of a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem, who was shot and killed Friday. Ziad Joulani, 41, a shopkeeper and father of three with no criminal or history of political activism, was killed when police opened fire as he got out of his car, witnesses said. [For the record: An earlier version said Joulani was a father of four; he has three daughters.] » Read more

Gaza: U.N. to Distribute Aid Seized by Israel in Blockade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Neil MacFarquhar - June 16, 2010 - 12:00am The United Nations expects to soon distribute the aid brought by a Turkish flotilla trying to run the Gaza blockade and seized by Israel after a bloody confrontation. Robert H. Serry, the United Nations envoy to the Middle East peace negotiations, told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that despite such attempts, Gaza received only a fraction of its needs. Three-quarters of the damage caused by the 2009 war— including homes schools and hospitals — has not been repaired or rebuilt, Mr. Serry reported. » Read more

Palestinian minister urges settler business to relocate ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Ron Friedman - June 16, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority National Economy Minister Hassan Abu Libda defended his government’s decision to boycott goods produced in the settlements, in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. Abu Libda said the move was in accordance with international law and necessary for Palestinian self-preservation. In May, the PA announced that it would be enforcing a complete boycott of all goods made in the West Bank settlements, an announcement that was accompanied by a door-to-door enlistment campaign and a public burning of settlement-made goods. » Read more

Elia Suleiman: stories my father told me ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Steven J. Rosen - (Interview) June 16, 2010 - 12:00am We're in a street in occupied Ramallah. A young Palestinian man is taking out his rubbish. An Israeli tank is parked nearby, its gun barrel pointed right at the man's head. As he walks to the bin and back, the tank turret tracks him in whirs and clanks, the barrel dipping when he steps off the pavement. The man is about to go inside when his phone rings. He starts talking to a friend about a party, pacing back and forth, ignoring the tank, which is still noisily following his every move. When he goes back inside, the gun swivels to point directly at the camera. » Read more