Israeli occupation authorities authorize the demolition of 22 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem. Pres. Abbas says such measures threaten peace. The UN calls the plan illegal and urges Israel to reconsider. The body of a Palestinian shot by Israeli soldiers is being exhumed for an autopsy. Israel will reopen the investigation into the shooting of an American protester. Abbas condemns Israeli plans to expel 4 Hamas politicians from Jerusalem. Fear of being expelled to Gaza keeps West Bank Palestinians in their homes. Hamas TV will no longer be shown in France. European MPs call for the complete lifting of the Gaza blockade. Malaysia is pressing for a wider international investigation into the flotilla attack. FM Lieberman outlines his vision of “peace,” which includes stripping citizenship from some Arabs. Israel launches a major new spy satellite. Ahmed Moor looks at how Palestinians in Lebanon are treated as second-class citizens. Michael Jansen warns there may be another Middle East war.

'Pause before going to war, once again'?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Michael Jansen - June 24, 2010 - 12:00am

The Israeli liberal daily Haaretz carried a very illuminating article this week, written by Ari Shavit, who argued that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak are regarded by many Israelis as "twins", dependent on one another. Shavit reveals that while the atmosphere between Netanyahu and the White House is frosty, Vice President Joe Biden gets along just fine with Barak. For this reason and others, Netanyahu treats Barak with "respect".

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Why Palestinians are second-class citizens in Lebanon
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Ahmed Moor - (Opinion) June 24, 2010 - 12:00am

I moved to Beirut from New York nine months ago and began looking for an apartment. After 10 continuous years in America, I wanted to return to the Arab world – and returning to my family's roots in Palestine wasn't an option. I knew that in Beirut, I likely wasn't going to be renting from a faceless, impersonal property company; real people mostly own the real estate here – and often, they are interested in knowing their tenants personally. That's how I learned, to my dismay, that being a Palestinian in Beirut is mostly a liability; anti-Palestinian racism is a fact of life here.

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Israel launches Ofek 9 spy satellite
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
June 24, 2010 - 12:00am

The satellite's high resolution camera would significantly boost Israel's intelligence gathering, officials told local media. Israel's defence ministry said the Ofek 9 was launched from Palmachim air force base on its south coast near Tel Aviv. It is one of at least four Israeli spy satellites currently orbiting the Earth. "This provides Israel with greater operational flexibility, since we now have another set of eyes on a target," Chaim Eshed, the director of Israel's military space programme, told The Jerusalem Post.

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UN chief says East Jerusalem demolition plan 'illegal'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
June 24, 2010 - 12:00am

On Monday Jerusalem City Council approved the plan to demolish 22 Palestinian homes in Silwan - part of a major redevelopment of the area. The move has drawn criticism both at home and from the Obama administration. Mr Ban said the plan was "contrary to international law" and "unhelpful" to efforts to restart peace negotiations. The scheme is still in an initial stage.

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My blueprint for a resolution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Avigdor Lieberman - (Opinion) June 24, 2010 - 12:00am

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” Albert Einstein once said. Since 1993, successive governments, supported by the international community, have tried to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using the flawed paradigm of land for peace. Each time, the same formula was attempted, but failed every time because of Arab recalcitrance.

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Lieberman proposes peace 'blueprint'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
June 24, 2010 - 12:00am

Arguing that “history is moving away from attempts to accommodate competing national aspirations in a single state,” Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday issued a highly specific demand for “an exchange of populated territories” that would place many Israeli Arabs inside a new Palestinian state. In an op-ed that appears in Thursday’s Jerusalem Post, he stressed that this would not require “physical population transfer or the demolition of houses,” but rather “creating a border where none existed, according to demographics...”

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Malaysia pushing for UN debate on raid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - June 24, 2010 - 12:00am

Malaysia, backed by the Arab states, has initiated a UN debate regarding the Turkish flotilla events, which is slated to be held during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington. The Arab states and Non-Aligned countries are working to keep the issue on the international agenda.

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UN urges Israel to rethink East Jerusalem construction plans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
June 24, 2010 - 12:00am

The United Nations late Wednesday called Israel's plan to demolish Arab homes in East Jerusalem for the purpose of settlement construction "unhelpful" and "contrary to international law." "The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the decision by the Jerusalem municipality to advance planning for house demolitions and further settlement activity in the area of Silwan," UN Chief Ban Ki-moon's press office said in a statement. "The planned moves are contrary to international law, and to the wishes of Palestinian residents."

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European MPs to Israel: Lift Gaza blockade completely
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA)
June 24, 2010 - 12:00am

The Council of Europe parliamentarians Thursday called on Israel to completely end its siege of the Gaza Strip, days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an ease of the land blockade. Israel should allow goods to be delivered to the coastal enclave by land and sea, "without prejudice to its own security," so Palestinians can enjoy "normal living conditions," said the resolution adopted by a large majority of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

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