June 30th

Abbas urges further efforts for Mideast peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Tuesday for intensifying efforts to make peace in the Middle East. "The pace of peacemaking in the region must be accelerated," Abbas told a press conference in Ramallah following a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Abbas said the Palestinians would spare no efforts to achieve peace. "We believe in peace and believe that peace should be made as soon as possible," he said.

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Lebanon's Palestinians, the shame rises
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

The current debate in Lebanon about the legal status of several hundred thousand resident Palestinian refugees reflects the best and worst of the Arab world. The mistreatment, abysmal living conditions and limited work, social security and property rights of these Palestinians are a lingering moral black mark – but change is in the air, initiated largely by Lebanese.

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Israel weighs wider mandate for Gaza flotilla panel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Allyn Fisher-Ilan - June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, June 30 (Reuters) - Israel may upgrade the mandate of its investigation of a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, by allowing it to subpoena witnesses, a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said. The panel headed by former Israeli Supreme Court justice Jacob Turkel launched its probe on Monday and served notice that Netanyahu and his defence chief may be called to testify about the May 31 incident in which nine Turkish citizens were killed.

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Better late than never
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

The Israeli government decision to end its three-year blockade of civilian goods entering the Gaza Strip is a welcome move. Sadly, it came about a year too late, and its timing and circumstances benefited the wrong parties. That's because the Netanyahu government (in all fairness, like many of its predecessors) seems to do the right thing only under heavy pressure.

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Why deport a friend to Middle East peace?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Gonen ben Itzhak, Mosab Hassan Yousef - June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

Ours is an unlikely friendship. One of us (Gonen ben Itzhak) is an Israeli, the son of a retired Israel Defense Forces (IDF) general who was in charge of defeating the first intifada some 20 years ago. One of us (Mosab Hassan Yousef) is a Palestinian, the son of a founder of Hamas whose father was one of the leaders of that intifada. The Palestinians' goal for the intifada was to elevate their cause. Israel sought to keep violence down and protect its citizens. Today we are sacrificing everything -- possibly even our lives -- to build a bridge of peace between our peoples.

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At White House, Obama and Saudi king discuss Guantanamo, Mideast peace process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Anne E. Kornblut - June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

Broaching a sensitive subject, President Obama assured the visiting king of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that he remains committed to closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a continuing source of friction between their governments. A year after a reportedly rocky first meeting in Riyadh, Obama and King Abdullah held a brief, joint appearance before reporters in the Oval Office following lunch. Making ritual affirmations about the close ties between their two countries, the leaders said they discussed recently approved sanctions against Iran as well as the war in Afghanistan.

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Israel doesn't seem to want to really probe Gaza flotilla raid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Ze'ev Segal - (Analysis) June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

If former Supreme Court justice Jacob Turkel indeed resigns from the panel he heads, which is investigating the raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, he will be taking a step necessitated by both the committee's lack of investigatory powers to conduct a serious probe and its limited mandate. As things stand now, the committee is barred from examining the government's preparations for the flotilla's arrival.

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Israelis, Palestinians hopeful, cautious about peace prospects: poll
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, June 29 (Xinhua) -- A just-released local poll showed that Israelis and Palestinians appear ready and increasingly willing to compromise for a peaceful resolution of their conflict. Both sides, however, remain pessimistic about prospects for peace, according to the results of the joint survey, a statement sent to Xinhua said. The research was carried out by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah.

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The Real Palestinian Revolution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Thomas L. Friedman - (Opinion) June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

Pssssst. I’ve got a stock tip. Ready? The Al-Quds Index. What’s that? It’s the P.S.E., or Palestine Securities Exchange. Based in Nablus, in the West Bank, the Al-Quds Index has actually been having a solid year — and therein lies a tale.

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June 29th

Richard Cohen says Hamas is hurting the Palestinian cause. An Israeli court sentences a Palestinian to life in prison. 10 Jordan Valley families are given 24 hours before their homes will be demolished. Palestinian officials seek to build ties with Jewish American leaders. Palestinians say progress on security, borders and settlements are key to direct negotiations. Israeli shelling kills a Palestinian in eastern Gaza. Palestinians launch a shop-two-shop settlement goods boycott campaign. FM Lieberman says there is no chance for a Palestinian state before 2012. The US is reportedly frustrated with Israel's positions at proximity talks. Ha'aretz says the power plant issue shows Hamas does not have Gazan's best interests at heart. The Jerusalem Post profiles the head of the so-called “Islamic movement” in Israel. The Independent profiles a Palestinian man struggling to retain his Jerusalem residency. Emile Hokayem says Lebanon mistreats Palestinian refugees. PLO officials say disbanding the PA is a possibility. Ghassan Khatib and Omar Shaban both say the siege of Gaza must be lifted completely.

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