June 11th

Pres. Abbas continues his Washington trip with a speech at Brookings. Under international pressure, Israel is looking for new Gaza policy. Roger Cohen says Israel is retreating into an uncompromising “rump Zionism.” Controversy continues over the PA decision to postpone municipal elections, but Hamas welcomes the move. PM Fayyad says the Gaza crossings should be opened according to the 2005 agreement. Special Envoy Mitchell is set to lead another round of proximity talks. New footage of the flotilla attack bolsters aspects of both narratives. Israel says the captain of the ship tried to prevent violence. Ephraim Sneh says the solution is an end to Hamas rule in Gaza. BBC reporter Tim Franks talks about his experiences. Chris Patten says the EU must be more assertive. Israelis push back against the PA settlement goods boycott. At a meeting with US Jewish leaders, Abbas recognizes Jewish ties to the land of Israel. Osman Mirghani says Pres. Obama's Cairo speech was another victim of the flotilla attack. Patrick Seale says Israel is facing a formidable coalition of Iran, Turkey and Syria. Hussein Ibish asks where Israel is taking the occupation.

Tel Aviv faces a formidable Middle East coalition
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Patrick Seale - (Opinion) June 11, 2010 - 12:00am

A formidable coalition against Israel is taking shape in the Greater Middle East. At its core are Turkey, Iran and Syria, three countries harbouring bitter grievances against the Jewish state. They are determined to hold in check Israel's military power and force it to change course.

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The Hidden Victim of Israeli Piracy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Osman Mirghani - (Opinion) June 11, 2010 - 12:00am

In addition to the nine victims who were killed by Israeli bullets in the attack on the Freedom Flotilla there was also a tenth victim who was buried in silence. The attack on the Turkish ship took place four days before the first anniversary of President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo in which he defined the necessary fundamentals for a new beginning between the US and Muslims around the world.

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Abbas: Quran Recognizes Jewish Ties to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - June 11, 2010 - 12:00am

The Quran itself, Islam’s holy book, recognizes the Jews’ historic ties to the land of Israel, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told a group of American Jewish leaders at a June 10 meeting in Washington. “He made clear that the Jews have a historic connection to the land and said the Quran is full of references to that,” said David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who attended the event. “I think it was important because people don’t hear these kinds of statements from an Arab leader every day.”

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Israel plans to send bill to Palestinians over boycotts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Catrina Stewart - June 11, 2010 - 12:00am

What do The Pixies, Elvis Costello, and Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, have in common? A cursory glance might suggest not much yet all have deeply irked Israel. When Mr Fayyad first embarked on a door-to-door campaign to persuade Palestinians to shun all products made by Jewish settlers, the Israeli public simply shrugged. But when veteran crooner Costello peered into his conscience and pulled a scheduled appearance in Tel Aviv, Israelis sat up and took notice.

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The EU must show real courage on the Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Chris Patten - (Opinion) June 11, 2010 - 12:00am

Today's miserable standoff in the Middle East requires new initiatives. The short-term failure of Israeli policies has concentrated global attention on their blockade of Gaza rather than on Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons. The long-term failure has rendered increasingly difficult a two-state solution as Palestine is broken up into barriered Bantustans.

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Remaining impartial in the Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Tim Franks - (Opinion) June 11, 2010 - 12:00am

First an admission: I am a Jew, and a journalist. And now an apology: I hate the solipsistic writing I am about to be guilty of, where the journalist puts himself at the centre of the story. But let me try to explain. The reason for the admission is that my dual identity - Jew and journalist - has not just been a matter for me these past three-and-a- half years. From the start, it was of apparently burning import for a good number of friends, acquaintances and people whom I had never met.

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A shared strategy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Ephraim Sneh - (Opinion) June 11, 2010 - 12:00am

The cumulative evidence – the Mavi Marmara’s own closed circuit TV coverage and video photos from the actual naval operation – all strengthen the conclusion that the Gaza flotilla was a well-planned provocation. What angers me as an Israeli is that the government walked right into this trap.

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'Nobody denies Jewish history here'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Hilary Leila Krieger - June 11, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas laid out new requirements for moving to direct talks with Israel Thursday, dropping earlier calls for a settlement freeze in favor of progress on borders and security. Specifically, he said he was looking for agreement from the Netanyahu government that the basis for borders would be the 1967 lines with agreed land swaps, an arrangement he said was in place during his direct talks with the previous prime minister, Ehud Olmert.

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Israel, Egypt, PA and Quartet discuss alternatives to Gaza blockade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - June 11, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel, Egypt, the international Quartet of Mideast mediators and the Palestinian Authority have held talks in recent days to try to open further crossings into the Gaza Strip. This regime would supplant the current blockade enforced by Israel and Egypt. Israeli security forces say that the new agreement would have to include the partial opening of at least one more cargo crossing. For the first time in two years, stationing PA policemen at the crossing is being seriously considered.

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