June 10th

Conflict with Palestinians damages Israeli economy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by David Harris - June 10, 2010 - 12:00am Israel's ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories is damaging the economy of the Jewish state, said a report published on Tuesday by the Adva Center for Information on Equality and Social Justice in Israel. The document, entitled the Cost of the Conflict, is the latest in a series of reports, which is published once every two years. Perhaps the main conclusion of its author, Adva's academic manager Shlomo Swirski, is that Israel's three-week military operation in and around the Gaza Strip 18 months ago cost the country dear. » Read more

Forging Palestinian unity tough task, even for Turkey ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Tom Perry - June 10, 2010 - 12:00am The prospect of Israel easing its blockade of Gaza has generated new pressure on Fatah and Hamas to end their feud, but the chances of the rival factions restoring Palestinian unity soon appear faint. Turkey, seeking to build on the kudos it has won among Arabs for challenging the blockade, has offered to mediate between the rivals and its prime minister has said the division must end. "For the peace in Palestine, it is necessary to overcome the problems between Fatah and Hamas," Tayyip Erdogan said this week. "There shouldn't be divisions anymore, there can't be." » Read more

Israel and Its Liberal 'Friends' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal by Bret Stephens - (Opinion) June 10, 2010 - 12:00am Questions for liberals: What does it mean to be a friend of Israel? What does it mean to be a friend of the Palestinians? And should the same standards of friendship apply to Israelis and Palestinians alike, or is there a double standard here as well? » Read more

Rift between Israel and the United States: Flotilla incident didn't help ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Walter Rodgers - June 10, 2010 - 12:00am It is difficult to recall a time when relations between a sitting US president and the Jewish state of Israel have been uglier. The embarrassing and deadly raid by not-so-crack Israeli commandos on Gaza-bound relief ships May 31 only further demonstrates how badly the American president is constrained because of his earlier jagged ties with the government of Israel and with angry, right-wing American Jews. The Obama administration was painfully aware of just how abysmal relations with Israel had become even before the confrontation at sea. » Read more

Why Israel ignores global criticism of Gaza flotilla raid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - June 10, 2010 - 12:00am Five decades ago, while debating an offensive against Gaza militants, Israel's founding prime minister, David Ben Gurion, is said to have discounted United Nations intervention with a now famous Hebrew quip: "oom shmoom." Rough translation: "UN is nothing." In the face of an international uproar over the May 31 Israeli commando raid of a Gaza aid flotilla that left nine Turks dead, a similar disdain for the global community has resurfaced here. » Read more

Israel eases Gaza embargo on food, other goods ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - June 10, 2010 - 12:00am Let them eat cake — well, at least cookies, potato chips and jam. That's how many here viewed Israel's relaxation of border restrictions to permit a variety of new items into Gaza Strip. The list, announced Wednesday, includes soda, juice, jam, shaving cream, potato chips, cookies, candy and a variety of herbs, including coriander. Israel's move impressed almost no one in this impoverished seaside territory. Some accused Israel of tossing them a few scraps to score points with the outside world. » Read more

Obama calls for new approach on Gaza blockade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Michael D. Shear - June 10, 2010 - 12:00am President Obama called Wednesday for a "new conceptual framework" to replace Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, saying he thinks the effort should be narrowed to focus only on arms shipments. Obama said a new blockade could target the weapons that Israel says are being used against its citizens, "rather than focusing in a blanket way on stopping everything and then, in a piecemeal way, allowing things into Gaza." » Read more

Israel Without Clichés ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Tony Judt - (Opinion) June 10, 2010 - 12:00am The Israeli raid on the Free Gaza flotilla has generated an outpouring of clichés from the usual suspects. It is almost impossible to discuss the Middle East without resorting to tired accusations and ritual defenses: perhaps a little house cleaning is in order. No. 1: Israel is being/should be delegitimized » Read more

Obama Pledges New Aid to Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Helene Cooper, Isabel Kershner - June 10, 2010 - 12:00am President Obama urged the Israeli government to loosen its blockade of Gaza on Wednesday, as the United States continued to scramble to find a way out of the stalemate in the Middle East and address the outcry over Israel’s deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla last week. » Read more

President Obama to Mahmoud Abbas: Engage in talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico by Kendra Marr, Laura Rozen - June 10, 2010 - 12:00am Ten days after an Israeli operation to intercept a Gaza aid flotilla left nine dead and sparked international outrage, President Barack Obama met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House Wednesday and encouraged him to engage in direct talks with Israel. » Read more