June 28th

Militants set fire to U.N. summer camp in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Mohammed Assadi - June 28, 2010 - 12:00am Masked Palestinian gunmen set fire to a U.N.-run summer camp in Gaza on Monday, officials and witnesses said, the second time in recent weeks that militants have attacked a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) children's camp in the Hamas-controlled territory. About 25 militants stormed the recreation facility and assaulted security guards before setting the building on fire, U.N. spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said. In May, gunmen set a building on fire after accusing the United Nations of promoting immorality in the Islamist-ruled enclave. » Read more

Racing Palestinian girls speed into record books ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Diaa Hadid - June 28, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian women are speeding into the record books by competing on an all-female car racing team — the Speed Sisters. Along the way, they're crashing through another gender barrier in this conservative Muslim society. The eight women have entered a popular race called "Speed Test." Souped-up cars race around a track, weaving their way around obstacles and spinning circles around others. The all-female team is a first for the event. » Read more

Report: Turkey closes airspace to Israel military following Gaza flotilla raid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press June 28, 2010 - 12:00am Turkey has closed its airspace to Israeli military flights following a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, the Turkish prime minister and officials said Monday. Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Toronto that Turkey imposed the ban after the May 31 raid on a Turkish ship that was part of a six-vessel international aid flotilla, according to the state-run Anatolia news agency. The prime minister, who is in Canada to attend a summit of the Group of 20 major industrial and developing nations, did not elaborate. » Read more

Palestinian says women's rights forgotten in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - (Interview) June 28, 2010 - 12:00am Naila Ayesh's path to becoming a Muslim activist for women's rights began when she miscarried in an Israeli detention center in 1987 after being arrested for belonging to a Palestinian student union. Today Ayesh, 49, founder of the Gaza Strip-based Women's Affairs Center, has become one of the only feminist voices in the seaside territory that was seized three years ago by Hamas, an armed Palestinian group that aspires to impose Islamic law. » Read more

Gaza banks to close following forced cash withdrawal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 28, 2010 - 12:00am The Palestinian Monetary Authority and the Banking Association in Gaza made a joint call to close all financial institutions at 11am on Monday, in anger over a forced withdrawal by Hamas police the day before. The statement said Gaza government police had stolen cash from the Bank of Palestine, though Gaza leaders said the withdrawal was based on a local court ruling, overturning the PMA decision to freeze the accounts of a local charity. » Read more

We won't relinquish the enemy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) June 28, 2010 - 12:00am The Americans are once again disturbing our peace with their "peace process," and are already talking about continuing the settlement construction freeze. Everything was so simple with the three "no"s of Khartoum from September 1967: No peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel and no negotiations with Israel. The Palestine Liberation Organization's armed conflict did cost us lives, but there's need to talk peace with terrorists. When the Arabs refused to recognize us it was 10 times more convenient to settle, to annex and to assassinate. » Read more

Abbas 'waiting for answers' on Israel talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 28, 2010 - 12:00am Positive answers from Israel "will encourage us to go into direct talks," President Mahmud Abbas said Monday, describing the status of proximity discussions with Israel under US mediation. Government-run news service WAFA said Abbas made the comment during ceremony opening a PA construction project in Ramallah. He said PLO officials had made their demands clear over borders and responded to Israeli concerns over security, and await the Israeli response from Middle East Peace envoy for the United States George Mitchell. » Read more

Construction at Sheikh Jarrah begins ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ronen Medzini - June 28, 2010 - 12:00am Construction in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah began Sunday, just a few days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to meet with the US president. The controversial construction plans, set at the site of the Shepherd Hotel, surfaced on the eve of Netanyahu's previous meeting with Barack Obama three months ago, embarrassing the Israeli government. Channel 10 reported Sunday that bulldozers had already arrived at the site, intended for 20 new Jewish homes. » Read more

UNRWA criticizes Palestinian infighting ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press June 28, 2010 - 12:00am The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) called on the different Palestinian factions Sunday to stop the infighting in order to solve a developing electricity crisis in Hamas-run Gaza. "It is such a tragedy that, on top of all the other crises that we have in the Gaza Strip, we now have a crisis of electricity," John Ging, director of UNRWA in Gaza, was quoted by AFP as saying. » Read more

Israeli Ambassador Oren denies statement of 'rift' with U.S., despite reports ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Glenn Kessler - June 28, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren denied Sunday that he had told Israeli diplomats a "tectonic rift" was emerging between the United States and Israel -- incendiary words first reported in the Israeli press and then repeated in media outlets around the globe. » Read more