June 1st

Palestinians: Three killed in IDF strike on Gaza rocket-launching cell ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Anshel Pfeffer - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am The Israel Air Force on Tuesday attacked a group of Palestinian militants at a rocket-launching site in the Gaza Strip. Three people were killed in the attack, according to Palestinian officials. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed striking Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip. The army said it identified a secondary explosion in the attack. Palestinians said a senior member of the Palestinians Resistance Committees and a woman were killed in the attack. The third fatality has not yet been identified. » Read more

Mossad chief: Israel gradually becoming burden on U.S. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am Mossad Chief Meir Dagan said on Tuesday that Israel is progressively becoming a burden on the United States. "Israel is gradually turning from an asset to the United States to a burden," said Dagan, speaking before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Dagan said that the U.S. government has recently examined the possibility of coercing a settlement on Israel and the Palestinians, but retreated from the idea after realizing it would not lead to a peace agreement. » Read more

Dr. Asali Named to US Presidential Delegation to the Palestine Investment Conference ATFP World Press Roundup Article from June 1, 2010 - 12:00am President Barack Obama today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to Bethlehem to attend the Palestine Investment Conference from June 2-4, 2010. The Honorable George Mitchell, Special Envoy for Middle East Peace will lead the delegation. Members of the Presidential Delegation: The Honorable Neal Wolin, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Mr. Daniel Rubinstein, American Consul General in Jerusalem Mr. Alonzo Fulgham, USAID Chief Operating Officer » Read more

Turkey calls for punishment of Israel for killings ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Jeffrey Heller, Ibon Villelabeitia - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am Turkey called on Tuesday for Israel to be punished for storming a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza in an attack that left nine dead and Israel increasingly isolated in the face of international outrage. Israel detained or deported hundreds of activists who were aboard a flotilla of ships seized en route to the Palestinian enclave which has been under Israeli blockade since 2006. » Read more

PLO calls for isolation of Israel, investigation of attack ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 1, 2010 - 12:00am Ramallah - Ma'an - The Palestinian leadership in Ramallah set out a six-point plan in the wake of Israel's attack on the Freedom Flotilla ships Monday morning, involving calls to isolate Israel and investigate the death of at least 10 activists at top levels. Member at the Fatah Central Committee Mohammed Dahlan said an emergency meeting in Ramallah saw leaders from the PA and the PLO agree to a plan in the face of the military operation, noting that officials "know well how dangerous the situation is," and are prepared to act accordingly. » Read more

Israel's deadly Gaza flotilla raid sparks diplomatic crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am An Israeli naval raid on a flotilla bent on breaking its blockade of the Gaza Strip with a cargo of humanitarian supplies is sparking an international diplomatic crisis for the Jewish state after at least 10 activists were killed and dozens wounded in clashes with soldiers. The Gaza flotilla raid prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel a visit to the White House, while Israeli diplomats were summoned to foreign ministries across Europe. » Read more

Israel flotilla raid deals a blow to ties with Turkey ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Megan K. Stack - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am Turkey, a longtime ally of Israel, recalls its ambassador and calls off joint military exercises as Turks take to the streets in protest. Ties had been deteriorating since the Gaza assault in 2008-09. Israel's raid on an aid flotilla that sailed out of Turkey may have eviscerated, at least for the foreseeable future, any lingering remnants of goodwill among the political elite of Turkey — a country long prized by the Jewish state as its most stalwart Muslim ally. » Read more

The flotilla fiasco ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post (Editorial) June 1, 2010 - 12:00am THE ISRAELI commandos who landed on the deck of the Turkish ferry Mavi Marmara off the coast of the Gaza Strip early Monday were totally unprepared for what they encountered: dozens of militants who swarmed around them with knives and iron bars. The result was a bloody battle in which at least nine passengers were killed -- and a diplomatic debacle for the government of Binyamin Netanyahu. Though the investigations to come will find many to blame, it's already clear that Israel's response to the pro-Palestinian flotilla was both misguided and badly executed. » Read more

Israel says Free Gaza Movement poses threat to Jewish state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Scott Wilson - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am Once viewed only as a political nuisance by Israel's government, the group behind the Gaza aid flotilla has grown since its inception four years ago into a broad international movement that now includes Islamist organizations that Israeli intelligence agencies say pose a security threat to the Jewish state. » Read more

Raid Complicates U.S. Ties and Push for Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner, Helene Cooper - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am WASHINGTON — Israel’s deadly commando raid on Monday on a flotilla trying to break a blockade of Gaza complicated President Obama’s efforts to move ahead on Middle East peace negotiations and introduced a new strain into an already tense relationship between the United States and Israel. » Read more