INTERVIEW-Turkey's saves ire for Israel, concern for Syria
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet
by Tulay Karadeniz - (Interview) May 30, 2011 - 12:00am

Democratic governments cannot stop their citizens launching another pro-Palestinian flotilla to Gaza, Turkey's foreign minister said on Monday, a year after the storming of an aid ship by Israeli marines. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Friday for activists to be discouraged from again setting sail for Gaza, but Ahmet Davutoglu said it was not within the authority of a democracy to prevent private challenges to an illegal blockade. "No democratic country can think that they have full control over these NGOs (non-government organisations)," he said.

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Palestinian makes artistic mark on passports
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet
by Jihan Abdalla - (Analysis) May 30, 2011 - 12:00am

It is like no other passport control on earth. No stern official sitting behind a glass wall, no scanning of travel documents, no terse questions about where you are going. Instead, a lone artist greets arriving visitors and politely asks them if they would like an entry stamp. Living in occupied territory, the Palestinians do not have the right to set up their own frontier controls. Anyone who passes through Israeli checkpoints is swiftly absorbed into the bustling streets of West Bank cities like Ramallah.

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Gaza activists warn Israel not to block new convoy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet
May 30, 2011 - 12:00am

Pro-Palestinian activists told Israel on Monday not to interfere in a planned aid flotilla to Gaza in late June, barely a year after Israeli commandos boarded an aid ship killing eight Turks and one Turkish-American. Holding a news conference on the deck of the Mavi Marmara where the May 31 2010 confrontation occurred, a coalition of 22 activist groups called on governments to ensure there was no re-run of the incident.

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The Virtues of Folding
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) May 30, 2011 - 12:00am

"She crumbled," ace detective Phillip Marlowe observed in one of the greatest lines in Raymond Chandler's classic 1939 novel The Big Sleep, "like a new bride's pie crust." And so, come to think of it, has the Obama administration's approach to Arab-Israeli peacemaking. Thirty months in, a self-styled transformative president with big ideas and ambitions as a peacemaker finds himself with no negotiations, no peace process, no relationship with an Israeli prime minister, no traction with Palestinians, and no strategy to achieve a breakthrough.

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Prayer, politics collide on midnight pilgrimage
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - May 31, 2011 - 12:00am

A modest stone building holy to Jews in the midst of this Arab city is becoming an increasingly volatile friction point, drawing growing numbers of pilgrims on nighttime prayer visits, unnerving Palestinian residents and putting Israel's military into conflict with some of the worshippers it is meant to protect. The monthly trips by religious Jews to this largely hostile city, coordinated with Palestinian security forces, emphasize the complexity of the Holy Land's religious landscape and the sometimes deadly intersection of the sacred and the political.

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New generation of Palestinian jihadists challenges Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Globe and Mail
by Patrick Martin - (Analysis) May 29, 2011 - 12:00am

The towering Ibn Taymiyyah Mosque, a white stucco building with blue glass, stands within sight of the Egyptian border, close to Rafah's infamous tunnels that supplied Gaza with food and arms over the past five years. The mosque is named for the 14th century Muslim scholar who combined a love of jihad with a hatred of anything unorthodox. This is the community from which Hamas sprang, where the Muslim Brotherhood ruled the roost under men such as Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the blind paraplegic preacher, and where devoted Hamas youths stared down Israeli tanks.

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Fayyad: State will be on 1967 borders
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 31, 2011 - 12:00am

Ramallah Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Monday that the Palestinian state would be established on all territories occupied in 1967. "On 1967 territories, there are no disputed areas. There is no A, B, or C area, nor are there H1 or H2 zones. It is all Palestinian territory that has been occupied since 1967," Fayyad said. "The independent Palestinian state will be on all these territories including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Palestine."

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Abbas in Egypt for talks with military leader
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 30, 2011 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas was in Egypt on Monday for talks with the country's de facto head of state on efforts to seek UN recognition for a Palestinian state, a military source said. Abbas briefed Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi -- who heads the military council in power since president Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February -- on his recent trip to Doha.

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3 killed in blast at Gaza training camp
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 31, 2011 - 12:00am

Three men were killed Tuesday in an explosion at a resistance training ground in the southern Gaza Strip. Popular Resistance Committees spokesman Abu Mujahid told Ma'an that three men affiliated with the group were killed in a blast at the Abu Ataya training ground in Tel Sultan, west of Rafah. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion but the Israeli military said it was not responsible. Abu Mujahid identified those killed as Younis Abu An-Naja, Ramzi Abu Harb, and Mahmoud Al-Arqan.

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May 27th

Despite Israeli objections, Egypt will open its border with Gaza. The New York Times says bold ideas are required to salvage the peace process. Charles Krauthammer claims Pres. Obama has abandoned Israel, but William Quant says both sides lost out. Hussein Ibish looks at the demand for Palestinians to recognize Israel as a "Jewish state." Robert Satloff explains Israel's objections to Obama's positions. Tony Blair warns extremists could exploit the lack of a peace process. Israel focuses on weapon smuggling by sea. Analysts say PM Netanyahu has strengthened his right-wing coalition. The former head of Mossad says Israeli attempts to block a Palestinian statehood bid at the UN would backfire. The latest G8 statement does not mention 1967 borders. Yoel Marcus says Israel cannot survive more "victories" like Netanyahu's Washington trip, and Yossi Verter says any sense of triumph will be short-lived. Alon Ben-Meir says Netanyahu's positions jeopardize Israel's security. A new study estimates the value of Israeli settlements at $18.8 billion. Former PM Olmert says bold moves, not speeches, are required for peace. Orly Azoulay says Netanyahu missed an opportunity, D. Bloomfield also criticizes his performance, and Matt Duss says it made the Palestinian case. A new poll shows only 12% of Jewish Israelis think Obama is pro-Israel. The BBC profiles the West Bank economy. Israeli military paramedics help Palestinians. Netanyahu and his supporters appear pleased with his US trip. Patrick Seale says Obama shows no signs of acting on peace. George Hishmeh says Pres. Abbas should be invited to address Congress. Uri Avnery says Palestinians should go ahead with their UN plans. Raghida Dergham says the Arab response should focus on the API. ATFP Executive Director Ghaith al-Omari and WINEP's David Makovsky promote respectful dialogue at UCLA.

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