July 6th

Sabotaging Freedom Flotilla II ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English by Richard Falk - (Opinion) July 2, 2011 - 12:00am The reports that two of the foreign flagged ships planning to be part of the ten vessel Freedom Flotilla II experienced similar forms of disabling sabotage creates strong circumstantial evidence of Israeli responsibility. » Read more

UN: Israel used unnecessary force against protesters on Nakba Day ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - July 6, 2011 - 12:00am A new report of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is highly critical of Israel for its handling of incidents on the border with Lebanon on May 15 - Nakba Day. It concludes that the Israeli soldiers used disproportionate force against Lebanese demonstrators, which resulted in seven deaths. In Israel there is great anger at the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, who authored the report, and the Foreign Affairs Ministry is cutting contact with him until further notice. » Read more

Boat People ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Slate by Christopher Hitchens - (Opinion) July 4, 2011 - 12:00am The tale of the Gaza "flotilla" seems set to become a regular summer feature, bobbing along happily on the inside pages with an occasional update. A nice sidebar for reporters covering the Greek debt crisis: a built-in mild tension of "will they, won't they?"; a cast of not very colorful characters but one we almost begin to feel we know personally. Such cheery and breezy slogans—"the audacity of hope" and "free Gaza"—and such an easy storyline that it practically writes itself. » Read more

Palestine UN membership a debate for Council in July ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet by Megan Davies - July 6, 2011 - 12:00am The U.N. Security Council plans to discuss in July the possibility of Palestine becoming a United Nations member state, the Security Council president said on Tuesday. The Arab League has said it would request U.N. membership for a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital at the U.N. General Assembly in September. An open debate on the Middle East has been scheduled for July 26 according to a provisional calendar for the Security Council for July. » Read more

Analysis: Gaza flotilla a foretaste of future diplomatic furor ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Crispian Balmer - (Analysis) July 5, 2011 - 12:00am The diplomatic maneuvering that snarled the Gaza initiative pales in comparison with the behind-the-scenes tussles surrounding a unilateral drive by the Palestinians to secure United Nations' recognition of statehood this September. While Israel has won this first round, the stakes will be much higher in the months ahead, with the possibility of chaos in the Palestinian Territories if politicians mess it up. » Read more

Netanyahu orders block of pro-Palestinian 'fly-in' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet by Maayan Lubell - July 6, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered authorities on Wednesday to block entry of pro-Palestinian activists planning to travel to Tel Aviv over the weekend in a protest "fly-in". Netanyahu ordered the internal security minister and the immigration authority to "act with determination, while trying to avoid unnecessary friction" with anyone taking part in what he termed a provocation, a statement from his office said. Pro-Palestinian websites have called in recent weeks on activists to fly to Israel on July 8 to protest against its policy toward Palestinians. » Read more

From standoffs to reforms, Arab Spring faces tests ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Osama Al-Sharif - (Opinion) July 5, 2011 - 12:00am THE Arab Spring is devolving into a prolonged and sweltering summer with political or military deadlocks perching over Libya, Yemen, Syria and even Egypt and Tunisia where popular uprisings earlier this year have toppled ruling regimes. And even in countries that have managed to avoid public protests the situation is not much better. In fact the region has never looked so engulfed in challenges, and so far only few Arab governments recognize that a major geopolitical shift is taking place. » Read more

Israel arrests raise specter of rabbis vs state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Marius Schattner - July 5, 2011 - 12:00am Challenges to Israel's justice system by a small group of ultra-nationalist rabbis have raised the specter of theocracy in Israel, where religion is deeply intertwined with affairs of state. Over the past week, police have detained, questioned and released two very influential rabbis as part of an ongoing investigation into a banned book called "The King's Torah," which justifies killing non-Jews under certain circumstances. The arrests have sparked violent protests and a raging debate about whether rabbis are above the law, and about the limits of religious freedom of expression. » Read more

Gaza flotillas have made a difference ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Adam Shapiro - (Opinion) July 6, 2011 - 12:00am As ships continue preparing to depart for Gaza from Greece and as the Greek government continues to serve as the Israeli ‘call centre’ for outsourcing the blockade of 1.6 million Palestinians in Gaza, the myth continues to perpetuate that ‘established channels’ should be used to reach Gaza. » Read more

PA: Efforts ongoing to overcome finance crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 6, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian Authority cabinet asserted Tuesday that cooperation at a national level would overcome a financial crisis. During their weekly session in Ramallah, cabinet ministers, and premier Salam Fayyad, promised to do their best to overcome the crisis which has threatened the salaries of civil servants. They applauded banks and other institutions for being considerate to civil servants’ conditions. » Read more