President Peres awarded Medal of Freedom ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yitzhak Benhorin - June 14, 2012 - 12:00am President Shimon Peres was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Wednesday – the highest civilian award the United States government can bestow upon an individual. In a gala dinner held in Washington in Peres' honor, US President Barack Obama praised the Israeli president's legacy and efforts on behalf of peace. » Read more

Israel court acquits Palestinian teens of East Jerusalem firebomb attack ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Oz Rosenberg - June 14, 2012 - 12:00am Five East Jerusalem teenagers were acquitted on Wednesday of throwing rocks and firebombs - but only after having spent a year and a quarter in jail or under house arrest. » Read more

After striking down bill to legalize neighborhood, Netanyahu vows to expand West Bank settlement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis, Barak Ravid, Oz Rosenberg - June 6, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded on Wednesday to the Knesset meeting in which a bill aimed at legalizing homes on the Ulpana Hill neighborhood in the West Bank settlement of Beit El - which were built on privately owned Palestinian land – was voted down. Speaking at a press conference, Netanyahu criticized organizations that had petitioned Israel’s High Court over the matter, stating that “those who think they use the legal system to harm the settlements are mistaken, since the opposite is actually taking place.” » Read more

Make a choice: Settlements or democracy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Tal Harris - (Opinion) June 13, 2012 - 12:00am The events surrounding last week’s Knesset vote on the illegal Ulpana outpost seemed like a vindication of Israeli democracy for many of its citizens. The Supreme Court ruling to evacuate 30 families living on Palestinian land was upheld, as was the notion that Israel’s democracy and the rule of law can exist side by side with its expanding presence in the West Bank. This is fiction. » Read more

Hamas govt: No peace with secularism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 14, 2012 - 12:00am Islamic rule will prevail and will not make peace with secularism, the Interior Minister in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said Wednesday. "There will be no peace with secularism. The only peace is first with God, then with Jihad, then with resistance, then with the people and with martyrs," Fathi Hammad said. » Read more

Why the world shouldn't support UNRWA ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Israel Harel - (Opinion) June 14, 2012 - 12:00am Five million Palestinians define themselves as refugees. They insist on festering away in camps, at the international community's expense, while holding fast to their main dream: returning to the towns and villages from which their ancestors fled or were expelled. Their ambition to realize this dream - which is a major stumbling block to ever ending the conflict - is made possible by the unending aid they have received for more than 60 years now from the UN Relief and Works Agency. » Read more

Gaza sniper targets Israeli farmer, as shooting attacks increase ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 14, 2012 - 12:00am A Palestinian sniper in the Gaza Strip on Thursday opened fire at an Israeli farmer in a community bordering the coastal enclave, the army told Xinhua. The farmer, who was unharmed in the attack, took cover behind a vehicle, which sustained damage in the shooting, according to Army radio. Troops in the vicinity returned deterrent fire, but it was unclear if the gunmen was hit. » Read more

Gaza blockade threatens two-state solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 14, 2012 - 12:00am Israel's 5-year blockade of the Gaza Strip has compromised the two-state solution in ways which will be difficult to reverse, an Israeli legal rights group has warned. "Gaza’s connections with Israel and the West Bank, vital for its economy and the welfare of its residents, are still subject to sweeping restrictions on movement," Gisha said in its latest report. » Read more

The affable face of evil ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) June 14, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli evil wears many faces these days. There are the rude, the crude and the thuggish, who still manage to generate some heat: When MK Miri Regev goes off on one of her jingoist, gutter-talk rampages - "the 'infiltrators' are a cancer" - some people are still shocked. The same goes for her partner in base incitement, MK Danny Danon, known for spouting his own swinish pearls of wisdom, or Interior Minister Eli Yishai, no piker when it comes to bandying about inflammatory language about crime or about spreading disease. » Read more

Aid groups urge Israel to lift Gaza blockade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Crispian Balmer - June 14, 2012 - 12:00am Fifty international aid groups and United Nations agencies issued a joint appeal on Thursday calling on Israel to lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas Islamists. "For over five years in Gaza, more than 1.6 million people have been under blockade in violation of international law. More than half of these people are children. We the undersigned say with one voice: 'end the blockade now,'" the petition said. » Read more