Illegal West Bank settlement outpost cleared ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press June 29, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel has finished evacuating some 30 settler families from an illegal West Bank outpost, encountering little resistance, police and the military said Friday. The Ulpana outpost was evacuated in two phases, with the second set of families leaving Thursday night. Police say residents left peacefully, but 15 settlers from outside Ulpana barricaded themselves inside one apartment to protest the eviction. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said officers broke down two doors to remove the resisters and arrested six people. » Read more

UNESCO votes to add Bethlehem holy sites to world heritage list ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 29, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- UNESCO on Friday declared Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and the nearby pilgrimage route World Heritage sites. Thirteen members of the 21-nation World Heritage Committee voted in favor of the Palestinian application, securing exactly the needed number of votes. Two countries abstained and six voted against the bid. "I am delighted," Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki told the conference in St. Petersburg, to rapturous applause. "You have our most gracious thanks." » Read more

Lessons from Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Tania Hary - (Opinion) June 29, 2012 - 12:00am This month, I mark two important events which took place five years ago and changed the course of my life. It has been five years since I moved to Israel from New York and five years since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip and the closure of the enclave tightened. » Read more