June 15th

Why don't we have a 'minister for peace'?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Dan Sagir - (Opinion) June 15, 2012 - 12:00am

As part of the events this week to mark the 30th anniversary of the first Lebanon War, the film "Shtei Etzba'ot Metzidon" (titled "Ricochets" in English ) was screened at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. The 1986 feature film, which was produced by the Israel Defense Forces, faithfully reflects Israel's embroilment in Lebanon. I was pleased that my teenage son agreed to join me for the screening, and to learn a chapter in the contemporary history of Israel and its conflict with the Palestinians.

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Erekat: Abbas to demand release of pre-Oslo prisoners
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 15, 2012 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas will demand the release of 123 long-term prisoners before agreeing to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said Friday. Abbas wants Israel to free 123 prisoners detained before the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, Erekat told Ma'an. Erekat also said Abbas may meet with Israel's deputy prime minister Shaul Mofaz although no date has been set. On Thursday, Mofaz called on for the immediate renewal of peace talks between Abbas and Netanyahu, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

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Israel must end discrimination against Arab college graduates
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) June 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Walid bin Karim, a young architect looking for work at an architecture firm owned by Jews, is the star of a new ad by the Government Advertising Bureau. The spot encourages the employment of Arab college graduates. “What’s wrong with an Israeli Arab in your office?” asks the ad. It provides the answer: Nothing’s wrong.

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Efforts advanced for meeting between Abbas, Netanyahu: officials
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Senior Palestinian officials on Thursday asserted that there are advanced efforts together with Arab intervention and U.S. pressure to hold a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary general of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee, told Voice of Palestine Radio that there are "ideas" discussed to arrange for the meeting, which will be the first in one year and a half to reduce tension between the two sides.

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June 14th

Hamas 'left behind' by Arab Spring
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In The National - June 14, 2012 - 12:00am

When Hamas won control of the Gaza Strip after a brief but vicious round of factional fighting in 2007, it earned a degree of influence unprecedented in its short history. Its clashes with its archrival Fatah that culminated in military victory five years ago today emboldened Islamists, rattled Israel and the West and divided Palestinians between rival leaders in Gaza and the West Bank.

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NEWS: A former Israeli soldier is seeking Palestinian citizenship. An informant for Israel on Hamas is on a speaking tour in Israel. Aid groups and UN agencies urge Israel to lift the blockade of Gaza. The Israeli group Gisha says the Gaza blockade threatens a two-state solution. A Palestinian sniper in Gaza shoots at an Israeli farmer across the border. Hamas' de facto interior minister in Gaza says the organization will never make peace with secularism. PM Netanyahu vows to expand an Israeli settlement. An Israeli court acquits Palestinian youths accused of a firebomb attack in occupied East Jerusalem. Pres. Obama awards Pres. Peres the Medal of Freedom. A former aide to the late Pres. Arafat says Pres. Abbas has $100 million in assets. A new report says water in Gaza is unsafe to drink. The IOC warns that a refusal to compete against Israeli athletes would violate the rules of the Olympic Games. Hamas' popularity is continuing to plummet despite the Arab uprisings. COMMENTARY: Nathan Brown reviews five years of Hamas rule in Gaza. Michael Sfard says Zionism's revival of Hebrew as a spoken language has turned into an insidious instrument of repression. Gideon Levy says some Israeli MKs serve as an “affable face of evil.” Israel Harel says the world should not support UNRWA. Tal Harris and Jonathan Lyndon both separately say Israel must choose between settlements and democracy. Jonathan Rosen says the Israeli government's program to promote employment among Palestinian citizens is only a first step towards equality. Hanan Greenberg says Israel's challenges lie much closer to home than Iran. Dimitris Bouris and Stuart Reigeluth say EU leaders need to move quickly to save a two-state solution in their own interests.

Can the EU save the two-state solution?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from EurActiv.com
by Dimitris Bouris, Stuart Reigeluth - (Opinion) June 14, 2012 - 12:00am

"It has become clear that the window of opportunity for solving the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians is closing. The reasons behind this are several and have to do with both internal and external dynamics.

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Israel's 'Real' Challenges Much Closer Than Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'ariv
by Hanan Greenberg - (Opinion) June 11, 2012 - 12:00am

While all eyes seem to be fixed on Iran, the IDF’s main focus is on threats emerging a car-drive away from Tel Aviv. In a special conversation, the operations officers of the IDF’s four commands tell Maariv about their military activities that involve daily attempts to kidnap soldiers, the escalation of “price-tag” activities (a violent retribution campaign by fundamentalist Israeli youths against Palestinians), the heating up of the Egyptian border and the fragile peace in the north.

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Hamas 'left behind' by Arab Spring
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - June 14, 2012 - 12:00am

When Hamas won control of the Gaza Strip after a brief but vicious round of factional fighting in 2007, it earned a degree of influence unprecedented in its short history. Its clashes with its archrival Fatah that culminated in military victory five years ago today emboldened Islamists, rattled Israel and the West and divided Palestinians between rival leaders in Gaza and the West Bank.

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IOC warns against boycotting Israeli athletes in London
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
June 14, 2012 - 12:00am

The International Olympic Committee warned that a refusal by any participant in next month's Games to compete against an athlete from a particular country is against the IOC's code of ethics. The warning came Thursday in response to an Algerian kayaker who withdrew last month from a World Cup event after learning that he would be competing against an Israeli.

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