June 28th

Hope for more involvement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times (Editorial) June 27, 2012 - 12:00am The visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Jordan for talks with His Majesty King Abdullah came at an interesting time in the region. Egypt has a new, Islamist, president, the Arab Spring has swept over some Arab countries and is at the doorstep of others, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still simmering, with no solution in sight, and the situation in Syria is getting from bad to worse. » Read more

Egyptian officials sentenced over Israel gas deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News June 28, 2012 - 12:00am Egypt's former Oil Minister Samih Fahmi and a fugitive businessman, Hussein Salem, have been sentenced to 15 years in prison for their role in a gas export deal to Israel. Ten other former high-ranking oil and gas officials also reportedly received shorter jail sentences. The agreement, which supplied Israel with 40% of its natural gas at below market prices, was scrapped in April. It was backed by the old government, but was widely unpopular in Egypt. » Read more

'Israel persuaded Russia not to sell Syria missiles' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Yaakov Katz - June 28, 2012 - 12:00am Israel played a role in influencing Russia to cancel its sale of the S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria, Army Radio quoted Defense Minister Ehud Barak as saying Thursday. Russia suspended the sale of the advanced system to Syria in what could be an outcome of President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Israel earlier this week. Both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres discussed the issue of Syria with the Russian leader during his short stay in Israel. » Read more

The naivety of Israeli television ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Diana Mukkaled - (Opinion) June 28, 2012 - 12:00am Those loyal to the Syrian regime will have snapped up the free gift recently given to them by Israeli television. An Israeli channel has aired a short film featuring individuals described as “activists” engaging in a risky venture by entering “hostile” land to provide assistance to Syrian refugees. The film begins with the following words: “al-Assad slaughters the Syrians. While the world remains silent, there are those who do something…the Israelis”. » Read more

Hamas ministry to broadcast 'confessions of collaborators' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 28, 2012 - 12:00am The Interior Ministry in Gaza announced Thursday that it will broadcast confessions of Palestinians who collaborated with Israeli intelligence. The ministry will release video footage of collaborators' confessions on Thursday evening on its website and other outlets, it said in a statement. » Read more

For Israelis, Palestinian oppression is out of sight and out of mind ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Alon Liel - (Opinion) June 27, 2012 - 12:00am The Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems more stuck than ever. In the present stalemate, recent efforts by several foreign governments – including South Africa and Denmark – to insist on a clear distinction between products originating in Israel and those from settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are significant. These efforts can help pave the way to peace. » Read more

Israel allocates 90 mln USD for infrastructure repair in Arab towns ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 28, 2012 - 12:00am Following decades of administrative neglect, the Israeli government announced on Thursday the allocation of 355 million shekels (90 million U.S. dollars) to repair collapsing sewer and water treatment infrastructures in Arab towns nationwide. Israeli Energy and Water Resources Minister, Uzi Landau, said his ministry had reached an agreement with the Treasury to increase budgets and grants for new sewer systems and waste treatment plants, according to the Ha'aretz daily. » Read more

Hamas urges Abbas not to meet with Israeli deputy PM ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 28, 2012 - 12:00am Islamic Hamas movement on Thursday urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas not to receive Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz. The meeting between two leaders, which is scheduled on Sunday in the West Bank city of Ramallah, will be the first time in years that Abbas meet a senior Israeli official, especially since the peace talks between the two sides stalled in 2010. "This meeting benefits only Israel," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, Abbas' bitter rival which governs the Gaza Strip. » Read more

New Gaza policy needed ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Giora Eiland - (Opinion) June 27, 2012 - 12:00am The time-out between the latest round of fighting and the one to follow allows us to undertake a strategic assessment of our Gaza policy. Ever since Operation Cast Lead, and especially in recent months, we are managing the struggle using only tactical means. In this framework, we aim to identify the organization that fired at us and then target the rocket launchers. » Read more

Israeli research attempts to "inoculate" soldiers against trauma ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 28, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli scientists are working on a new pre-battlefield treatment which could prevent soldiers from later developing Post Traumatic Anxiety Disorder (PTSD), local media reported on Thursday. According to Tel Aviv University's Talma Hendler and officials at the Functional Brain Center at the city's Ichilov Hospital, the "neurofeedback" method is aimed at teaching the subjects how to gradually change their brain's reaction to a traumatic experience. » Read more