June 6th

Six days in Israel, 45 years ago ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Miko Peled - (Opinion) June 6, 2012 - 12:00am In early June 1967, as I cowered with my mother and sisters in the "safest" room of our house near Jerusalem — the downstairs bathroom — we feared the worst. None of us imagined that the war that had just begun would end in six days. » Read more

PM to head ministerial committee on settlement affairs ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Attila Somfalvi - June 6, 2012 - 12:00am In a move meant to placate right-wing ministers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that he will head a new ministerial committee that would deal with settlement affairs. The announcement was made hours before the Knesset convened to vote on a bill aiming to legalize homes built on contested land in the West Bank. » Read more

Knesset votes down bill to sanction illegal West Bank outposts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis, Oz Rosenberg - June 6, 2012 - 12:00am Israel's Knesset on Wednesday voted down a bill that 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. In a preliminary reading, 69 Knesset members voted against the bill, while 22 voted for it. » Read more

Israeli airstrike injures 2 in Gaza City ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 6, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli warplanes fired on a naval police base in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, injuring two Palestinians. Medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya said two people were evacuated to Shifa hospital, one of whom was in a critical condition. The dawn airstrike hit a naval police post in the Sudaniyya neighborhood of Gaza City, a Ma'an correspondent said. Witnesses also said Israeli fighter jets fired at a poultry farm in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip early Wednesday morning. No injuries have been reported. » Read more

Palestinians agree on electoral system for PLO's parliament ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 6, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Representatives of Palestinian factions agreed Tuesday on the electoral system of the National Council, the parliament of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The agreement opens the door for factions like Hamas and the Islamic jihad to join the PLO, which represents all Palestinians, including those in Diaspora, or exile. The factions reached the deal during two days of discussions in Amman, Jordan, a statement said. » Read more

The Netanyahu government and the Arab stereotype ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Carlo Strenger - (Blog) June 6, 2012 - 12:00am It used to be an old Jewish habit to try to understand our surroundings. One reason was curiosity; the other was to figure out whether current events are good for the Jews or not – because this allowed Jews to survive under often very difficult circumstances. The first motivation is certainly laudable; the second reflects good old prudence. » Read more

Ministry: Fishermen detained off Gaza coast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 6, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces arrested three fishermen off the coast of the Rafah beach near the Palestinian-Egyptian border, the local ministry of agriculture said Wednesday. The workers were on a fishing boat when Israeli navy forces detained them and took them to an unknown location, the fisheries directorate within the ministry said in a statement. The fishermen were identified as Mohammad Ali Sultan, Ismael Ali Sultan and Sami al-Naddi from Rafah. » Read more

Invest in Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Allison Good - (Opinion) June 5, 2012 - 12:00am Israel's top brass made much ado about the peace process during the International Institute for Security Studies conference last week. “This is an opportunity to advance the peace process, an opportunity which may not repeat itself, in my opinion, in the next ten years,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said about his 94-member Knesset coalition. Netanyahu can invoke historic conditions all he wants, but the numbers are in, and a Palestinian state, if declared in the near future, would be economically unsustainable. » Read more

Israeli guards attack Palestinian prisoners: official ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 6, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Israeli prison guards attacked Palestinians held at Ramon prison in southern Israel Wednesday, leaving several detainees with bruises and difficulties in breathing, a Palestinian official said. Eissa Qaraqe', the Palestinian minister of prisoners affairs, said the Israeli forces broke into the fourth section of the prison, where 120 prisoners are held. » Read more

Israeli parliament rejects attempt to save outpost ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Josef Federman - June 6, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Israel's parliament has rejected an attempt by hardline lawmakers to prevent the demolition of an illegal West Bank outpost. The vote could set the stage for a showdown between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and hardline Jewish settlers and their supporters in his government. » Read more