June 28th

Right evades main issue: Settlements are major obstacle to peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Eric Yoffie - (Opinion) June 28, 2012 - 12:00am


Seth Mandel, responding in the Commentary blog to my article in Haaretz on settlements, does what settlement defenders almost always do: He changes the subject. My article discussed the impact of settlement on American Jewry; talked about why settlement is in fact a major obstacle to peace; and endorsed changes in settlement policy – such as those proposed by Dan Meridor and Alan Dershowitz – that would be good for peace, for Israel, and for strengthening ties with American Jews.


Palestinians in last push for UN nod for Bethlehem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Karin Laub - June 27, 2012 - 12:00am


The Palestinians on Wednesday made a final push to have UNESCO recognize the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the Israeli-controlled West Bank as an endangered World Heritage site, despite misgivings by Christian denominations and a cool response from the U.N. agency.


Death of Hamas official won't stop flow of arms from Iran, Syria to Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - (Opinion) June 28, 2012 - 12:00am


We don't know much about the assassination of Kamel Ranaja in Damascus Wednesday. But from the little information that was obtainable, mostly from Hamas officials, it was orchestrated by professionals. Someone had a group of armed men appear at Ranaja's Damascus home and gun him down. One can only imagine how the assailants took advantage of the turmoil gripping Syria, the clashes between Assad supporters and opposition members and demonstrations, to make it to Ranaja's doorstep and disappear without leaving a trace.


Hamas says the Mossad killed its senior figure
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - June 28, 2012 - 12:00am


A senior Hamas figure has been killed at his home in Damascus, in an operation that the Islamist organisation swiftly attributed to the Israeli intelligence service, the Mossad. Kamel Ranaja, who died on Wednesday night, was reported to be a deputy to Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, who was killed in a Dubai hotel in 2010. The Mossad was widely believed to be behind that assassination. It caused an international furore after Israeli agents were accused of using stolen passports cloned from British, Irish and other citizens to mount the operation.


Hamas says militant assassinated in Damascus
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Ibrahim Barzak - June 28, 2012 - 12:00am


Hamas said Thursday that one of its members was assassinated in his home in the Syrian capital, Damascus. An official in the Palestinian militant movement said Kamal Ghanaja was a former aide to Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior commander who was himself assassinated in Dubai in 2010. The official said Hamas had been informed that a group of people entered Ghanaja's home, killed him and took some files. He said a senior member of the movement has gone to Damascus to follow the official investigations.


June 27th

NEWS: Israeli and Palestinian leaders may meet early next week. Gazans increasingly turn to the ancient technique of cupping therapy. Israeli academics oppose upgrading the status of a settler college in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel slams accusations by Iranian officials that “Jews are behind the global drug trade.” Israel's use of Caterpillar bulldozers in demolitions of Palestinian homes is a factor in getting the company dropped from a socially responsible investment index. Egypt says it will increase the flow of people through the Rafah border crossing. A new poll among Palestinians shows a drop in support for Pres. Abbas. A Hamas commander is convicted by Israel of killing 46 Israelis. FM Lieberman accuses a Palestinian MK of being “a terrorist.” Human rights groups say Israeli security forces threaten the families of detainees. Israel fears the UN might be about to establish a fact-finding mission on its settlement activities. British lawyers report that Israel is subjecting Palestinian children to “a spiral of injustice.” Anti-Israel billboards are taken down in Los Angeles. The National profiles two Palestinian officials key to law enforcement and, according to some, crushing dissent. Israel continues to prevent Palestinian students in Gaza from traveling to the West Bank to complete their education. Israeli officials say they're confident that Egypt will maintain the peace treaty. COMMENTARY: ATFP Pres. Ziad Asali poses a series of questions to one state advocates. Bradley Burston says no form of bigotry is “pro-Israel.” Zalman Shoval says Israel still doesn't have a peace partner in the Palestinian leadership. Ben Caspit says Israel will learn to live with the new Egyptian president.

Israeli official: Egypt likely to preserve peace treaty with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - June 27, 2012 - 12:00am


Newly elected Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is not likely to disavow the peace treaty between the two countries, a senior Israeli defense official said on Tuesday.


Israeli Guns Hold University Degrees Away
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Jillian Kestler-D'Amours - June 27, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM, Jun 26 2012 (IPS) - After more than 25 years spent fighting for women’s rights in the Gaza Strip, Andaleeb Shehadeh is now struggling for the right to complete her university education. “This kind of studies is very important for the women who are active in women’s rights in the Gaza Strip,” the 46-year-old mother of four told IPS. “It’s not offered in Gaza or in the rest of the Middle East.”


Palestinians' enforcers work together 'to crush dissent'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - June 27, 2012 - 12:00am


RAMALLAH // One is a longtime friend of the Palestinian president and stalwart of the powerful Fatah political faction. The other is a high-profile lawyer who once was officially rebuked for corruption. Together, Rafiq Alnatsheh and Ahmad Al Mughani are the face of Palestinian Authority (PA) justice.


Anti-Israel aid billboards are taken down
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
June 26, 2012 - 12:00am


WASHINGTON (JTA) -- A subsidiary of the CBS Corp. removed 23 billboards in the Los Angeles area calling for a stop to U.S. foreign assistance to Israel.



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