June 22nd

Veteran Israeli soldiers speak out about service
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 22, 2012 - 12:00am

A group of veteran Israeli soldiers who served in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have spoken out on camera about their experiences in the army. The Israeli organization Breaking the Silence has collected testimonies from 800 veteran Israeli soldiers who served in the West Bank and Gaza. In a new campaign, it has released video testimonies of six former soldiers describing their experiences.

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Ex-U.S. official: American dominance over Mideast peace process is ending
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Allison Kaplan Sommer - (Opinion) June 21, 2012 - 12:00am

The era of U.S. dominance over the Middle East peace process is coming to an end, a former top American official said at the fourth Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem on Thursday, adding that what happens in the Middle East won’t influence the upcoming U.S. presidential elections.

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Israeli synagogue vandalized with Arabic graffiti days after West Bank mosque torched
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
June 22, 2012 - 12:00am

Israeli police say they are investigating hate graffiti scrawled in Arabic on a synagogue in northern Israel. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the phrase “there is no God but Allah” was sprayed on the outside of the synagogue in Moshav Maor. The graffiti was discovered on Friday morning. He says police are searching for suspects. The vandalism comes days after a mosque in the West Bank was torched and vandalized with Hebrew-language graffiti protesting the Israeli government’s upcoming evacuation of a Jewish outpost in the area.

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IDF chief of staff-turned-vice premier: 'We are not bluffing'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Ari Shavit - (Interview) June 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Exactly seven years ago, I interviewed the chief of staff. On the eve of his retirement from the Israel Defense Forces, Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon spoke with an expressionless face against the Gaza disengagement, against a Palestinian state and against giving terrorism a “tailwind.” He predicted that Hamas would seize control of the Gaza Strip and that rockets would rain down on Israeli cities.

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Foreign powers inciting clashes in Lebanon camps
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Wassim Mroueh - June 22, 2012 - 12:00am

Regional powers are exploiting the hardship of Palestinian refugees in the country in order to spark violence in refugee camps and push their agendas in Lebanon, a top Palestinian official said Thursday. “[Some regional powers] exploited the sufferings of the people of Nahr al-Bared and the fact that they are outraged by the unfinished construction of the camp and strict security measures imposed by the Army,” Azzam al-Ahmad told The Daily Star.

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Israel should wait with peace deal until Mideast unrest ends, former envoy says
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel - (Opinion) June 22, 2012 - 12:00am

For decades Prof. Itamar Rabinovich has studied the Middle East, analyzing Israel's complex status in the region and documenting its attempts to achieve peace with its neighbors. For four years (1993-1996) he himself took an active part in the diplomatic efforts as Israel's ambassador to the United States and head of the Israeli delegation to negotiations with Syria, as Yitzhak Rabin's envoy. (After Rabin's assassination, Rabinovich continued as ambassador under Shimon Peres but not as head of the delegation.)

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Palestinians not to turn their issue into Lebanese dispute
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 22, 2012 - 12:00am

Visiting Palestinian Fatah Central Committee member Azzam Ahmad said Thursday that the Palestinians refuse to turn their issue into an internal Lebanese dispute, the National News Agency reported. Ahmad, in charge of the issue of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, had met with Lebanese Army Commander General Jean Qahaji and House Speaker Nabih Berri since arrival on Thursday.

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Peres: Israel, Palestine must forget bitter past to achieve Mideast peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 22, 2012 - 12:00am

Israeli President Shimon Peres Thursday urged Israel and its foes to put behind a bitter past and look to the future if they desire to achieve peace. "The past is dead. You can't correct it. Focus on the future. You have to take risks," Peres said during a panel discussion at the fourth Israel Presidential Conference in Jerusalem on Thursday.

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More rockets fired into southern Israel from Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 22, 2012 - 12:00am

Two more rockets fired into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip landed in the coastal area of Ashkelon city on Thursday, Israeli media reported. The attack, which caused no casualties and damages, was the latest in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, who rules the Gaza Strip. Early Thursday, two rockets were reportedly landed in southern Israel despite talks of a truce between the two sides. One rocket was intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome rocket-defense system.

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June 21st

NEWS: Egypt reportedly brokers a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, as two more Palestinians are killed under Israeli fire. Israel is considering settling nomadic Bedouins on a landfill. Israel says “all options” are on the table if Western talks with Iran fail. Some Palestinian refugees still dream of returning home after 64 years. The PA fines date dealers for selling settlement products. A new report finds that only 6 percent of public sector employees in Israel are Palestinian citizens of the country. Deputy PM Mofaz says he thinks there's a good chance negotiations with Palestinians will resume soon, and the Obama administration is also reportedly working on renewed talks. Hamas publicly celebrates what it hopes is the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate in the Egyptian presidential election. Palestinians are reportedly interested in a new Israeli technology combining solar and wind generated power. A UN expert criticizes censorship by Israel, the PA and Hamas. Palestinians are seeking to attract more Muslim visitors to the al-Aqsa Mosque. Palestinian refugees in Lebanon work to contain the fallout from recent deadly clashes with the Lebanese military. COMMENTARY: The Washington Post interviews DM Barak and Pres. Peres. Gideon Levy says Hamas and the Israeli government are behaving like kindergartners. Khaled Diab says both principle and pragmatism call for an end to the Gaza blockade. The Forward says the Olympics should honor slain Israeli athletes. Danny Rubinstein looks at the future of the Palestinian high-tech sector. Moriel Rothman looks at the logic behind Israel's planned destruction of a Palestinian village near Hebron.

American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017