Palestinian from Bilin claims beaten by soldiers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - September 17, 2009 - 12:00am A Palestinian from the West Bank village of Bilin claimed Wednesday that Israel Defense Forces soldiers beat him and threatened to treat him like another activist who was shot during an anti-fence rally. Soldiers attending to the incident were confronted by foreign left-wing activists who documented the occurrence. » Read more

At Gaza's only spa, the well-heeled find relief ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) by Joseph Krauss, Mai Yaghi - September 17, 2009 - 12:00am High above the pot-holed streets, donkey carts and militant graffiti that have come to define the besieged Gaza Strip sits Rosy, the territory's only spa and a refuge for its unlikely upper crust. The spa's luxurious setting and its upscale clientele stand in stark contrast to the poverty gripping the war-battered Palestinian territory of 1.5 million people, the vast majority of whom rely on foreign aid. "We have the highest quality services in the region," says Mohammed Faris, who launched the spa with his British wife in 1999. » Read more

Goldstone report should be respected ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Antony Lerman - (Opinion) September 17, 2009 - 12:00am The despicable attacks on human-rights organisations investigating Israel's Gaza offensive in January confirm Churchill's observation: "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on". The mission led by the South African judge Richard Goldstone to investigate international human rights and international humanitarian law violations during Israel's offensive, established by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), is the latest victim. The knives have been out for the mission for months. Now they are being plunged into him and his colleagues. » Read more

Lieberman: Goldstone report meant to destroy Israel's image ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Israel News by Roni Sofer - September 17, 2009 - 12:00am "The Goldstone committee is a committee that was set up to find Israel guilty of crimes that were determined in advanced, and the committee's members did not let the facts confuse them," said Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday, in his first comments in response to the harsh UN report investigation the events of Operation Cast Lead. Lieberman, who is currently on a tour of a number of Balkan states, said the committee's conclusions were predetermined, and he accused its members of serving the purposes of utilitarian countries. » Read more

Time ripe to take on the lobby ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Michael Jansen - (Opinion) September 17, 2009 - 12:00am Israel’s halcyon days of impunity are coming to a close. At long last the world’s movers and shakers have come to realise that Israel is an instigator of violence and an obstacle to peace in this region. » Read more

Time running out on US deal to suspend Jewish settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Vita Bekker - September 17, 2009 - 12:00am The clock is ticking for George Mitchell. The top US envoy to the Middle East yesterday again failed to reach agreement with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, on a suspension of Jewish settlement construction in occupied territory that Palestinians want for their future state. » Read more

A committee of inquiry is needed ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) September 17, 2009 - 12:00am The report by the commission headed by Judge Richard Goldstone on Operation Cast Lead in Gaza is one of the most serious indictments ever made against the government and the military in Israel. The report states that during the operation Israel committed war crimes and significant violations of international law. » Read more

Palestinian-Led Movement To Boycott Israel Is Gaining Support ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Gal Beckerman - September 17, 2009 - 12:00am Uzbekistan-born diamond mogul Lev Leviev announced late in August that his company, Africa-Israel, was drowning in debt of more than $5.5 billion that it could not repay. Over the next two days, shares in the company’s stock plummeted by more than one-third. It was relentless bad news for one of the world’s richest men. His holding and investment company had lost $1.4 billion since 2008, mostly due to failed real estate investments in the United States. Watching Leviev’s precipitous downfall from the sidelines were pro-Palestinian activists. And they were cheering. » Read more

IDF to raze 100 roadblocks across West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Anshel Pfeffer - September 16, 2009 - 12:00am The Israel Defense Forces began razing about 100 "dirt mound" roadblocks from the entrances to Palestinian villages across the West Bank on Wednesday, as part of an ongoing effort to improve life for Palestinians. The roadblocks had been erected at the start of the second intifada, as Israel was struggling to defend itself against a wave of Palestinian suicide terror attacks. » Read more

Amira Hass / The one thing worse than denying the Gaza report ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) September 17, 2009 - 12:00am On Friday an Israel Defense Forces soldier called to protest the publication of another story in Haaretz which in his words, tainted not only the troops' image but also his Sabbath day. The soldier was referring to Gaza resident Zinat Samouni's account of how soldiers killed her 46-year-old husband and their 4-year-old son Ahmed - just two of the 29 people of the same family the army killed between January 4 and 5. » Read more