The Yom Kippur syndrome ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yoel Marcus - June 15, 2010 - 12:00am The blame game between the political and military establishments is revealing the same characteristics that led us to the Yom Kippur War, and the same subsequent spats over who was responsible and who must be held accountable. Then, as now, the chief failure was that of intelligence. Then, as now, the military was full of itself, sure that we'd "break their bones," in the famous words of then-chief of staff David Elazar on the second day of the Egyptian-Syrian assault. Israeli forces approaching Gaza flotilla » Read more

Meridor: Israel should refrain from building in areas that will be annexed to PA ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - June 15, 2010 - 12:00am Cabinet Minister Dan Meridor said Tuesday that Israel should refrain from building in areas that will be annexed to the Palestinian Authority in the future, even after a 10-month settlement construction freeze is over in September. Meridor made the comments during a tour of the West Bank settlements Efrat. "The freeze will be over in three months, and from then on we will not be committed to it; it's a matter of where it is wise and logical for us to build," Meridor said. » Read more

Ireland tells Israel to withdraw staffer over Dubai hit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters June 15, 2010 - 12:00am Ireland's government said on Tuesday it was calling on Israel to withdraw a designated member of staff at its Dublin embassy over the use of fake passports in the assassination of a top Hamas militant in Dubai in January. Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said an investigation had showed that the eight Irish passports used by suspects in the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh were forgeries. "The misuse of Irish passports by a state with which Ireland enjoys friendly, if sometimes frank, bilateral relations is clearly unacceptable and requires a firm response," he said in a statement. » Read more

Shin Bet Chief: Hamas buying land within Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis - June 15, 2010 - 12:00am Shin Bet security service director Yuval Diskin said on Tuesday that the Islamist group Hamas was busy buying up land within the municipal territory of Jerusalem. Speaking at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Diskin added that the central forces currently operating in East Jerusalem were the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and the Islamic Movement. He explained that they were competing with each other over influence and presence in the area. » Read more

Hamas blocks peaceful Gaza demo against buffer zone ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 14, 2010 - 12:00am Hamas security forces on Monday prevented Palestinian activists from holding peaceful demonstration against an Israeli-imposed buffer zone in the Gaza Strip, organizers said. Hamas policemen seized keys of vehicles that were set to transport tens of Palestinians to demonstrate near the no-go zone to the east of southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, the Popular Committee Against Buffer Zone said in a statement. » Read more

A Palestinian Ben-Gurion? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Gadi Taub - (Opinion) June 15, 2010 - 12:00am At this time, Israeli prisons maintain a separation between criminal and security detainees. Some of the most veteran prisoners are unhappy about this, because when such separation is in place, the criminals talk about crime all day and plan their next criminal act, while security detainees talk about ideology the whole day and plan the next “acts of resistance.” Once upon a time, when the detainees were mixed, they spent their days arguing with each other. » Read more

Palestinian killed in tunnel collapse in Rafah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua June 15, 2010 - 12:00am A Palestinian worker was killed Tuesday in a tunnel cave-in beneath Gaza's southern borders with Egypt, witnesses said. Witnesses in the scene said a 22-year-old smuggler was buried alive in a tunnel collapse accident. His body was dug out a few hours later. On Sunday, a 17-year-old smuggler died instantly in a power shock while working in one of the tunnels that snake under the Gaza-Egypt borderline. Palestinian rights groups say at least 150 Palestinians have been killed in tunnel cave-ins and sporadic tunnel accidents. » Read more

UN insists on int'l flotilla probe ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by E.B. Solomont - June 15, 2010 - 12:00am The UN called on Israel to accede to demands for an international inquiry of the event surrounding the IDF raid of the Gaza flotilla Monday night, even as the Israeli Cabinet approved a committee to pursue an internal Israeli inquiry of the matter. "The Secretary-General [Ban Ki-moon] takes note of the Israeli announcement on their inquiry," UN spokesman Farhan Haq was quoted as saying by Reuters. Haq added, though, that Ban's "proposal for an international inquiry remains on the table and he hopes for a positive Israeli response." » Read more

Israel security chief warns lifting blockade risky ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Amy Teibel - June 15, 2010 - 12:00am A top security official warned Tuesday that Israel would open itself to grave danger by lifting its three-year naval blockade of Gaza but did not oppose easing the embargo to allow more goods in through Israeli-controlled land crossings. Yuval Diskin, head of Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency, also told parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee that Gaza militants possess 5,000 rockets, Israel's most specific estimate yet. Diskin's testimony was reported by a meeting participant who spoke on condition of anonymity because the session was closed. » Read more

UC Irvine suspends Muslim student group ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) June 15, 2010 - 12:00am The University of California, Irvine suspended a Muslim student group over its disruption of a lecture by Israel's ambassador to the United States. In a May 27 letter to the Muslim Student Union released Monday by the university, the student affairs disciplinary committee announced that after an investigation it found the group guilty of violating certain sections of the university's policies applying to campus activities, organizations and students, including disorderly conduct and obstructing university activities. » Read more