Hamas: PA continues to detain top members ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 22, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority security forces detained two top Hamas affiliates in the West Bank on Monday night, the Islamist movement said The two detained were identified as chief of the Hamas-affiliated Al-Quds TV Nawaf Al-Amar and Deputy Nablus Mayor Mahdi Al-Hanbali. A Hamas statement said the two were among 14 Hamas supporters detained by PA forces overnight. In 2007, during the peak of Palestinian political infighting, Al-Hanbali was abducted by Fatah gunmen and held hostage for three days before his release. » Read more

Easing the Gaza Blockade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times June 21, 2010 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has made the right decision to significantly ease Israel’s punishing and counterproductive blockade of Gaza. The move was clearly intended to mollify Washington and Europe in the wake of Israel’s deadly raid this month on an aid flotilla trying to run the blockade. » Read more

Quartet: Situation in Gaza "unsustainable, unacceptable" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 22, 2010 - 12:00am The human rights situation of the civilian population of Gaza is "unsustainable, unacceptable, and not in the interests of any of those concerned," the Quartet said Tuesday. The Quartet, made up of the US, EU, Russia, and the UN, emphasized the need for "a fundamental change in policy in Gaza," demanding the "unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza." The statement came despite a decision from the Israeli security cabinet to change the conditions of the siege on Sunday, a move that was welcomed by Quartet envoy Tony Blair. » Read more

Israel's easing of Gaza blockade doesn't address banking, travel rules ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - June 21, 2010 - 12:00am Israel's decision to ease the impact of a three-year blockade on Gaza appears to have relieved diplomatic pressure on the Jewish state following the fatal intercept of a protest flotilla. But critics warn that the partial measure, which does not include lifting the naval blockade, may not be enough to revive Gaza's economy and relieve the distress of the 1.5 million Palestinians living there. » Read more

Israel orders settlers off Palestinian land ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 22, 2010 - 12:00am An Israeli military appeals court on Tuesday ordered the evacuation of settlers from Palestinian-owned land near the southern West bank city of Hebron. Yatta landowner Khalil Al-Jbour said the 100-dunum plot was taken over by residents of the illegal Susiya settlement southeast of the village. The rest of the land, he added, belonged to the Hamad Awwad family. Al-Jbour said the owners filed a suit in an Israeli military court in 2004, when the lands were seized, and after years of filing paperwork, they finally succeeded in winning rights to their own land. » Read more

The silent expulsion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) June 22, 2010 - 12:00am Dr. Immad Hammada and Dr. Murad Abu-Khalaf are both lecturers in electrical engineering born in East Jerusalem. Their families have lived in the city for generations. They both left years ago, each one separately, to study in the United States, and after graduating and consolidating their careers they want to return to live in their home town. » Read more

Palestinian politicians reject Israeli deportation order ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Samuel Sockol - June 21, 2010 - 12:00am Four Palestinian politicians affiliated with the Islamist Hamas party on Monday rejected an Israeli order that they relocate to the West Bank. Israel revoked the Jerusalem residency status of the three members of the defunct Palestinian parliament and a former cabinet minister after they refused to resign from their positions and were deemed "disloyal" to the state. The move stripped them of their ability to live in the city legally. » Read more

U.S.: East Jerusalem demolitions undermine trust vital for Israel-PA talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Nir Hasson - June 22, 2010 - 12:00am U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Israel's decision on Monday to raze 22 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem is the kind of step that undermines trust fundamental to progress in the proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Senior U.S. officials have asked Netanyahu's office to explain why the plan was authorized, saying that Washington will issue an official condemnation of the demolitions. » Read more

Mayor defends plan to raze Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz June 22, 2010 - 12:00am The office of Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on Tuesday defended plans to demolish Palestinian houses in the city's eastern sector to make way for a tourist center, after Defense Minister Ehud Barak lashed out at authorities over the project. Barak, who is in the United States for a series of meetings with top officials, faced criticism and demands for explanations after the Jerusalem municipal planning committee decided to destroy 22 houses in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan, which it says were built illegally. » Read more

Abbas appeals to US over Silwan construction plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) June 22, 2010 - 12:00am While Washington has already stated that the construction plan that entails the demolition of 22 Arab homes in Silwan damages trust between Israel and the Palestinians, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is not making do with statements, and is looking for action. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told AFP on Tuesday that Abbas asked the United States to take action to cancel the King's Garden project in east Jerusalem, part of which includes the demolition of Arab homes. » Read more