June 17th

UN: Israel removed some checkpoints ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 17, 2010 - 12:00am A senior UN official said Israel has dismantled 20 percent of its West Bank checkpoints in the past year, according to the Associated Press. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN humanitarian affairs office in Jerusalem, said Israel has removed 121 checkpoints, easing Palestinian movement between villages and towns, but 505 checkpoints and dozens of road obstacles still hinder travel, AP reported. Israel has said it has removed dozens of roadblocks. » Read more

Erekat slams Israeli 'claim' of relaxed Gaza siege ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 17, 2010 - 12:00am Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erakat called the Israeli cabinet decision to ease Gaza restrictions "not sufficient," in a statement released moments after the decision was announced. "With this decision, Israel attempts to make it appear that it has eased its four-year blockade and its even longer-standing access and movement restrictions imposed on the population of Gaza. In reality, the siege of the Gaza Strip, illegally imposed on Palestinians continues unabated," the statement read. » Read more

Presbyterian report condemns Israeli policies in Palestinian territories ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by David Waters - June 17, 2010 - 12:00am America's largest Presbyterian denomination is preparing for a contentious General Assembly next month as delegates will be asked to consider approving a strongly worded report that calls on the U.S. to stop sending billions of dollars in aid to Israel until it changes its policy toward Palestinians. "Israel has both the responsibility and the ability to reverse the course of the precipitous decline throughout the region," states the 172-page report "Breaking Down Walls," written by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s nine-member Middle East Study Committee. » Read more

Israel Easing Gaza Land Blockade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters June 17, 2010 - 12:00am Israel said on Thursday it was easing a land blockade of the Gaza Strip that drew heightened international criticism after its deadly raid on an aid flotilla bound for the Hamas-run territory. A new Israeli-approved product list included all food items, toys, stationery, kitchen utensils, mattresses and towels, said Raed Fattouh, the Palestinian coordinator of supplies to the enclave. » Read more

Rattling the Cage: Dodo birds vs. Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Larry Derfner - (Opinion) June 17, 2010 - 12:00am There are off-the-record sources saying West Bank leader Mahmoud Abbas told the Americans he wanted Israel’s blockade of Gaza to continue. Abbas denies it, of course, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it were true. After all, if Israel lifts the blockade, Hamas will be able to tell Palestinians: “We chased the Zionists out of Gaza with resistance, with jihad, and look at the West Bank – they’re everywhere, taking our land, standing over us with their guns. The collaborators Abbas and Fayyad have to beg ‘Mr. Bibi’ to lift a few checkpoints, and then they’re expected to say thank you.” » Read more

Another sham inquiry ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Michael Jansen - June 17, 2010 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to appoint an internal commission of inquiry into Israel's commando raid on the Freedom Flotilla that left nine people dead because he is scared stiff of another independent commission of inquiry. Israel is still reeling from the Goldstone report that said it should be investigated for possible war crimes for its 2008-09 onslaught on Gaza. » Read more

While No One's Looking, the Palestinians Are Building a State ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Hussein Ibish - June 17, 2010 - 12:00am In the world of Palestinian politics, the recent weeks have been a study in contrasts. The international media has trained its focus off the shores of Gaza, where the flotilla fiasco has generated dramatic images of dead civilians and battered Israeli soldiers. The politics of this incident reflect the traditional sturm und drang of the Palestinian national movement: full of grand gestures and transformative ambitions that might result in bloodshed and embarrassment for Israel, but make no substantive contribution to Palestinian liberation. » Read more

While No One's Looking, the Palestinians Are Building a State ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Hussein Ibish - June 17, 2010 - 12:00am In the world of Palestinian politics, the recent weeks have been a study in contrasts. The international media has trained its focus off the shores of Gaza, where the flotilla fiasco has generated dramatic images of dead civilians and battered Israeli soldiers. The politics of this incident reflect the traditional sturm und drang of the Palestinian national movement: full of grand gestures and transformative ambitions that might result in bloodshed and embarrassment for Israel, but make no substantive contribution to Palestinian liberation. » Read more

While No One's Looking, the Palestinians Are Building a State ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Hussein Ibish - June 17, 2010 - 12:00am In the world of Palestinian politics, the recent weeks have been a study in contrasts. The international media has trained its focus off the shores of Gaza, where the flotilla fiasco has generated dramatic images of dead civilians and battered Israeli soldiers. The politics of this incident reflect the traditional sturm und drang of the Palestinian national movement: full of grand gestures and transformative ambitions that might result in bloodshed and embarrassment for Israel, but make no substantive contribution to Palestinian liberation. » Read more

June 16th

At last, the Palestinians opt for auto-emancipation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Shlomo Avineri - (Opinion) June 16, 2010 - 12:00am Although the crisis over Israel’s naval interventions to defend its blockade of Gaza is gaining all the headlines around the world, something of far more historic importance is taking place in the Middle East. The Palestinian Authority is preparing to issue a unilateral declaration of independence, and it is taking concrete steps on the ground to make any such declaration viable. » Read more