June 15th

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

Israel reviewing Gaza blockade format - minister ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Ori Lewis - June 15, 2010 - 12:00am Israel is examining ways to ease its Gaza blockade, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday, calling the current policy counterproductive and confirming remarks by Middle East envoy Tony Blair that change was likely. "It is time to end the closure in its current form. It does not provide any value to Israel. From a diplomatic standpoint it causes great image problems," Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog told Israel Radio. He said Israel had informed Blair, who briefed EU foreign ministers on Monday, that it intends to "permit an easier passage of goods" to the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Arab Israeli the most hated person in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Globe and Mail by Patrick Martin - June 15, 2010 - 12:00am Two weeks ago, she was virtually unknown. But after travelling aboard the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara, on which nine Turkish citizens were killed when Israeli commandos stormed the boat, Hanin Zoaby, a 41-year-old, first-term Knesset member, has become the most hated person in Israel. As an Arab Israeli, she also has found herself at the centre of a new political force with which Israel will have to contend. » Read more

Young leaders prepare study on EU export opportunities ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 14, 2010 - 12:00am Following the EU announcement that officials were preparing a proposal to open the entire union's market to Palestinian goods, officials from the Young Leaders Organization in Ramallah said a feasibility study was underway. The research will examine a series of export opportunities to EU nations, and according to a statement by the group, aims "to identify opportunities and constraints that prevent the exploitation of the designated ad hoc quota for Palestinian businesses who would like to export their products to Europe." » Read more

Fayyad condemns attack on Israeli police ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 15, 2010 - 12:00am Prime Minister Salam Fayyad condemned Monday's shooting incident south of Hebron that left one Israeli police officer dead and two others injured. The police had been operating in Hebron and the nearby illegal settlements and were reportedly en route to Beersheba when they were ambushed by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, who said in a statement that the attack came as retribution for the shooting deaths of nine Turkish nationals aboard an aid ship bound for Gaza. » Read more

Travesty of a probe ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) June 15, 2010 - 12:00am It is no better than a murderer offering to investigate his own crime. It does not matter that the work of the three-man inquiry will monitored by two foreign observers. This is a whitewash in the making. » Read more

Israelis have mixed feelings about flotilla inquiry ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - June 15, 2010 - 12:00am With a sense of relief and a touch of anxiety, Israelis braced themselves Monday for another high-profile probe of their military's conduct. Relief stemmed from the hope that an Israeli-led commission, approved by the government Monday, will head off U.N. calls for an international inquiry into Israel's May 31 raid on an aid flotilla seeking to break its blockade of the Gaza Strip. Nine Turkish activists were killed in the operation. Anxiety persists, however, because recent inquiries into the military have led to political shake-ups and painful soul-searching. » Read more