Gaza - ethnic cleansing by stealth ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Michael Jansen - (Opinion) June 16, 2011 - 12:00am It is hardly surprising that the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) should mark the fifth anniversary of Israel’s illegal siege and blockade of Gaza by issuing a report critical of Israel. But it is highly unlikely that the international community, led by the US, will press Israel to lift its punitive blockade or take any steps to relieve Gaza. » Read more

Hamas peacemaker's new softer stance treads a risky path ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - June 16, 2011 - 12:00am Khaled Meshaal, the Damascus-based Hamas leader, has been praised for his role in the recent reconciliation process with the rival Palestinian group Fatah. Mediators involved in the agreement credit him for checking the Islamist group's hard-line impulses and pushing a policy of pragmatism. But his calibrated gamble to soften the Islamists' image could backfire, Palestinian analysts say, if his efforts fail to unify Palestinians or gain international acknowledgment. » Read more

Saudis throw down the gauntlet ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) June 16, 2011 - 12:00am Saudi Arabia has apparently thrown down the gauntlet in its loud tiff with the Obama administration's "misguided policies" toward the Middle East and particularly its stance on the Palestinian issue, now in its 64th year, on which President Barack Obama recently reiterated the "unshakeable" US support of Israel. » Read more

2 hit by live fire critical after Ramallah-area protest ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 15, 2011 - 12:00am Seven Palestinians were injured, including two critically, Wednesday after an anti-wall protest was quashed, sparking anger in the village of Deir Qaddis, west of Ramallah. A rally headed from the village to obstruct Israeli bulldozers digging up private lands for the construction of the separation wall, a Ma'an correspondent reported. Israeli forces were heavily deployed in the area and tried to disperse the demonstrators, beating them with clubs and rifle butts. » Read more

Spain wants Mideast talks to resume this year ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 16, 2011 - 12:00am Spain supports a two-state solution and wants the Israelis and Palestinians to resume peace talks this year, the country's foreign ministry said Wednesday. Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez met with her Palestinian counterpart Riyad Al-Malki on Wednesday, during an official visit which ends on Friday. Jimenez "reiterated Spain's support in favor of a two-state solution...as the only path to a global and long-standing peace in the Middle East," a statement said. » Read more

Top pro-Israel figures dismiss claim that Obama is bullying Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Greg Sargent - (Blog) June 15, 2011 - 12:00am It’s the latest chapter in the right’s Obama-hates-Israel storyline: A top Obama adviser allegedly told Jewish leaders on a private conference call that the administration is pressuring Israel to negotiate with the Palestinians in a manner that’s at odds with Obama’s public position on the conflict. But I’ve now spoken to two major figures in the Jewish community who were on the call — both of whom are widely regarded to have impeccable pro-Israel credentials — and they tell me that the claim is false. » Read more

Banning an artist to keep the ambassador happy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat (Opinion) June 15, 2011 - 12:00am In an art exhibit held the Arab World Institute in Paris, the then Iraqi ambassador to France Abdul-Razzak al-Hashimi was seen shaking with rage outside of the gallery and angrily proclaiming that one of the exhibits within the gallery insulted the well-loved President Saddam Hussein. Al-Hashimi was talking about a cartoon by famous Arab cartoonist Ali Farzat which depicts a huge army general pouring military decoration into an empty plate being held by a poor and starving man. Al-Hashimi screamed that he would not move until this cartoon was removed from the art exhibit. » Read more

10 days, 10 months ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Brian Schaefer - (Opinion) June 16, 2011 - 12:00am With June comes stifling summer heat and the French. Perhaps even more visible, or audible, is the endless stream of tour buses out of which tumble thousands of young Americans on whirlwind tours of the country. They’re loud, excited, and wielding cameras like weapons. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Taglit-Birthright season in Israel. » Read more

Settler arrested for killing Palestinian ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 16, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli forces on Wednesday arrested an Israeli settler for the murder of a Palestinian man near Nablus nearly five months ago, Israel's daily news site Ynet reported. According to the report, Israeli police arrested a man residing in Jerusalem, who admitted to shooting an Iraq Burin shepherd, but claimed he did so in self-defense after stones were thrown. Video footage captured from a nearby military base shows an altercation between the settler and two villagers, although the footage was shot from a distance, the site reported. » Read more

Jordan’s King Abdullah II warns Mideast peace prospects are dim ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joby Warrick - June 16, 2011 - 12:00am The failure of U.S. and international efforts to rekindle Middle East peace talks last month has all but doomed chances for a breakthrough in the near future, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said in an interview in which he warned that the failure may cause the outbreak of a new armed uprising in the Palestinian territories. » Read more