June 16th

Benjamin Netanyahu: Why the U.S. Can’t Make Peace in the Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New Republic
by William Galston - (Opinion) June 16, 2011 - 12:00am


I’ve spent the past week in Israel listening to as many voices as I could. Based on what I’ve heard, a rough summary of the situation is this: Benjamin Netanyahu offers no viable alternative to the status quo, and the opposition offers no viable alternative to Netanyahu. Until Mahmoud Abbas recognizes Israel as a Jewish state, the prime minister says, serious talks are impossible. And besides, negotiating with a coalition that includes Hamas is unthinkable.


Abbas Has No Mandate
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Hudson New York
by Khaled Abu Toameh - (Opinion) June 14, 2011 - 12:00am


It is time that someone in Washington started asking Abbas whether he has a clear mandate from his people to make historic decisions, including signing a peace agreement with Israel. As the Palestinian Authority continues to threaten to ask the United Nations in September to recognize a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 lines, someone needs to ask President Mahmoud Abbas whether he really has a mandate from his people to embark on such a step.


Opposition: Netanyahu isolated Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
June 15, 2011 - 12:00am


The Opposition took aim at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday during a special hearing on "The Netanyahu government's failure in the political, economic, and social fields". "You have isolated the State of Israel," said MK Dalia Itzik (Kadima). "You and your government sit in shocking idleness while the Arab states conduct a de-legitimization campaign. Your answer to that: They hate us."


Ex-Mossad man a fit for Sharon's shoes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Asia Times
by Victor Kotsov - (Opinion) June 17, 2011 - 12:00am


A new star is about to rise on the Israeli political horizon. Given the widely perceived impasse on all fronts, the time may be just right. Analysts have long lamented what they call a "deadlock" in the Israeli political system. Last year, American think-tank Stratfor described the situation in the following way:


U.S. official: Cutting U.N. funds harms Israel, U.S. interests
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
June 15, 2011 - 12:00am


A top U.S. official outlined U.S.-Israel cooperation at the United Nations and argued that cutting funding to the body would be detrimental to the interests of both countries.


No Ford in Israel's Future?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Ideas Daily
by Elliot Jager - (Analysis) June 16, 2011 - 12:00am


With little fanfare, the Ford Foundation has initiated a phased withdrawal from its long, largely behind-the-scenes campaign to influence Israeli politics. News reports have focused mostly on the foundation's 23-year-long patronage of the New Israel Fund (NIF), whose beneficiaries include a number of pressure groups that colluded with the now-discredited Goldstone Commission Report.


Brutal blockade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
(Editorial) June 15, 2011 - 12:00am


It has been five years since Israel imposed its oppressive and inhuman blockade on the Gaza Strip. Without doubt it has been easily one of the toughest and most trying periods in the eventful history of the Palestinian people. The proud and fiercely independent people, however, have refused to give in to Israeli diktats or allow their fighting spirit to waver under the totally asphyxiating blockade of Gaza by land, air and sea.


Official: Netanyahu fears third intifada
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Attila Somfalvi - June 16, 2011 - 12:00am


Jerusalem officials told Ynet Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fears a third intifada this summer ahead of a planned Palestinian declaration of statehood in September. "Netanyahu fears he will not be able to stop (what will happen in) September," a top official told Ynet. "The prime minister is making an effort to convince European states that if riots begin after the declaration of statehood responsibility will not fall on Israel."


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.


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.



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