June 3rd

Doctors threaten to resign over PA inaction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 3, 2011 - 12:00am The doctors' union has threatened to submit mass resignations in response to a decision by the Palestinian government in Ramallah to refer an ongoing strike in the medical sector to court. Jawad Awad, head of the union, said “the decision taken by the government to go to court ... is a stab in the heart of democracy and citizens’ rights, which grant all workers a right to strike." Awad called on President Mahmoud Abbas to intervene in order to end the crisis. » Read more

Settlers, police clash at West Bank outpost ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) June 3, 2011 - 12:00am Six Israeli police officers and five settlers were injured Thursday in clashes that erupted as police dismantled an illegal settlement outpost, a police spokesman said. Police moved in to the Ali Ayan outpost in the West Bank, north of Ramallah, early on Thursday, spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. "Police, border police, and the army moved in there in the early morning in order to take down four illegal buildings that were built recently," he said. "Immediately upon arriving in the area there was a strong response from settlers, who threw stones." » Read more

Obama’s commitment to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Rahm Emanuel - (Opinion) June 2, 2011 - 12:00am Days into my tenure as mayor of Chicago, with my focus on keeping our city’s streets safe, our schools strong and our finances stabilized, I expected my attention to be in the Midwest, not in the Middle East. But as an American and the son of an Israeli immigrant, I have a deep, abiding commitment to the survival, security and success of the state of Israel. » Read more

June 2nd

Ours is not to reason why ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Larry Derfner - (Opinion) June 1, 2011 - 12:00am No, no, Egypt can’t open its border with Gaza – the terrorists will come in and threaten our security, our very existence! So last week Egypt opens its border with Gaza, and suddenly it’s no big deal, maybe we’re better off, now the Gazans won’t be able to complain so much that we’re starving them. Never mind. » Read more

Time not on our side ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Donniel Hartman - (Opinion) June 1, 2011 - 12:00am The dust has settled on the Obama-Netanyahu summit, speeches, counter-speeches, and instant, predictable analyses. Leaving our politics aside, American and Israeli, we now have an opportunity to go beyond performance analyses and the allocation of blame or praise and reflect on where we stand and where we might go. From the perspective of the majority of Israeli voters, the end result was viewed as a major accomplishment for Prime Minister Netanyahu. An end result was the bringing back of a measure of complexity into the Israeli-Palestinian discussion. » Read more

A word on your Arab citizens ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Mohammad Darawshe - (Opinion) June 1, 2011 - 12:00am The prime minister’s mention of Israeli Arabs in Congress last month was a step in the right direction but mere mention, without addressing any of the challenges they face, certainly wasn’t enough. Dear Prime Minister, I would like to congratulate you on your decision to mention the Arab citizens of Israel in your speech to the US Congress last month. Clearly, one of the most significant indicators of the quality of a democracy is the status of its minorities. Like you, I too believe it is important to look at Israeli society and ask: Does the Arab minority in Israel enjoy equal rights? » Read more

PM: Jerusalem will never again be divided ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ronen Medzini - June 1, 2011 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Wednesday at an official ceremony marking Jerusalem Day that Jerusalem will never be divided again. "We won't go back to the days we had to climb up the Terra Sancta building to watch the Old City; we'll never go back to a divided, lacerated city, because the day Jerusalem was reunified – the wound healed," he said. The event, held at the Ammunition Hill, was attended by President Shimon Peres, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, as well as other officials. » Read more

U.S. won’t participate in Durban III, State Dept. says ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) June 1, 2011 - 12:00am The United States will not participate in the United Nations-sponsored Durban III conference this September, the State Department said. In a letter to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Joseph Macmanus, acting assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs, confirmed that the United States would not attend the conference, which in its previous iterations has been a forum for anti-Semitism and anti-Israel rhetoric. JTA obtained a copy of the letter. » Read more

Interview: Gaza needs 5 bln USD for reconstruction process: official ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Emad Drimly, Osama Radi - June 2, 2011 - 12:00am Head of Palestinian Contractors Union Osama Kaheil said Wednesday that the Gaza Strip is in need of five billion U.S. dollars for the reconstruction process including the infrastructure and the economical sectors that had been paralyzed for years. Kaheil said in an interview with Xinhua that the Gaza Strip is not only in need of reconstructing what the Israeli occupation had destroyed during the three-week Israeli operation Cast Lead in late 2008, adding "the Gaza Strip is in need of comprehensive reconstruction process that includes all sectors." » Read more

Israel considers options on Palestinian statehood bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Linda Gradstein - June 1, 2011 - 12:00am While U.S. officials are running a full-court diplomatic press against the Palestinian bid for U.N. recognition of statehood this September and officials at international Jewish organizations are trying to convince foreign leaders to oppose statehood, the Israeli government appears to be taking a different approach: acceptance. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Knesset committee that there is no way to stop the U.N. General Assembly from recognizing Palestinian statehood. » Read more