September 7th

Hamas regime needs the Gaza blockade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) September 7, 2011 - 12:00am How embarrassing. While solidarity activists are planning new protests against the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the Hamas government is adding to limitations on Palestinians' freedom of movement. One might justifiably ask: What are a few high school students Hamas refuses to allow to travel to the United States to study as opposed to 1.5 million Palestinians imprisoned by Israel in Gaza? » Read more

September 6th

Israel's best response is still to renew negotiations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Itamar Rabinovich - (Editorial) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am The terrorist attack launched from Sinai on August 18 against Israeli vehicles travelling to Eilat, and its sequels, have underscored and exacerbated four interlocking challenges facing Israel. » Read more

Egypt, Gaza and the approaching UN vote ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am Egypt escalated its involvement in the Israel-Gaza conflict following the August 18 attack from Sinai against Israelis near Eilat, which caused Israeli, Egyptian and Palestinian casualties. Cairo demanded (and got) an Israel-Hamas ceasefire, clamped down militarily in Sinai and may even have begun taking serious steps to seal the Sinai-Gaza border. » Read more

U.N.'s Gaza flotilla report adrift at sea ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Sari Bashi - (Editorial) September 2, 2011 - 12:00am For months, since the contents of the report prepared by a UN panel charged with reviewing the May 2010 Gaza flotilla incident (the Palmer Report) began to appear in news media coverage, it has been clear that the report would not provide a credible legal analysis of the issue that was the reason for the flotilla in the first place -- Israel's closure of Gaza. » Read more

Turkey shouldn't let Israel off the hook ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Linda Heard - (Opinion) September 6, 2011 - 12:00am Ankara should be congratulated on standing up to its former ally Israel over Tel Aviv's refusal to apologize for the killing of nine Turkish activists on a Turkish aid ship attempting to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. Adding salt to the wound is a leaked report from the UN-authorized Palmer Commission into the incident that is heavily weighted in Israel's favor to the point of legalizing its siege of Gaza and confirming Israel's right to challenge ships in international waters to prevent weapons smuggling. » Read more

Palestinian statehood must come about by the democratic will of the people ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Guy Goodwin Gill - (Opinion) September 6, 2011 - 12:00am In August 2011, I drafted an opinion on certain legal questions regarding the issue of "popular representation", so far as they might arise in the context of the push for the state of Palestine to be admitted to membership of the United Nations (to see the updated document click here). The opinion provoked considerable comment, including by those who admitted to not having read it, but the overall result appears to have been a stimulating debate about the link between statehood, UN membership and representation of the people of Palestine. » Read more

Borderline Views: Freedom of expression in danger ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by David Newman - (Opinion) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am I write a column in a newspaper for two purposes. One is to inform, the other is to contribute to the public debate by presenting views which are not always popular to the specific readership, but which are designed to raise questions and debate. I write as an individual and am personally responsible for the views expressed in my columns. » Read more

Encountering Peace: The loss of youth ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am One of the most uplifting characteristics of summer 2011 in Israel was the realization of the leadership of Israel’s youth. Inspiring! There is no better word to describe how uplifting it was to see our young people take to the streets and demonstrate their leadership. Their organization, supported by their command of new technologies and new media and augmented by their energy and optimism, swept across the land, and their enthusiasm captured the very spirit of Israel. » Read more

Robert Gates Says Israel Is an Ungrateful Ally: Jeffrey Goldberg ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Jeffrey Goldberg - (Opinion) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am It was an extraordinary scene: President Barack Obama, sitting impassively in the Oval Office in May as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lectured him, at considerable length and at times condescendingly, on Jewish history, Arab perfidy and the existential challenges facing his country. What was extraordinary wasn’t the message -- it was not an untypical Netanyahu sermon. What was notable was that Netanyahu was lecturing the president live on television, during a photo opportunity staged so that the two leaders could issue platitudes about the enduring bonds between their nations. » Read more

Opinion: Why the United States should vote 'Yes' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Nidal Foqaha - (Opinion) September 5, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinians are demanding that the world and the United Nations recognize the State of Palestine within the June 4, 1967 borders. The purpose of the peace process between the Palestinians and Israel - which has been in place for 18 years - was to end the conflict between the two parties and to establish an independent Palestinian state living in peace side by side with Israel, within the borders of 1967. » Read more