February 11th

Clashes in Bedouin village leave 6 wounded ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ilana Curiel - February 10, 2011 - 1:00am Residents of al-Arakib, the Bedouin village not recognized by the State of Israel, clashed Thursday with police forces and JNF officials who came to plant trees in the area. Four women and two men were lightly injured and three people were arrested on suspicion of hurling stones. The wounded were taken to the Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba. The clashes broke out after residents and activists disrupted JNF forestry work in the area. » Read more

Israel issues alert over Hezbollah plans to attack or kidnap Israelis abroad ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - February 11, 2011 - 1:00am The Israel Counter Terrorism Bureau issued a warning Friday morning to Israeli travelers in anticipation of threats resulting from the anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah officials Imad Mughniyah and Abbas al-Masawi, both of which were allegedly perpetrated by Israel. The bureau cautioned the Israeli public that because of the increased threat of terror attacks against Israelis abroad, travels certain destinations should be avoided, including Egypt, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania and Venezuela. » Read more

IDF to remove major West Bank checkpoint to enable Palestinian movement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - February 11, 2011 - 1:00am The Israel Defense Forces yesterday advised the Palestinian Authority that it is removing the Hawara checkpoint, near Nablus. The measure, which is to go into effect next week, will enable the nearly unrestricted movement of Palestinians between the West Bank cities of Nablus and Ramallah. » Read more

What do the Muslim Brotherhood and the ultra-Orthodox religious-right have in common? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Anshel Pfeffer - February 11, 2011 - 1:00am A few months from now, Egypt may come under the rule of a government dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, whose supreme spiritual leader said just a few years ago that God would "destroy the seed of the Jews and extirpate them from the world. These Jews are accursed scoundrels, crying crocodile tears while they murder people; it is forbidden to have any mercy on them. We have to destroy them with great missiles." » Read more

Israeli intelligence forecasts security "earthquake" in Mideast in 2011 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 11, 2011 - 1:00am The Military Intelligence (MI) of Israel Defense Forces assesses that dramatic strategic changes in the Middle East will unfold in late 2011, Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot reported Thursday. In the wake of mass demonstrations in Egypt against President Hosni Mubarak's regime in recent weeks, MI's analysts predict a weakening of the security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, alongside a hardening of Palestinian demands for renewing the stalled peace process. » Read more

Palestinian official denies contacts to resume peace negotiations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 11, 2011 - 1:00am A senior Palestinian official on Thursday affirmed that there were no contacts with Israel to resume stalled peace talks. "There has been no sort of contacts with the Israeli government recently," said Nabil Shaath, a member of the Palestinian negotiation team. Shaath was commenting on Israeli media reports that staff from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' office and officials at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office exchanged messages to discuss the resumption of the negotiations. » Read more

Mideast upheaval to alter peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Adam Gonn - February 11, 2011 - 1:00am With the world's media focused on the street protests in Egypt that now has entered their 17th day, observers are asking whether the Israeli-Palestinian peace process will be put on the backburner because all eyes are on Egypt. Following the successful ousting of Tunisian President Zine al- Abidine Ben Ali three weeks ago, a wave of popular protests have been sweeping the Middle East with large-scale demonstrations in Egypt, Jordan and Yemen calling for regime change. » Read more

Israel demolishes Bedouin village for 16th time ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 11, 2011 - 1:00am Dozens of Palestinians were injured Thursday morning as Israeli forces raided the Al-Araqib village in the Negev and demolished it for the 16th time. Forces raided the village and used metal bullets and tear gas grenades. The forces also attacked the villagers after demolishing their houses. Dozens were injured including three women. One woman was critically injured. Israel views the village as illegal and lacking appropriate permits.

UN commissioner meets prisoner families in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 11, 2011 - 1:00am Relatives of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails urged the United Nations on Thursday to exert pressure on Israel to respect their human rights. In a memorandum to visiting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, the families asked her to "to take necessary measures and actions to activate the protection of human rights and set upon a monitoring system to ensure that Israeli government abides by these human rights principles." » Read more

Israel-Egypt trade links may help limit any rupture in ties ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - February 10, 2011 - 1:00am Even as most of Israel frets about the possibility that a new Egyptian government might downgrade the bilateral relationship, one group remains upbeat. Israeli businessmen with activities in Egypt still believe that the economic foundation of the peace between the two countries will help stave off a rupture in ties. » Read more