May 15th

Nakba is part of Israel's history ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) May 15, 2012 - 12:00am "I don't expect an Arab national to sing 'A Jewish soul still yearns,' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said two months ago, after Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran refrained from singing the national anthem. Although the message was conveyed to Joubran indirectly, it reflected Netanyahu's understanding of the fundamental contradiction underlying an anthem that addresses only one people, the Jewish one. » Read more

Recognizing Nakba, Reaching Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Hanan Ashrawi - (Opinion) May 15, 2012 - 12:00am May is the cruelest month despite the promise of spring. It carries the bitter memories of ongoing loss and injustice for a nation, my nation. Every year, Palestinians mark Al-Nakba, or the Catastrophe, of 1948, to remember how our vibrant society was physically and politically crushed by violence and forced expulsion. » Read more

Palestinians Turn to Gulf States ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Calcalist by Danny Rubenstein - May 8, 2012 - 12:00am The joint customs system (or customs union, as it is variously known) established under the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the geographic proximity and the obstacles impeding [Palestinian] exports to foreign countries are the factors due to which most of the Palestinian foreign trade is conducted with Israel. However, in recent years, things seem to have changed. » Read more

Israel shows off its homeland security technologies to international visitors ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Mati Wagner - May 14, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israel’s security technologies were on display as the country hosted two separate international contingents. An Interpol European Regional Conference brought 110 senior law enforcement officers from 49 countries to Tel Aviv, while a homeland security conference drew 37 mayors from two dozen worldwide cities to sites throughout Israel last week. » Read more

Israel putting any two-state peace deal at risk, says EU ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - May 14, 2012 - 12:00am The European Union has warned that the prospect of a peaceful and viable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, involving two states side by side, is in jeopardy because of Israeli actions. » Read more

Ulpana developer lied and told residents that outpost was built on WZO, not Palestinian land ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - May 15, 2012 - 12:00am A housing developer allegedly lied to an Israeli couple who had purchased a home in the Ulpana Hill West Bank outpost, Haaretz learned on Tuesday, after telling them that the land on which their unit was built was owned by the World Zionist Organization, despite the fact that it was actually private Palestinian land. » Read more

Israel allows Gaza to export clothes after 5-year ban ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters May 15, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Reuters) -- Israel allowed on Monday the export of Palestinian-made clothes from the Gaza Strip for the first time in at least five years, a Palestinian official said. Raed Fattouh, who coordinates supplies into Gaza, said a truck carrying 2,000 pieces of mainly woolen garments were exported through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing towards an Israeli seaport en route to Britain. » Read more

Iran Executes Accused Israeli Spy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Alan Cowell - May 15, 2012 - 12:00am LONDON — Iran said on Tuesday that it had executed a man accused of being an Israeli intelligence agent responsible for the assassination of one of its nuclear scientists, Iranian state media reported. » Read more

Tibi: Israel must show empathy on 'Nakba Day' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Lahav Harkov - May 15, 2012 - 12:00am MK Ahmed Tibi (UAL-Ta'al) spoke out against criticism of "Nakba Day" demonstrations on Tuesday, calling for Jewish Israelis to show empathy. "Recognition and empathy of the others' suffering is a lofty, humane value and a step towards peace between nations," Tibi said at a demonstration near Umm el-Fahm. » Read more

Medics: 80 injured in Nakba protests near Ramallah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 15, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Over 80 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli forces near Ramallah on Tuesday, medics said, as protesters commemorated the Nakba, or catastrophe, of their exile in 1948. After a mass rally in Ramallah's clock square, protesters headed to Israel's Ofer detention center and the Qalandiya checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem to commemorate the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the founding of the state of Israel. » Read more