Palestinians: US refugee bill may delay peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Hilary Leila Krieger - June 5, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian advocates are warning that a new US Senate amendment dictating a reporting requirement on the issue of Palestinian refugees could set back efforts to reach a peace deal. The amendment to a bill, recently approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, mandates that the secretary of state must report how many of the Palestinians serviced by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency fled or left homes in Israel during the War of Independence and how many are only their descendants. » Read more

EU diplomacy on Israel/Palestine shifts up a gear ATFP World Press Roundup Article from EU Observer by Daniel Levy - (Opinion) June 1, 2012 - 12:00am Few issues of diplomatic conversation today have quite the same ability to generate a rolling of the eyes and turning of the page as the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Stuck is an understatement. Israel’s government argues with its Supreme Court over re-locating a few dozen families from an illegal outpost to an illegal settlement, ignoring the bigger picture, whereby one in ten Jewish Israelis now reside in the Occupied Palestinian territories. » Read more

Egyptian status quo ends for Israelis, Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Crispian Balmer - (Opinion) June 5, 2012 - 12:00am Far apart on so many issues, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas almost certainly see eye to eye on the Egyptian presidential election. Both would like Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force chief who served as Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, beat the Muslim Brotherhood's anointed candidate, Mohamed Mursi, in the June 16-17 ballot. » Read more

How Israel Can Finally Win the Six-Day War ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Jeffrey Goldberg - (Opinion) June 4, 2012 - 12:00am Tuesday marks the 45th anniversary of the Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and the question remains: Which side will win? Yes, many people are under the impression that Israel already won. It’s true that the first phase of the war -- which began with Israeli strikes on the Egyptian air force and ended with Israel in possession of the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip -- represented an unambiguous military triumph. » Read more

A Concert of Kahanists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Elisheva Goldberg - (Opinion) June 4, 2012 - 12:00am Yesterday, for the nineteenth year running, in a concert in Central Park, American Orthodox Jewry and the Israeli right unapologetically laid claim to the Whole Land of Israel. » Read more

Meshaal returns to take a firmer hold on Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) June 5, 2012 - 12:00am Khaled Meshaal, the leader of Hamas's political bureau, has reversed his decision to step down. Whether this is a genuine change of heart or the springing of a slick political trap, it is best understood as good news for the Palestinians and the cause of peace. » Read more

Was Barak’s call for unilateral action with the Palestinians a trial balloon? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ben Sales - (Opinion) June 4, 2012 - 12:00am Was Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak's recent suggestion that Israel take “unilateral action” to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a hint at a policy under discussion or just an off-the-cuff remark?  And how will the response of others -- such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- shape the country’s fate in the coming months? » Read more

The future Jewish citizens of Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) June 4, 2012 - 12:00am There are three possible solutions for dealing with the issue of settlers in a genuine peace agreement with the Palestinians. Option 1: settlers wishing to do so can be repatriated to the State of Israel proper – within the “green line” borders. Option 2: settlers wishing to remain in Judea or Samaria rather than returning to the borders inside of the “green line” can remain or resettle in those areas that will be annexed to the State of Israel by agreement with the Palestinians. » Read more

The politics of land ownership in the Negev ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by David Newman - (Opinion) June 4, 2012 - 12:00am The opening session of the annual workshop of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at Ben-Gurion University taking place this week focused on the complex issue of the law and politics of land rights and property among the Beduin in Israel. » Read more

A Saturday of terror for Palestinians in the shadow of the settlers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) June 5, 2012 - 12:00am It's a strange state of affairs when the Israeli army is the lesser evil.