June 22nd

The Palestinians’ best friend ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Patrick Seale - (Opinion) June 22, 2012 - 12:00am No western statesman has done more to promote the cause of Palestinian statehood than the charismatic Foreign Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Store, a Labour politician who enjoys unrivalled popularity in his own country. Yet all his efforts over the past several years in favour of the Palestinians have ended in failure. He has been defeated by Israeli intransigence, by US President Barack Obama’s collapse under Israeli pressure, and by Palestinian disunity. » Read more

Israelis, Palestinians Closely Watch Egypt Turmoil ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Voice of America by Scott Bobb - June 20, 2012 - 12:00am The political face-off in Egypt between the military and Islamists following the presidential election is being closely watched by Egypt's neighbors in Israel and the Palestinian territories. And as with many issues the viewpoints vary considerably. Opinions are divided among Israelis and Palestinian groups over future relations with Egypt although all agree those relations will continue to be important. » Read more

Hamas violence undermines the real resistance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) June 22, 2012 - 12:00am The violence that has plagued Gaza over the past four days may be ended by a truce offered to Israel by the military wing of Hamas. But the group is using tactics from an outdated playbook. The occupation of Palestinian lands must be fought in political, public and legal arenas, where Israel is weak. The battlefield plays to its strengths. » Read more

Romney says he will do the ‘opposite’ of Obama on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) June 16, 2012 - 12:00am Mitt Romney told an audience of Christian conservatives that he would do the “opposite” of what President Obama has done when it comes to Israel. “I think, by and large, you can just look at the things the president has done and do the opposite,” Romney said Saturday in an address by video to a conference of the Faith and Freedom Coalition. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and the all but certain Republican presidential nominee, was campaigning in Pennsylvania when the conference took place in Washington. » Read more

Erekat: Israel must choose - peace or settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - June 22, 2012 - 12:00am Israel must choose between peace and settlements and release Palestinian prisoners, Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat was quoted Thursday as saying. » Read more

Hamas flexes muscle after period of 'calm' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News by Jon Donnison - June 21, 2012 - 12:00am In and around Gaza is where it is played out. There are signs that following three days of fighting, the latest escalation in violence is subsiding after Egyptian efforts to mediate a ceasefire. In the long run, apart from for those directly involved, this flare-up will likely barely register on the timeline of this decades-long conflict. But it is a reminder that the conflict has not gone away. As is usually the case, in terms of casualties, it is the Palestinians who have paid a heavier price. Israeli air strikes have killed at least eight people in Gaza. » Read more

Brigades: 2 Hamas militants die inspecting bombed tunnel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 22, 2012 - 12:00am Two Hamas militants died Thursday after inhaling gas in a tunnel bombed by Israel two days earlier, the Al-Qassam Brigades said. Thaer al-Bik, 30, and Muhammad al-Khalidi, 26, on Thursday went to inspect a tunnel in northern Gaza that was damaged Tuesday by an Israeli airstrike, the brigades said in a statement. Members al-Bik and al-Khalidi inhaled an unidentified gas in the tunnel and died from suffocation, the group said. » Read more

Veteran Israeli soldiers speak out about service ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 22, 2012 - 12:00am A group of veteran Israeli soldiers who served in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have spoken out on camera about their experiences in the army. The Israeli organization Breaking the Silence has collected testimonies from 800 veteran Israeli soldiers who served in the West Bank and Gaza. In a new campaign, it has released video testimonies of six former soldiers describing their experiences. » Read more

Ex-U.S. official: American dominance over Mideast peace process is ending ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Allison Kaplan Sommer - (Opinion) June 21, 2012 - 12:00am The era of U.S. dominance over the Middle East peace process is coming to an end, a former top American official said at the fourth Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem on Thursday, adding that what happens in the Middle East won’t influence the upcoming U.S. presidential elections. » Read more

Israeli synagogue vandalized with Arabic graffiti days after West Bank mosque torched ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press June 22, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli police say they are investigating hate graffiti scrawled in Arabic on a synagogue in northern Israel. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the phrase “there is no God but Allah” was sprayed on the outside of the synagogue in Moshav Maor. The graffiti was discovered on Friday morning. He says police are searching for suspects. The vandalism comes days after a mosque in the West Bank was torched and vandalized with Hebrew-language graffiti protesting the Israeli government’s upcoming evacuation of a Jewish outpost in the area. » Read more