June 18th

EU diplomats concerned by Hebron village demolition threat ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 18, 2012 - 12:00am European Union diplomats on Friday visited a village in the south Hebron hills under threat of demolition by Israeli authorities. The envoys toured Susiya to "show their concerns over the humanitarian impact and political implications of the recent demolition orders," an EU statement said. » Read more

Legalising land theft ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Adel Safty - (Analysis) June 18, 2012 - 12:00am One of the thorniest issues facing Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiators is undoubtedly the question of Israeli colonies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Israeli leaders have maintained that they were entitled to build colonies in the territories which they designate by their biblical name (Judea and Samaria), invoking a historic right over the land which they describe as disputed, not occupied. » Read more

Dozens protest at Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star June 18, 2012 - 12:00am Dozens of Palestinians protested Sunday at the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the southern coastal city of Sidon over recent clashes that led to the killing of a Palestinian teenager near a refugee camp in north Lebanon. Protesters chanted slogans condemning the use of arms against Palestinian civilians and called for establishing a committee to probe the circumstances surrounding the Friday killing of Ahmad Qassem, 15, near the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in north Lebanon. » Read more

Israel Seeks to Boost Hiring Of Arab University Graduates ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Yedioth Ahronoth by Gad Lior - June 10, 2012 - 12:00am Arab university graduates earn an average monthly income of $1,885, as compared to $3,149 in the Jewish sector, according to research that explores the integration of minority populations in the job market in Israel. It has also been found that the employment rate among Arab university graduates stands at about 81%, compared with 90% in the Jewish sector. At the same time, many of the Arab university graduates are not employed in their fields of expertise. » Read more

Israel's Best Friends ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Naomi Chazan - (Opinion) June 18, 2012 - 12:00am ‘I am obligated to uphold the law and preserve the settlements, and I say here that there is no contradiction between the two.” » Read more

Israel starts deporting South Sudanese ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Vita Bekker - June 18, 2012 - 12:00am Israel yesterday deported 120 South Sudanese and said it plans to expel hundreds more in coming weeks as part of its plan to oust tens of thousands of illegal African asylum-seekers from the country. The expulsion of the South Sudanese has drawn extensive media attention because it involves the biggest group of illegal migrants - some 700, according to activists' estimates - to be deported in recent years by Israel within a period of a few weeks. » Read more

Vice premier Ya'alon revealed Netanyahu's true intentions ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) June 18, 2012 - 12:00am If the recent remarks by Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon had been made by MK Aryeh Eldad of National Union or MK Miri Regev of Likud's lunatic wing, we might be able to take a deep breath and hope for the best. But when Ya'alon proposes to Ari Shavit, as he did in Haaretz Magazine over the weekend, that we live another hundred years by the carrot and the stick, our hearts skip a beat. » Read more

Extremists' guide to 'struggle against Ulpana evacuation' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Itamar Fleishman - June 18, 2012 - 12:00am Committing 'price tag' acts, infiltrating IDF bases, blocking roads and protesting outside the homes of senior security establishment officials – this how extreme rightists plan to thwart the evacuation of homes in the Ulpana neighborhood, according to a brochure titled "The practical plan to save the outposts and hills in the Land of Israel." » Read more

Egypt on way to becoming hotbed of terrorism, but Israel's hands are tied ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - (Analysis) June 18, 2012 - 12:00am The terrorist attack on Monday morning near Be'er Milka and the firing of Grad rockets toward Ovda and Mitzpeh Ramon over the weekend, alongside numerous reports in Egyptian media of increased activity among Palestinian terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula over the two-day voting period, make it clear that certain sources in Egypt have a clear interest in heating up the Israeli border. » Read more

Anti-corruption chief: PLO, PA officials under investigation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 16, 2012 - 12:00am Several top-ranking Palestinian officials are under investigation by the Palestinian Authority anti-corruption commission, the head of the anti-graft body said this week. Rafiq al-Natsheh confirmed PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki faces an inquiry by the commission. He declined to comment on the accusations against al-Malki, in comments on Ma'an TV program More Than a Question, to be broadcast Saturday night. » Read more