June 26th

Israel denies 300 Palestinian couples from uniting ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Nasouh Nazzal - June 27, 2012 - 12:00am Ramallah: Hassan Mansour, a resident of the city of Nablus on the West Bank, has dedicated his recent life to bringing his Gazan wife Rinad to live with him, but Israeli authorities have rejected all requests from both husband and wife. For the past two years the couple have attempted to unite, but have not been granted permission by Israel. They have approached legal and human rights organisations and lodged several complaints with various courts, but have not achieved success. » Read more

No Partner For Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Bernard Avishai - (Opinion) June 25, 2012 - 12:00am Ever since Benjamin Netanyahu’s Bar Ilan speech in 2009, in which he declared himself ready to work toward a demilitarized Palestinian state, his defenders in the United States have justified the collapse of any dialogue with the Palestinians in terms of Israel’s understandable caution. “There is no partner for peace,” we hear again and again, which suggests a number of things at once. » Read more

Israel demolishes Bedouin village for 39th time ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 25, 2012 - 12:00am NEGEV (Ma'an) -- Israeli bulldozers demolished Bedouin village al-Araqib for the 39th time on Monday, a lawyer said. Ayman Odeh, who witnessed the demolition, told Ma'an that demolishing people's homes should not be a routine for Israel. Israel considers al-Araqib and all Bedouin villages in the Negev illegal, while Bedouins say it is their ancestral land.

West Bank's route 60 a 'road of death' for Palestinian children ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Phoebe Greenwood - June 26, 2012 - 12:00am Manar Juwali's five-year-old daughter Miri is lying in a drug-induced coma after suffering burns to 75% of her body. The 32-year-old Palestinian woman holds her pregnant belly as she talks about the accident. Four months on, it is still difficult for her – and for all the parents whose children were killed or injured in the inferno on the West Bank's route 60 – to identify who is to blame. » Read more

Israel Stands to Lose Big In New Global Order ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Calcalist by Uri Pasovsky - (Interview) June 23, 2012 - 12:00am The world is currently in an interim period, in the midst of a deep change in the global balance of power, and Israel is one of the big losers from this process, argues Ian Bremmer, one of the world's most prominent experts on international relations. "For the first time in seven decades, we are living in a world without global leadership," Bremmer says, describing the situation in the world today as typified by the approach of "every nation for itself." » Read more

Author: Israel can claim the title of the most racist state in the developed world ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Revital Hovel - June 26, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli culture is no less toxic than fanatic Islam, and the country's discriminatory attitude toward Mizrahi Jews and Arabs qualifies it for the title of "most racist state," prominent Israeli author Sami Michael said on Monday. "Israel can claim the title of most racist state in the developed world," Michael, who heads the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, said at the opening of an international conference of the Association for Israel Studies at Haifa University. » Read more

Back to school: Ben-Gurion for beginners ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Tom Segev - (Opinion) June 22, 2012 - 12:00am Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar has decided that during the next academic year, schools will concentrate on the leadership of David Ben-Gurion and Menachem Begin. This week it was reported that principals of Arab schools and several Arab intellectuals are upset about the decision, claiming that it's designed to impose the Zionist narrative on Arab students. But if the teachers know how to deal with the subject matter, Sa'ar could well come to regret his initiative. » Read more

Fatah leader in Gaza resigns over new appointments ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 23, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- A top Fatah leader and several other officials in the Gaza Strip submitted their resignations on Friday following the appointment of new officials within the party, Fatah sources said. Yazid al-Huweihi tendered his resignation because he objected to changes within the Fatah movement in Gaza, sources said. » Read more

Hamas 'could get world recognition' after Mursi win ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency June 26, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The victory of Muhammad Mursi in the Egyptian presidential elections could enable Hamas to secure international recognition, an official in the party said Monday. The election of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, the historic parent movement of Gaza-rulers Hamas, in neighboring Egypt was received with jubilation in the Gaza Strip. Ahmad Yousef, widely regarded as a Hamas moderate, told Ma'an the Mursi presidency could help end the West's isolation of the movement, as well as ending Israel's blockade on the coastal enclave. » Read more

Election of Islamist as Egyptian president raises concerns in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - June 25, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — The election of an Islamist as president of Egypt has heightened concerns in Israel about the future of relations between the two countries — ties that have been increasingly tested since the overthrow of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. » Read more