June 12th, 2012

Israel begins rounding up African migrants ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Josef Federman - June 11, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli authorities detained dozens of African migrants in predawn raids early Monday, in the first major step toward what leaders say will be deportation of 4,500 people who have entered the country illegally. The arrests were the harshest move yet against migrants, reflecting growing concern about the effect on Israel of tens of thousands of Africans who have sneaked into the country across the porous Egyptian border in recent years. » Read more

Graffiti is 'classic anti-Zionist heradi rhetoric' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Jeremy Sharon - June 12, 2012 - 12:00am The declarations and content of the slogans spray-painted at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial have led the to believe that ultra- Orthodox extremists are behind the vandalism perpetrated night. Below one of the slogans spray-painted at the site, the vandals signed off in the name of “World Haredi Jewry.” The content of the graffiti, including conspiracy theories about Zionist collaboration with the Nazis, is also consistent with the beliefs of some radical anti-Zionist elements within the haredi community. » Read more

Memorial Vandalized ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - June 11, 2012 - 12:00am Vandals spray-painted graffiti overnight Monday on the walls of Yad Vashem, Israel’s official Holocaust memorial, with messages attacking Zionism and blaming Zionists for the Holocaust. Nearly a dozen messages were scrawled around the Warsaw Ghetto Square monument and other parts of the campus. » Read more

Israel admits it revoked residency rights of a quarter million Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - June 12, 2012 - 12:00am Israel stripped more than 100,000 residents of Gaza and some 140,000 residents of the West Bank of their residency rights during the 27 years between its conquest of the territories in 1967 and the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994. As a result, close to 250,000 Palestinians who left the territories were barred from ever returning. » Read more

June 11th

Navy announces new flag officer assignments ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Navy Times by Jacqueline Klimas - June 8, 2012 - 12:00am Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Friday that the President Obama has made the following nominations: • Rear Adm. Paul Bushong, who has been nominated for promotion to vice admiral, will be U.S. security coordinator, Israel-Palestinian Authority. He is currently serving as commander, Navy Region Marianas/U.S. Pacific Command Representative, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau/commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Marianas, Guam. » Read more

Bedouin are ‘squatters’ on their own land ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - June 11, 2012 - 12:00am Nuri Al Okbi’s home is an archive of his futile campaign to prove to Israel that he owns land he says has been in his family for centuries. Tucked away in boxes and stacked on bookshelves are maps and land deeds dating back to the Ottoman Empire. The collection, he says, is evidence of the Okbi clan’s ownership of land in the Al Araqib area of Israel’s Negev desert. » Read more

Outpost Nation: Why Bibi Won’t Break With Israel’s Settlers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Dan Ephron - (Opinion) June 8, 2012 - 12:00am A battle over several homes in the West Bank has opened a rift between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a constituency he usually counts on for support: the hundreds of thousands of Jews who live in settlements across the Israeli-occupied area. » Read more

Palestinian President Abbas 'would accept' UN upgrade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News June 8, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas says he is ready to accept "non-member state" status at the United Nations, if Israel does not resume peace talks. He made the comments as French President Francois Hollande lent his support to Palestinian aims for UN state recognition. Last September the Palestinian bid for full member status fell apart when the United States said it would veto it. Security Council backing is required for bids for full UN membership. » Read more

Processing Delay ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Elliott Abrams - (Opinion) June 8, 2012 - 12:00am Summer 2012. Israel's elections have been delayed until late next year by the formation of a new coalition government. The "Arab Spring" is producing Muslim Brotherhood victories, Salafi gains, chaos in Syria, disorder in Egypt, tremors in Jordan. Iran's nuclear program moves steadily forward despite tougher sanctions and ongoing negotiations between Iran and the world's major powers. In the United States, » Read more

Israel's settlement policy could trigger a third intifada, experts warn Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amir Oren - June 10, 2012 - 12:00am Mideast experts warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week that construction policies in the settlements or the burning of a major mosque by extremists could help trigger a violent uprising in the West Bank. The meeting with Netanyahu, which lasted about 90 minutes, took place Tuesday evening. » Read more