Israel fears Palestinian nonviolence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) May 18, 2011 - 12:00am

The simultaneous marches Sunday by thousands of Palestinian refugees who approached, and in places breached, the Israeli borders, causing Israeli troops to open fire and kill over a dozen refugees, have been treated by Israel as an existential threat – which is exactly what this is. The fact that the grandchildren of the original Palestinian refugees made this symbolic gesture on the anniversary of the dismemberment of Palestine and the creation of Israel in 1948 should worry the Israelis deeply, because it speaks volumes about the state of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict today.

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Historian writes of 'pleasure' at murder of pro-Palestinian activist
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - (Blog) May 18, 2011 - 12:00am

I was sent a link this week to a piece published in the Jewish Chronicle by historian Geoffrey Alderman, the opening sentence of which I found pretty shocking. Under the headline This Was No Peace Activist, Alderman wrote: "Few events - not even the execution of Osama bin Laden - have caused me greater pleasure in recent weeks than news of the death of the Italian so-called 'peace activist' Vittorio Arrigoni."

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Israel criticises UN response to border deaths
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
May 18, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel on Wednesday criticised a U.N. envoy for blaming Israeli forces for the fatal shootings of 10 Palestinian protesters at a demonstration on Sunday at the Lebanese frontier, saying he had rushed to judgment. Michael Williams, the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon, said on Monday Israel had used "disproportionate, deadly force" during the demonstration by Palestinians on the day they mark what they term the catastrophe of Israel's founding in 1948.

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Exchange of Services between Israel and the “Protestors”
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Elias Harfoush - (Opinion) May 17, 2011 - 12:00am

Once again, Israel proves to whomever still needs a proof, that its regime is completely similar to the oppression regimes and the Arab movements of “resistance.” Meanwhile, Israel claims that these regimes are completely opposite to it both on the intellectual and practical level; and that it is confronting them.

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The awakening
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
(Editorial) May 16, 2011 - 12:00am

Sunday’s deadly commemoration of the “Nakba” in Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories came as added confirmation that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is entering a new and irreversible phase.

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Palestinians storm into Israel
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In The Washington Times - May 16, 2011 - 12:00am

Thousands of Palestinian demonstrators clashed with Israeli security forces on three hostile borders Sunday in an unprecedented wave of protests marking an annual ritual against the founding of the Jewish state in 1948. Israeli soldiers opened fire, leaving at least 15 dead and many more injured, as rioting Palestinians poured across the borders with Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Israeli officials said 13 troops were wounded and blamed Syria and Iran for orchestrating the clashes.

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Analysis: The writing was on the wall
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Mordechai Kedar - (Analysis) May 16, 2011 - 12:00am

For years, I have been hearing of plans by Palestinian refugees in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria to march en masse toward the Israeli border, under the watchful, headline-making eye of the international media – especially the Arab media. Israel would never dare shoot the marchers, it was reasoned, especially if they walked unarmed and showed no violence. I wrote and spoke about these plans in Israeli media outlets. Recently, a few things changed in the Arab milieu, and we saw the consequences on Sunday.

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Defense Minister: Border infiltrations are just the beginning
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
May 16, 2011 - 12:00am

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Sunday that Israel Defense Forces soldiers succeeded in defending Israel's sovereignty when Palestinian refugee demonstrators breached the border with Syria and attempted to cross the border with Lebanon. Barak cautioned, however, that Israel will in the future have to deal with similar and perhaps more complex incidents. IDF forces opened fire on demonstrators on the Syria border, apparently killing several of them.

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Anti-Israel Arab protests turning point in Mideast conflict: analysts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Saud Abu Ramadan, Emad Drimly - (Analysis) May 16, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian politicians and analysts said on Sunday that the Palestinian and Arab protests, rallies and demonstrations against Israel, which marked 63 years for the Nakba Day, or Catastrophe, might be a turning point in the history of the Israeli-Arab conflict. Saeb Erekat, former chief negotiator and a member of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) told Xinhua that the Palestinians and the Arabs "reiterated in one united voice that there are no concessions over the stable legitimate rights despite the various Israeli crimes and brutal practices."

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Arab blood wasn't shed in vain: Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 16, 2011 - 12:00am

The Arab blood that was shed today by Israeli troops will not go in vain, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday. Abbas made this remarks in a televised speech as Palestinians and Arabs demonstrated in the Palestinian territories and on Israel's borders with Syria and Lebanon to mark the 63rd anniversary of the Nakba, or catastrophe, the term they use to refer to Israel's creation in 1948 and the subsequent uprooting of Palestinians from their hometowns and villages.

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