For Gaza, but not against Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Chicago Sun-Times
by Esther Cepeda - (Opinion) June 20, 2011 - 12:00am

In a few days, slightly more than a year since a flotilla of ships attempted to breech Israel’s naval blockade to call attention to the plight of the 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, 50 passengers, including three from the Chicago area, will sail to the Gaza Strip on a boat named “The Audacity of Hope.” As part of the second international “freedom flotilla,” they’ll attempt the same feat to deliver humanitarian aid in the form of letters of support and friendship.

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Israel Navy rehearses raid ahead of new Gaza-bound flotilla
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 15, 2011 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Navy on Wednesday held an exercise incorporating several special forces units as part of ongoing preparations to prevent an international aid flotilla from reaching the Gaza Strip in the coming weeks. The organizers of "Freedom Flotilla 2," to include 15 ships and some 1,500 pro-Palestinian activists, plan to set sail from European ports later this month and are expected to approach Gaza coast in the first week of July.

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Brutal blockade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
(Editorial) June 15, 2011 - 12:00am

It has been five years since Israel imposed its oppressive and inhuman blockade on the Gaza Strip. Without doubt it has been easily one of the toughest and most trying periods in the eventful history of the Palestinian people. The proud and fiercely independent people, however, have refused to give in to Israeli diktats or allow their fighting spirit to waver under the totally asphyxiating blockade of Gaza by land, air and sea.

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A Year After Mavi Marmara, Life in Gaza Eases
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Omar Ghraieb, David Rosenberg - June 12, 2011 - 12:00am

If you want to get a sense of how much has changed during the past year in the lives of ordinary people living the Gaza Strip, look no further than chicken.

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Medics: Gaza hospitals at crisis point
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 10, 2011 - 12:00am

Hospitals in Gaza are at crisis point due to shortages of supplies, medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya said Thursday. Warehouses have run out of over 178 types of medicine, the spokesman said, adding that over 190 types of medical equipment needed for surgery had either run out or were in short supply. Abu Salmiya said doctors in Gaza had been forced to postpone surgeries due to the shortages, and working hours were reduced in many hospitals. The official urged countries in the region to intervene urgently to avert the crisis in Gaza.

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Israel bears responsibility
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Issam Younis - (Blog) June 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Since 1967, Israel has controlled the movement of individuals and goods in the Gaza Strip through force, military orders, and executive measures and policies. This "over-control" has only served the interests of Israel, connecting the Israeli economy to the Gaza Strip through its six crossings.

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Israel Navy commandos undergo special training ahead of next Gaza flotilla
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 31, 2011 - 12:00am

Members of the Israel Navy commando unit are currently engaged in special training meant to prepare them for a possibility that they would be called to block an international flotilla from reaching the Gaza shore in late June, the Ma'ariv daily reported on Monday. Several teams of the unit raided the Mavi Marmara, one of a six- vessel flotilla that attempted to breach the maritime blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip on May 31 last year. Nine pro- Palestinian activists were killed in the incident.

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'Navy prepared to board flotilla ships if they don't stop'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Yaakov Katz - May 31, 2011 - 12:00am

The Israel Navy is prepared to intercept and take control of the ships participating in the new flotilla to the Gaza Strip, a senior Navy officer said Tuesday on the anniversary of the IDF operation to stop the Mavi Marmara that ended in the death of nine Turkish nationals. "We will order the ship to stop, but if they don't, we are prepared to intercept and board the ship," a senior officer told reporters.

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Egyptian diplomat: Rafah opening not excuse for less Israeli responsibility
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Masry Al-Youm
May 31, 2011 - 12:00am

Egypt's decision to open the Rafah border crossing does not absolve Israel of its obligations to the Gaza Strip, Egypt's ambassador to the Palestinian National Authority said on Tuesday. Yasser Othman told Al-Ayam, a Palestinian Newspaper, that the decision "does not in any way absolve Israel of its responsibility and obligations toward the Gaza Strip, as it remains the occupying power." Egypt opened the Rafah border crossing on 28 May, easing access for Palestinians for the first time since Hamas took control of the area in 2007.

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Israel nervous, but major change in Egypt relations unlikely
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Masry Al-Youm
(Analysis) May 31, 2011 - 12:00am

Before Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed the 1979 peace treaty with Israel, bringing the Sinai Peninsula back into Egypt’s possession, Moshe Dayan, Israel’s eye patch-wearing foreign minister, had no doubt about what the deal would mean for his nation’s security. “If a wheel is removed,” he reportedly said, “the car will not run again.” In other words, if Egypt was taken away from the field of battle, the Arab world could never again pose a threat to the Jewish state.

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