Gaza still off limits to dignitaries
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - June 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Despite Sunday’s government decision to significantly increase the goods and materials to be allowed into the Gaza Strip, Israel’s policy of not opening the door to foreign politicians is still in place. Jerusalem recently turned down a request by Dirk Niebel, Germany’s minister of economic cooperation and development, to go to Gaza from Israel. Niebel, who has asked permission on numerous occasions, both before and since the Mavi Marmara incident, is scheduled to meet Monday with Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon.

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Easing the Gaza Blockade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
June 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has made the right decision to significantly ease Israel’s punishing and counterproductive blockade of Gaza. The move was clearly intended to mollify Washington and Europe in the wake of Israel’s deadly raid this month on an aid flotilla trying to run the blockade.

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Israel drafting new list of goods banned from Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Mark Lavie - June 20, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel pledged Sunday it will immediately allow all goods into Gaza except weapons and items deemed to have a military use under its decision to ease its three-year-old blockade of the Palestinian territory. The list of banned goods replaces an old list of allowed items that permitted only basic humanitarian supplies for the 1.5 million Gazans. Under the new system, the government said practically all non-military items can enter Gaza freely.

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Israel partially lifts its blockade of Gaza - and lifts hope for peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
(Editorial) June 18, 2010 - 12:00am

An inkling of hope for Middle East peace may be one result of Thursday’s decision by Israel to ease its three-year-old blockade of basic goods for the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. The hope lies not so much in a slightly better life for the poor Gazans – who are nearly totally dependent on aid. Rather, the world can note that this decision was forced upon the Israeli government after its botched May 31 raid on an aid ship bound for the tiny strip of Palestinian land between Egypt and Israel.

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Palestinians divided on blockade changes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 18, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinian analysts disagreed with officials on Thursday, over the issue of Israel's cabinet decision to change the methods by which the siege on Gaza was implemented, apparently to allow in a greater number of goods including construction materials. While officials in the PA, the Quartet and the UN all welcomed the announcement described by one analyst as an "announcement that the siege will continue," and neither side saw the move as a real solution.

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Easing of blockade is an Israeli ploy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) June 18, 2010 - 12:00am

This is no easing of the blockade. Israel’s national security cabinet voted yesterday to “liberalise” the system for transferring civilian goods into the beleaguered Gaza Strip. Other than allowing some construction materials into the Strip for some “civilian projects”, the office of Israel’s prime minister offered few details. After they were barred for three years, it took until March for Israel to allow Gazans to receive shoes. Who knows what weapons those clever shabab from Hamas are concocting at this very moment with a rubber sole and a shoelace or two?

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Israeli ease of blockade not lasting solution for Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by David Harris - June 18, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel will in the near future lift some of the restrictions placed on the import of goods into the Gaza Strip. The decision was taken on Thursday by the country' s security cabinet, comprising senior government ministers. The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a brief statement to the media immediately after the meeting, which lasted for two days, but government spokespeople would not detail the measures to be taken.

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MESS Report / Easing of Gaza blockade marks victory for flotilla activists
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - June 18, 2010 - 12:00am

Despite the contradictory statements issued by the Prime Minister's Office yesterday, the general direction is clear. Whether the decision has already been made, as the English statement indicates, or will become official only at a later stage, as the Hebrew statement implies, Israel has folded.

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Israel announces let-up to Gaza siege - but only in English
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - June 18, 2010 - 12:00am

The Prime Minister's Office announced on Thursday that the security cabinet had agreed to relax Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip, but as it turns out, no binding decision was ever made during the cabinet meeting. The Prime Minister's Office issued a press release in English following the meeting, which was also sent to foreign diplomats, was substantially different than the Hebrew announcement – according to the English text, a decision was made to ease the blockade, but in the Hebrew text there was no mention of any such decision.

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Another sham inquiry
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Michael Jansen - June 17, 2010 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to appoint an internal commission of inquiry into Israel's commando raid on the Freedom Flotilla that left nine people dead because he is scared stiff of another independent commission of inquiry. Israel is still reeling from the Goldstone report that said it should be investigated for possible war crimes for its 2008-09 onslaught on Gaza.

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