Why Israel's narrative of the flotilla attack is failing so badly
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ibishblog
by Hussein Ibish - (Blog) June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

To most of the world, this is a very simple story: elite Israeli counterterrorism commandos stormed an unarmed, civilian ship carrying aid supplies in international waters, in order to enforce a morally indefensible and politically counterproductive blockade, and as a consequence 10 civilians were killed and many others injured. The entire Israeli effort since these realities became known has been to try to complicate the picture and shift the responsibility for the bloodshed away from the military commandos who stormed the ship, or their commanders, and onto the passengers themselves.

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UN Security Council statement on Gaza flotilla
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

UNITED NATIONS, June 1 (Reuters) - Following is the full text of a formal presidential statement adopted on Tuesday by the United Nations Security Council on Israel's action against an aid flotilla heading for Gaza. The Security Council deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries resulting from the use of force during the Israeli military operation in international waters against the convoy sailing to Gaza. The Council, in this context, condemns those acts which resulted in the loss of at least ten civilians and many wounded, and expresses its condolences to their families.

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Raid Complicates U.S. Ties and Push for Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner, Helene Cooper - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON — Israel’s deadly commando raid on Monday on a flotilla trying to break a blockade of Gaza complicated President Obama’s efforts to move ahead on Middle East peace negotiations and introduced a new strain into an already tense relationship between the United States and Israel.

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Israel says Free Gaza Movement poses threat to Jewish state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Scott Wilson - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

Once viewed only as a political nuisance by Israel's government, the group behind the Gaza aid flotilla has grown since its inception four years ago into a broad international movement that now includes Islamist organizations that Israeli intelligence agencies say pose a security threat to the Jewish state.

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The flotilla fiasco
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
(Editorial) June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

THE ISRAELI commandos who landed on the deck of the Turkish ferry Mavi Marmara off the coast of the Gaza Strip early Monday were totally unprepared for what they encountered: dozens of militants who swarmed around them with knives and iron bars. The result was a bloody battle in which at least nine passengers were killed -- and a diplomatic debacle for the government of Binyamin Netanyahu. Though the investigations to come will find many to blame, it's already clear that Israel's response to the pro-Palestinian flotilla was both misguided and badly executed.

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Israel flotilla raid deals a blow to ties with Turkey
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Megan K. Stack - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

Turkey, a longtime ally of Israel, recalls its ambassador and calls off joint military exercises as Turks take to the streets in protest. Ties had been deteriorating since the Gaza assault in 2008-09. Israel's raid on an aid flotilla that sailed out of Turkey may have eviscerated, at least for the foreseeable future, any lingering remnants of goodwill among the political elite of Turkey — a country long prized by the Jewish state as its most stalwart Muslim ally.

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Israel, Egypt ease Gaza blockade after deadly raid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Josef Federman - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel and Egypt signaled a temporary easing of the Gaza Strip blockade Tuesday following harsh international condemnation of the deadly Israeli raid on an aid flotilla en route to the sealed-off Palestinian territory. Egypt said it was freely opening its border with Gaza for the first time in more than a year to allow in humanitarian aid, setting off a mad rush to the crossing by thousands of residents, while an Israeli official said there is an "ongoing dialogue" with the international community on how to expand the amount of goods entering the area.

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Israel's deadly Gaza flotilla raid sparks diplomatic crisis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

An Israeli naval raid on a flotilla bent on breaking its blockade of the Gaza Strip with a cargo of humanitarian supplies is sparking an international diplomatic crisis for the Jewish state after at least 10 activists were killed and dozens wounded in clashes with soldiers. The Gaza flotilla raid prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel a visit to the White House, while Israeli diplomats were summoned to foreign ministries across Europe.

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PLO calls for isolation of Israel, investigation of attack
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

Ramallah - Ma'an - The Palestinian leadership in Ramallah set out a six-point plan in the wake of Israel's attack on the Freedom Flotilla ships Monday morning, involving calls to isolate Israel and investigate the death of at least 10 activists at top levels. Member at the Fatah Central Committee Mohammed Dahlan said an emergency meeting in Ramallah saw leaders from the PA and the PLO agree to a plan in the face of the military operation, noting that officials "know well how dangerous the situation is," and are prepared to act accordingly.

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Mossad chief: Israel gradually becoming burden on U.S.
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Jonathan Lis - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

Mossad Chief Meir Dagan said on Tuesday that Israel is progressively becoming a burden on the United States. "Israel is gradually turning from an asset to the United States to a burden," said Dagan, speaking before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Dagan said that the U.S. government has recently examined the possibility of coercing a settlement on Israel and the Palestinians, but retreated from the idea after realizing it would not lead to a peace agreement.

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