Israel sees no need to apologize for raid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Edmund Sanders - June 2, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel struck a defiant tone Tuesday over its lethal takeover of a humanitarian flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip, saying it had nothing to apologize for even as much of the world called for an end to its three-year blockade of the coastal Palestinian enclave. Israel's hard-line response came as organizers of the flotilla said they were sending another ship to attempt to break the longstanding siege, which began after the militant group Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007.

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Israel naval raid a folly foretold
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by David Grossman - (Opinion) June 2, 2010 - 12:00am

No explanation can justify or whitewash the crime that was committed off the coast here early Monday morning, and no excuse can explain away the stupid actions of the Israeli government and the army. Israel did not send its soldiers to kill civilians in cold blood; indeed, this is the last thing it wanted.

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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'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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Turkey calls for punishment of Israel for killings
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Jeffrey Heller, Ibon Villelabeitia - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

Turkey called on Tuesday for Israel to be punished for storming a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza in an attack that left nine dead and Israel increasingly isolated in the face of international outrage. Israel detained or deported hundreds of activists who were aboard a flotilla of ships seized en route to the Palestinian enclave which has been under Israeli blockade since 2006.

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Straight into the trap
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel - June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

The Israel Defense Forces had little trouble explaining the naval commando raid yesterday to the Israeli public. The troops slid from helicopters into a violent crowd, which attacked them with sticks. It's no wonder the troops opened fire in self-defense.

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Gaza: From blockade to bloodshed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
(Editorial) June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

If an armed group of Somali pirates had yesterday boarded six vessels on the high seas, killing at least 10 passengers and injuring many more, a Nato taskforce would today be heading for the Somali coast. What happened yesterday in international waters off the coast of Gaza was the work of Israeli commandos, not pirates, and no Nato warships will in fact be heading for Israel. Perhaps they should be.

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Israel itself may be among the victims of its pathology
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Eyad Sarraj - (Opinion) June 1, 2010 - 12:00am

Resorting to brute force is an expression of fear. Its deployment yesterday by the Israeli soldiers who raided and opened fire on the freedom flotilla en route to Gaza, killing at least 10 civilians and injuring dozens more, will not serve Israel or treat its existential anxiety.

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