Britain: No quid pro quo deal on Gaza blockade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Natasha Mozgovaya, Barak Ravid - June 9, 2010 - 12:00am

Britain has denied a report in The Daily Telegraph of a British plan wherein Israel will ease the Gaza siege in exchange for decreased world pressure for an international probe into the events of the Gaza flotilla, the British Embassy in Tel Aviv said in a statement on Wednesday. "We don't know where the idea of a quid pro quo came from… the Foreign Secretary has made clear that the current restrictions on Gaza must be lifted in line with UNSCR 1860," the statement read.

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The Rise of Erdogan and the Fall of the Arabs
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Elias Harfoush - June 9, 2010 - 12:00am

On the flip side of the picture of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, boarding the Freedom Flotilla, we should observe the fall of the Arabs, in all of their variations. It is no small thing for Turkish flags to fill the space of the rally organized by Hizbullah, and for the party’s secretary general to compare what the “red flag” can do, along with the “yellow flag” of the resistance.

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Beyond the Turkey-Israel rift
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Osama Al-Sharif - (Opinion) June 9, 2010 - 12:00am

Scores from different nationalities were also injured in the raid, some of them seriously. The angry reaction from Ankara to the notorious commando raid, in international waters, has not subsided. On the contrary, there is a calculated and consistent escalation by Turkey against Israel, which is slowly gathering regional and international momentum. The end game remains uncertain, but the repercussions of the Turkey-Israel crisis could prove costly - for both.

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Enough
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) June 8, 2010 - 12:00am

When is the world going to say to Israel, enough? When will the international community make clear that the situation in this part of the world is too dangerous to allow the Israeli government to act like a rogue state? The moment is now. The world must insist that Israel cease to behave as if it is the one country that can act with impunity, above the law, with no regard for consequences.

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Bin Laden, Nasrallah, Ahmadinejad and Now Erdogan!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed - (Opinion) June 8, 2010 - 12:00am

It goes without saying that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan aimed to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, however – and perhaps without meaning to – he managed to break Iran's blockade of the Arabs.

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Didn't We Tell You?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) June 8, 2010 - 12:00am

Didn't we tell you yesterday that Hassan Nasrallah wants to take back his role after the rug was pulled from underneath him by Turkey following what happened on the Freedom Flotilla off the coast of Gaza? Didn't we also tell you yesterday that "the game has been the same game, but the ability of the players is in decline" with regards to the Palestinian Cause? Didn't we tell you, days ago, not to save Israel [from itself] this time? So what happened?

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PA welcomes international positions for ending siege
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 8, 2010 - 12:00am

The Palestinian ministers cabinet officially welcomed several international moves to lift the siege on Gaza during its weekly cabinet meeting Monday, calling for action to ensure recent moves to aid Gaza continue.

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Egypt keeps border with Gaza open
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
June 8, 2010 - 12:00am

After three years of co-operating in the Israeli blockade of Gaza, Egypt said that it will leave its border with the Palestinian territory open indefinitely for humanitarian aid and restricted travel. With international pressure building to ease the blockade, an Egyptian security official said on Monday that sealing off Hamas-ruled Gaza has only bred more militancy.

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ANALYSIS-UN rebukes of Israel permitted in US policy shift
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Louis Charbonneau - June 8, 2010 - 12:00am

Under President Barack Obama, the United States no longer provides Israel with automatic support at the United Nations where the Jewish state faces a constant barrage of criticism and condemnation. The subtle but noticeable shift in the U.S. approach to its Middle East ally comes amid what some analysts describe as one of the most serious crises in U.S.-Israeli relations in years. Under Obama, the United States seeks to reclaim its role as an impartial Middle East peace broker which critics say it lost during the previous administration of George W. Bush.

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Analysis: The flotilla dynamic
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - (Analysis) June 8, 2010 - 12:00am

Syrian President Bashar Assad was quoted recently as saying the Mavi Marmara episode marked a turning point in the Middle East. Assad, as is his wont, was exaggerating. As bleak as things now seem for Israel – and they do indeed seem bleak – there is a need here for perspective.

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