Goliath and his paintball gun
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Larry Derfner - August 12, 2010 - 12:00am

How could we have screwed up so badly? This is what no one understands about the navy commandos’ May 31 raid on the Mavi Marmara, and this is what our leaders are twisting themselves into knots this week trying to explain to the Turkel Commission.

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Accountability unclear in Israeli probe of deadly Gaza flotilla raid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Joel Greenberg - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel's inquiry into a naval raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May has raised the question of who bears responsibility for the deadly outcome, which drew international condemnation and compelled Israel to ease its embargo of the Palestinian enclave. In the first two days of testimony before a government-appointed commission, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak made statements that appeared to shift a good part of the burden off their shoulders.

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23 settlement activists arrested after march into Jericho
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Tovah Lazaroff - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am

Judea and Samaria police detained 23 right-wing activists on Tuesday who clashed with security personnel after the activists illegally entered the Jericho to pray at the Na’aran synagogue. Far-right activist Itamar Ben-Gvir said that as of press time, a number of activists were still in the synagogue. He said that the police used excessive force against the marchers and that six of them had been injured. Once they were in custody, he said, a driver threw stones at the protesters before they were forced to board his security vehicle so that they could be taken out of the city.

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A soldier's word
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am

Children in the West Bank throw stones at army vehicles and Israeli cars, mainly those belonging to settlers. That is the undeniable truth. Throwing stones is the classic way of telling the occupier, who is armed from head to toe, that he has forced himself on the occupied. Sometimes it's part of a sweeping resistance movement, sometimes it's a ceremonial remnant of such a movement, not devoid of braggadocio and adolescent boredom, while also a reminder to adults not to adapt.

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Israel wasn't ready for flotilla resistance -general
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Ari Rabinovitch - August 11, 2010 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Israeli troops were not ready for the violent resistance they met when they boarded a Gaza-bound aid ship and ended up killing nine pro-Palestinian activists, the country's top military officer said on Wednesday. Speaking to an inquiry, Israeli Defence Forces Chief of Staff General Gabi Ashkenazi gave the most detailed explanation so far of what went wrong with the military plan in the May 31 raid, which sparked a world outcry.

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Barak contradicts Netanyahu's testimony on flotilla
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Atilla Somfalvi - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am

Speaking before the Turkel Commission probing the raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla in May, Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday contradicted statement's made by the prime minister on Monday, who told the committee the seven-minister forum only discussed the media aspects of stopping the flotilla and did not address the operational aspects.

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UN panel on Gaza flotilla incident begins work
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Patrick Worsnip - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am

The United Nations sought to head off any potential clash with Israel over a U.N. inquiry into a deadly Israeli assault on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, as a panel began work on the task on Tuesday. A U.N. statement on an inaugural meeting between the four-man team and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed that the inquiry was "not designed to determine individual criminal responsibility." Instead it would "examine and identify the facts, circumstances and the context of the incident."

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Israel weighed all options in Gaza boat raid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
August 10, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel exhausted all other options before carrying out its deadly raid on a Turkish aid flotilla enroute to the blockaded Gaza Strip, Defence Minister Ehud Barak told a government-appointed inquiry on Tuesday. Barak also said he was told by Israel's military chief that the operation "won't be simple, but we can get it done". Nine Turks were shot dead when Israeli commandos stormed the lead ship on May 31. Israel says its commandos used live fire only after being attacked with clubs, knives and gunfire by activists who it says were clearly prepared for violence.

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'I take full responsibility,' Barak tells Gaza flotilla probe
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - August 10, 2010 - 12:00am

Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday took "full responsibility" for Israel's deadly raid on Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May, saying the government had foreseen the potential for violence when it decided to launch the operation. Testifying before an Israeli investigative committee - which foreshadows an impending United Nations probe - Barak said he accepted full responsibility for the instructions given to the military over its interception of six Gaza-bound ships.

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Inquiry shouldn’t let Israel off the hook
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
August 9, 2010 - 12:00am

What are the chances that Israel will be held accountable for the fatal raid on the Gaza aid flotilla in May? If history is any precedent, it is difficult to be optimistic. Last week, the United Nations announced that a panel would investigate the attack, an investigation in which Israel has since agreed to participate.

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