The Yom Kippur syndrome
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yoel Marcus - June 15, 2010 - 12:00am

The blame game between the political and military establishments is revealing the same characteristics that led us to the Yom Kippur War, and the same subsequent spats over who was responsible and who must be held accountable. Then, as now, the chief failure was that of intelligence. Then, as now, the military was full of itself, sure that we'd "break their bones," in the famous words of then-chief of staff David Elazar on the second day of the Egyptian-Syrian assault. Israeli forces approaching Gaza flotilla

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Who is afraid of a real inquiry?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Uri Avnery - (Opinion) June 14, 2010 - 12:00am

If a real commission of inquiry into the Israeli attack on the flotilla had been set, here are some of the questions it should have addressed: 1. What is the real aim of the Gaza Strip blockade? 2. If the aim is to prevent the flow of arms into the Strip, why are only 100 products allowed in (as compared to the more than 12,000 products in an average Israeli supermarket)? 3. Why is it forbidden to bring in chocolate, toys, writing material, many kinds of fruits and vegetables (and why cinnamon but not coriander)?

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Turkey: No confidence in Turkel committee
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
June 14, 2010 - 12:00am

Turkey has "no confidence" that a commission of inquiry set up by Israel to probe the Israel Defense Forces raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla will conduct an impartial investigation, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday. The government plans to approve the members elected to the Turkel committee Monday morning.

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The Hidden Victim of Israeli Piracy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Osman Mirghani - (Opinion) June 11, 2010 - 12:00am

In addition to the nine victims who were killed by Israeli bullets in the attack on the Freedom Flotilla there was also a tenth victim who was buried in silence. The attack on the Turkish ship took place four days before the first anniversary of President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo in which he defined the necessary fundamentals for a new beginning between the US and Muslims around the world.

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Modern Folly, Ancient Wisdom
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Roger Cohen - (Opinion) June 11, 2010 - 12:00am

I took a short break for my daughter’s bat mitzvah, Israel killed nine activists on a Gaza-bound ship in international waters, and its bungled raid prompted international uproar and Jewish soul-searching. And so the last 10 days of my life were shaped by Middle Eastern rage, churning through 24-hour news cycles, and private joy framed in millennial Jewish tradition. I’ll try to sift through them here.

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New Footage Depicts Attack on Mavi Marmara
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Beatrice Paez - June 11, 2010 - 12:00am

Blasts from a megaphone accompany the sounding of alarms, a woman's voice repeatedly pleading, "We are civilians, we have no guns...we need help for people...please don't attack."

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Israel Without Clichés
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Tony Judt - (Opinion) June 10, 2010 - 12:00am

The Israeli raid on the Free Gaza flotilla has generated an outpouring of clichés from the usual suspects. It is almost impossible to discuss the Middle East without resorting to tired accusations and ritual defenses: perhaps a little house cleaning is in order. No. 1: Israel is being/should be delegitimized

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Obama calls for new approach on Gaza blockade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Michael D. Shear - June 10, 2010 - 12:00am

President Obama called Wednesday for a "new conceptual framework" to replace Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, saying he thinks the effort should be narrowed to focus only on arms shipments. Obama said a new blockade could target the weapons that Israel says are being used against its citizens, "rather than focusing in a blanket way on stopping everything and then, in a piecemeal way, allowing things into Gaza."

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Foreign Ministry warned Israel Navy not to raid Gaza flotilla in international waters
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - June 10, 2010 - 12:00am

During the government's preparatory discussions over how to handle the Gaza-bound aid flotilla, the Foreign Ministry advised that Israel's security forces wait for the ships to reach the country's territorial waters - which lie within 20 miles from the coast - before launching a takeover operation. According to a senior official in Jerusalem, Foreign Ministry diplomats said that despite the legality of overtaking the ships in international waters, such an action would hamper Israel on the diplomatic and public relations front worldwide.

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'We'll be Back - With Bigger Flotillas'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Mel Frykberg - (Interview) June 9, 2010 - 12:00am

Controversy surrounds the events following the deadly commando raid with survivors from among the 700 activists on board the flotilla giving a very different version of events from that of the Israeli government. Q: Critics have accused FG of deliberately provoking a confrontation with the Israelis and argued that the attempt to break the siege was political and not just a humanitarian relief operation.

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