Faulty strategic calculations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Blog) June 27, 2011 - 12:00am

If I were Gilad Shalit's father, I would do everything he is doing, and more if possible, to persuade the Netanyahu government to meet Hamas' demands for a prisoner exchange and obtain Gilad's release. If I were Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, I would refuse the deal for fear of the consequences of releasing so many truly vile terrorists back into society.

»

International flotilla, again
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Michael Jansen - (Opinion) June 23, 2011 - 12:00am

Boats participating in the latest international flotilla to challenge Israel’s siege and blockade of Gaza are set to gather in the eastern Mediterranean next week and attempt to make the passage to the strip in spite of threats from the Israeli navy to block the way.

»

The truth behind another Israeli expulsion trick
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - (Opinion) June 23, 2011 - 12:00am

Of all places, it is in Azzariyeh, east of Jerusalem, that one can really learn to appreciate the activities of Palestinian law-enforcement authorities in cities like Ramallah and Nablus. In those cities, Palestinian security forces are seen as authority figures who are trying to protect and serve Palestinian citizens, not just as extensions of Fatah or subcontractors of the Israel Defense Forces or the Shin Bet security service.

»

In Gaza, border opening brings little relief
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Ibrahim Barzak - June 21, 2011 - 12:00am

The reopening of the Gaza Strip's main border crossing with Egypt brought widespread relief to Palestinians suffering from a four-year blockade. But one month later, some 20,000 people are on a wait list and despair is growing in this crowded territory. Residents still must apply for travel permits, and the first available dates to cross are in late August. Frustrated travelers gather at the crossing each day, clutching medical reports, foreign residency permits and university registration documents in hopes of persuading the authorities to let them through.

»

Myth of indefensible borders
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Daniel Nisman, Avi Yesawich - (Opinion) June 14, 2011 - 12:00am

Individuals who claim the 1967 borders are indefensible ignore the overarching paradigm shift of the Israeli-Arab conflict that has taken place over the last decade. The political outcry in Israel following Obama’s Mideast policy speech was palpable. The president stated what many Israeli hawks found to be unacceptable, if not outright dangerous: Any future Israeli-Palestinian agreement should be based on the 1967 borders with mutually agreed upon land swaps. Hysteria followed, with Netanyahu issuing a clear rebuke to Obama’s statement during his speech at the US Congress.

»

A brown-haired young man
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Uri Avnery - (Opinion) June 13, 2011 - 12:00am

My hero of the year (for now) is a young brown-haired Palestinian refugee living in Syria called Hassan Hijazi.

»

Syrian slaughter and Israeli restraint
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) June 9, 2011 - 12:00am

Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime is slaughtering dozens of unarmed Syrian demonstrators every day. In Israel we cluck our tongues in shock and say he is "slaughtering his own people," but when the Israel Defense Forces killed 23 unarmed Syrian demonstrators in one day, we boasted that the IDF "acted with restraint."

»

Countering Israeli propaganda
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) June 9, 2011 - 12:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have had a point when he claimed that Syria allowed Palestinian youth to jump the border fence separating northern Israel from Syria's Golan Heights — occupied by Israel after the 1967 war — in a bid to deflect attention from the bloody demonstrations against President Bashar Al Assad. As things turned out, the world's attention ended up being focused on Israel's lethal response — it gunned down two dozen unarmed Palestinian youths climbing the border fence that Israel built 44 years ago after occupying the Golan Heights.

»

The Palestinians: The single currency for crises
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq al-Homayed - (Opinion) June 8, 2011 - 12:00am

Lately, many people came out to say "no to Palestinians being exploited in the crises of some Arab regimes." This was after demonstrations broke out at the Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee Camp in Syria in protest at the Syrian regime sending Palestinian youth to the occupied Golan Heights, which led to them being killed at the hands of the Israeli army.

»

Rafah crossing re-opens
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 8, 2011 - 12:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip was re-opened Wednesday morning after a four-day closure. The decision to open was made after Palestinian and Egyptian officials agreed on a set of mechanisms for the passage of Palestinian travelers. From Wednesday onward, Rafah will open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and allow an average of 550 passengers per day to cross.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017