Israeli driver kills 2 Palestinians, wounds 1
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
June 17, 2012 - 12:00am

An Israeli tow truck driver shot dead two Palestinians and wounded one Sunday during what police said was an attempted car robbery in the West Bank. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the Palestinian men ambushed the Israeli's vehicle and beat him over the head with chains and bars before the driver opened fire in self-defense. He said the driver is being treated for head wounds at an Israeli hospital, and a police investigation is continuing. The Palestinian men have criminal records, according to Palestinian police.

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Gaza sniper targets Israeli farmer, as shooting attacks increase
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 14, 2012 - 12:00am

A Palestinian sniper in the Gaza Strip on Thursday opened fire at an Israeli farmer in a community bordering the coastal enclave, the army told Xinhua. The farmer, who was unharmed in the attack, took cover behind a vehicle, which sustained damage in the shooting, according to Army radio. Troops in the vicinity returned deterrent fire, but it was unclear if the gunmen was hit.

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Israeli gov't begins fortifying schools along Gaza border
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 14, 2012 - 12:00am

The Israeli government announced a 90-million-shekel (almost 24 million U.S. dollars) project to shield all educational institutions in a 7-to-15 km radius from the Gaza Strip. Some schools beyond that range have already been strengthened against upwards of 10,000 rockets and mortars that have been fired out of the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave. Outgoing Home Front Defense Minister Matan Vilnai officially launched the project during a farewell visit to the area on Wednesday, sources at the Defense Ministry told Xinhua on Thursday.

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Israel government report criticizes Netanyahu decision-making in naval raid on Gaza-bound ship
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
June 13, 2012 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision-making was badly flawed as he oversaw a deadly Israeli naval raid on a Gaza-bound ship two years ago, according to a government report released Wednesday. The harsh findings were an embarrassing assessment of Netanyahu’s handling of a military operation that sent Israel’s relations with once-close ally Turkey plummeting and drew widespread international condemnation.

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'US-Israeli military cooperation stronger than ever'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
June 12, 2012 - 12:00am

US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta hosted President Shimon Peres at the Pentagon on Monday, saying that military cooperation between the US and Israel was "stronger than ever, stable and ongoing." Peres visited the Pentagon as part of a multi-day visit to the US in which he is scheduled to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from US President Barak Obama. In addition to meeting Panetta, Peres took part in a roundtable discussion with other senior US officials, including US military chief Gen. Martin Dempsey.

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Military: Syria chemical stocks threaten Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
June 11, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel's deputy military chief has warned that Syria's large chemical weapons stocks could be trained on Israel. According to Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh, Syria has the largest arsenal of chemical weapons in the world. If the Syrians had the chance, he said, they would "treat us the same way they treat their own people." Syria has not declared its chemical weapons stocks so their exact size is not known. Among other things, Israel is worried that such weapons could fall into the hands of anti-Israel militants should the Syrian regime crumble.

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The warning - and the responsibility
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) June 11, 2012 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's problematic attitude toward the National Security Council was at the center of the complaints voiced against him by former NSC head Uzi Arad. This attitude was also discussed in a State Comptroller's Report that is due to be released shortly.

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Interview: Israeli-Palestinian security coordination in low levels: official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 10, 2012 - 12:00am

A senior Palestinian security official on Sunday told Xinhua in an interview that the security coordination between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in the West Bank has been declining over the past two years. Adnan Damiri, spokesman of the PNA security apparatuses, told Xinhua at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah that Israel has been attempting to undermine the security coordination in the West Bank with the PNA, adding that "the stalled peace talks are the main reason behind this decline."

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Israel asks Arab visitors to open emails to search
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Josef Federman - June 4, 2012 - 12:00am

When Sandra Tamari arrived at Israel's international airport, she received an unusual request: A security agent pushed a computer screen in front of her, connected to Gmail and told her to "log in." The agent, suspecting Tamari was involved in pro-Palestinian activism, wanted to inspect her private email account for incriminating evidence. The 42-year-old American of Palestinian descent refused and was swiftly expelled from the country.

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IDF investigation finds settler youth tied up, beat injured Palestinian
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
June 3, 2012 - 12:00am

Jewish youth from the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar tied up and beat a Palestinian man shot by the settlement's emergency response team, an Israeli military investigation found.  The weapons of the emergency response team were confiscated by the military after the incident, according to reports.

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