Middle East News: World Press Roundup

Activists are preparing another Gaza flotilla, and Turkey warns Israel against repeating “the mistake” of last year. Israeli Amb. Oren praises the US-Israel alliance, but Stephen Walt disagrees, and Aluf Benn strikes a middle ground. The PA cabinet calls for an end to settlement activity. Palestinian university employees go on strike. International activists help with the harvest on Gaza’s border. Ha’aretz says the shooting of settlers by Palestinian police must be considered a mistake until proven otherwise, and Palestinians are investigating the incident. A.B. Yehoshua asks why the conflict cannot be resolved. Amir Oren says Pres. Obama can learn from Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel. The Palestinian leadership is trying to avoid a confrontation with Israel. Obama urges Turkey to improve relations with Israel. A Hamas delegation travels to Cairo. A new poll suggests many Egyptians would support annulling the treaty with Israel. Gershon Baskin warns that imposed solutions will not work. Pres. Peres gives Obama a letter from convicted spy Jonathan Pollard. Hassan Barari says the Palestinians don’t have a peace partner in Netanyahu. The VOA interviews Palestinian businessman Munib Al Masri.

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Pro-Palestinian activists prepare 15-boat Gaza aid flotilla one year after deadly Israeli raid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press April 26, 2011 - 12:00am Pro-Palestinian activists say a planned convoy of aid ships to the Gaza Strip will be twice as big as a similar flotilla that was raided a year ago by Israeli forces, leaving nine people dead on a Turkish boat. Organizers say they hope to depart around the May 31 anniversary of the fatal raid, but say it could happen later than that. Huseyin Oruc, a spokesman for an Islamic aid group in Turkey, said Tuesday that an international coalition of 22 non-governmental organizations plans to send 15 ships with a total of 1,500 people. » Read more

The Ultimate Ally ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Michael B. Oren - (Opinion) April 26, 2011 - 12:00am What is the definition of an American ally? On an ideological level, an ally is a country that shares America's values, reflects its founding spirit, and resonates with its people's beliefs. Tactically, an ally stands with the United States through multiple conflicts and promotes its global vision. From its location at one strategic crossroads, an ally enhances American intelligence and defense capabilities, and provides ports and training for U.S. forces. Its army is formidable and unequivocally loyal to its democratic government. » Read more

Whiff of Desperation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Stephen Walt - (Opinion) April 26, 2011 - 12:00am It is an ambassador's job to burnish his government's image; fidelity to the usual canons of logic and evidence are neither required nor expected. It is therefore unsurprising that Michael Oren's portrait of Israel as America's "ultimate ally" is a one-sided distortion of reality. » Read more

Our Kind of Realism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Aluf Benn - (Opinion) April 26, 2011 - 12:00am Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, asserts rightly that in view of the current political upheaval, America has no better or more trustworthy friend in the Middle East than Israel. Looking at the region's strategic map, one sees mostly instability and uncertainty. Who is going to rule Egypt, Syria, and Saudi Arabia five years ahead? What will happen in Iraq if and when U.S. forces leave? And will Iran prevail as the new regional superpower under its current leadership, or will it go through regime change and return to the pro-Western camp? » Read more

Lingering PA cabinet calls for halt to settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 25, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority ministers convened for a weekly meeting in Ramallah Monday, despite President Mahmoud Abbas' announcement seven days prior that a new cabinet would be appointed within the week. Headed by West Bank Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who was re-appointed by the president when the cabinet was formally dissolved on February 14, caretaker ministers slammed Israel's settlement activity in Jerusalem, and ongoing excavations at the site of the Al-Aqsa mosque in the city. » Read more

University employees announce strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 25, 2011 - 12:00am University employees will strike on Wednesday to demand better pay and a new council for higher education, union officials said. Employees will go to work but will be on a comprehensive strike, said spokesman of the federation of university employees' unions Mousa Ajwa. Head of the federation Amjad Barham expressed disappointment over the "indifference" of the Palestinian Council for Higher Education to employees' interests. » Read more

International activists harvest on Gaza border ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 26, 2011 - 12:00am Just a kilometer from the 'security fence' separating Israel and Gaza, international solidarity activists and Palestinian volunteers on Monday began a wheat and barley harvest on behalf of landowners who fear Israeli artillery and gunfire in the no-go zone. Several Palestinian farmers have been killed and injured in the area as they tended their land or collected crops. The Israeli army imposes a no-go zone inside the Gaza Strip border areas, citing security concerns. » Read more

Nablus shooting is a deadly mistake, until proven otherwise ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) April 26, 2011 - 12:00am The tragic death of Ben-Yosef Livnat in Nablus could have been prevented. The preliminary investigation shows that Livnat and his companions decided to visit Joseph's tomb without coordinating their trip into the Palestinian Authority with the Israel Defense Forces. They apparently broke through a Palestinian roadblock, and Palestinian police officers shot them in response. » Read more

Why the Israeli-Palestinian conflict refuses to be resolved ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by A.B. Yehoshua - (Opinion) April 26, 2011 - 12:00am The question in the headline should ostensibly be directed to a Middle East expert, a political scientist, or even a foreign historian, not a writer whose expertise is his imagination. But because the question is a real one that is painful to everyone in the region regardless of his nationality, I will try to propose an answer. » Read more

What Obama can learn from Israel's peace with Egypt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amir Oren - (Opinion) April 26, 2011 - 12:00am He was present during the secret talks between Richard Nixon, Golda Meir, Henry Kissinger and Yitzhak Rabin, before and after the Yom Kippur War. He witnessed Israel's plight in October 1973, when it desperately needed military equipment and a cease-fire even at the price of an Egyptian victory. He heard from Kissinger that Jordan's King Hussein was prepared to accept the Allon Plan but only if "the mosques and another street" in Jerusalem were thrown in. In November 2008, immediately after Barack Obama was elected U.S. » Read more

Trouble brewing between Palestinians and Israelis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - April 26, 2011 - 12:00am As late as 5 A.M. Sunday, a Givati Brigade battalion still had guards stationed at the entrance to Nablus to keep Jews seeking to pray at Joseph's Tomb from approaching the area without making arrangements first. About half an hour after the forces left, a group of Hasidim broke into the city, which led to the incident that ended in the killing of Ben-Yosef Livnat by a Palestinian policeman. » Read more

Turkey warns Israel against repeating 'flotilla mistake' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews April 26, 2011 - 12:00am Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Israel against repeating "the same mistake" ahead of the Gaza-bound flotilla scheduled to set sail next month. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Davutoglu added that "It is Israel's responsibility not to implement (a blockade) against Gaza. A fact-finding mission of the UN declared that this … is illegal." The Turkish foreign minister further added: ''In the flotilla last year, people were killed 72 miles (116 kilometres) from the coast, so this was in international waters. The Mediterranean does not belong to any nation.'' » Read more

Obama urges Erdogan to improve relations with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews April 26, 2011 - 12:00am US President Barack Obama spoke to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday and expressed his hope that Turkey and Israel will find opportunities to improve their relations in the interest of regional stability. The White House issued a statement saying the two leaders discussed recent developments in the Middle East. According to the statement Obama and Erdogan expressed their deep concern about the Syrian government’s unacceptable use of violence against its own people. » Read more

'Hamas delegation is in Cairo to discuss Schalit' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post April 26, 2011 - 12:00am A Hamas delegation traveled to Cairo on Tuesday in order to discuss the release of captive IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, Israel Radio reported. A Palestnian source told Israel Radio that the possible reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah will be the main topic of discussion at the meeting, but Schalit is also on the agenda. The delegation reportedly includes one of Hamas's leaders, Mahmoud Zahar, as well as two members of the negotiating team for Schalit, Halil el Haya and Nizar Awdallah. » Read more

Poll: Most Egyptians favor annulling peace with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Lahav Harkov - April 26, 2011 - 12:00am Most Egyptians are in favor of annulling a peace treaty with Israel, according to a Pew Research Center poll released on Monday. The US-based think tank polled 1,000 adults throughout Egypt between March 24 and April 7, finding that only 36 percent would maintain peace. The percentage of Egyptians who support annulling the treaty (54%) does not vary amongst those who sympathize with Islamic fundamentalists and those who do not. However, those with lower incomes are less likely to support the peace with Israel than those with higher incomes. » Read more

Encountering Peace: Imposed peace plans will not work ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) April 25, 2011 - 12:00am First came the Caesarea conferences on Israel’s economic policies and plans run by the Israel Democracy Institute where ministers and Bank of Israel officials came to deliver high-profile speeches on the future of our economic welfare. Then came the Herzliya conferences to which prime ministers, foreign ministers, chiefs of staff and others leaders from the security military establishment presented their views and policy plans. » Read more

Peres hands Obama letter from Pollard ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) April 26, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli President Shimon Peres handed President Obama a letter from Jonathan Pollard pleading for his release. "I write to implore you, Mr. President, in the wake of numerous calls by senior American officials urging you to commute my sentence to time served, and in light of the official request by Prime Minister Netanyahu, to please send me home to Israel now, in time to celebrate my first Passover in freedom in 26 years," said the April 1 letter, Pollard's first direct communication with an American president. » Read more

No peace partner ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Hassan Barari - (Opinion) April 26, 2011 - 12:00am It is hard to avoid the feeling that the current Israeli government is neither interested in nor capable of making peace with the Palestinians, let alone the rest of the Arabs. If anything, all steps taken by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government are designed to sidestep any genuine peace effort. » Read more

Palestinians to probe fatal shooting ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) April 26, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority military intelligence officials are investigating the fatal shooting of an Israeli worshipper in Nablus early Sunday, officials said. Ben Yosef Livnat, 24, was killed and four other Israelis wounded after Palestinian police opened fire on their vehicle as they attempted to exit Nablus after sneaking in to pray at Joseph's Tomb. The Israeli worshippers entered the city without coordinating their entry with Israel Defense Forces, Haaretz said. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak both condemned the shooting, The Jerusalem Post said. » Read more

Palestinian Billionaire Sees Hope After Arab Spring ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Voice of America by Luis Ramirez - April 22, 2011 - 12:00am It is a sight one would not expect in the Israeli-occupied West Bank: An Italian villa complete with ancient Greek statues, Picassos, and manicured gardens reminiscent of Versailles. Palestinian billionaire Munib Al Masri, whose personal wealth represents about a third of the Palestinian economy, has turned his extravagant dream into reality. Al Masri invited correspondent Luis Ramirez to his lavish home near Nablus to talk about his vision for a Palestinian state. A palace on a hill overlooking Nablus, complete with authentic works of art from Europe. » Read more

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