ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish is interviewed by All Things Considered. Israel rejects an international inquiry into the flotilla attack; Turkish activists release new photos; Iran offers to protect ships; PM Netanyahu may be forced to ease the blockade, and is fighting to keep control of Israel's internal inquiry away from the State Comptroller; released activists and Israel trade accusations; a Palestinian MK on the flotilla says a witchhunt has ensued in Israel. The US ponders its strategic relationship with Israel. Tom Friedman says Palestinian state building is “the ballgame.” Ross Douthat asks if Israel it is going the way of Crusader states. Daniel Kurtzer says Israel should care more about international opinion. The blockade has not weakened Hamas' grip on power. Alastair Crooke says Turkey has emerged as a new champion of Palestine, Raghida Dergham says it's vying for influence with Iran, and Tariq Alhomayed says so is Hezbollah. Most PLO factions will run a united list in upcoming municipal elections. France will partner with Palestinian banks to promote private sector growth in the West Bank. The Palestinian Chief Judge resigns. Israeli forces kill four divers off the coast of Gaza. The US demands an inquiry into how an American student lost an eye at a West Bank protest. Hussein Ibish says new Palestinian strategies are demanding clarity on the status of the occupied territories.
Pres. Obama says the flotilla tragedy can be used to advance peace.
Israel says it wants to find new ways for goods to enter Gaza. David Ignatius says the US should keep pressing Israel on its Gaza policy. A Palestinian MK on the flotilla is assailed upon her return to the Knesset, and the Interior Minister seeks to have her citizenship revoked. Survivors begin to tell their stories. Proximity talks continue in spite of the attack. At the PIC, Pres. Abbas says investment is crucial to liberation. Gideon Levy says PM Netanyahu always said the world was against Israel, and now it is. Anshel Pfeffer says Israel is being let down by the diaspora. Four projectiles are fired into southern Israel from Gaza. Hamas raids Gaza NGOs. Jonathan Power says the flotilla tragedy shows the power of nonviolence. Aaron David Miller says Palestinian-Israeli peace is a hopeless cause. Gaza businessmen attend the PIC in spite of the blockade. Leon Wieseltier says the flotilla attack reflects a paranoid mentality.
Coverage again centers on the Gaza flotilla attack. The US says the block is untenable. An American is among those killed. Israeli Amb. Oren defends the action. Nick Kristof says Israel has damaged its own and US interests. PM Netanyahu praises the action. More Israeli experts say the mission was botched. Doyle McManus says Pres. Obama may be able to use the incident to leverage Israel on peace. A Palestinian MK on the flotilla describes the attack. Turkish MPs say this is a turning point and the US response is crucial. Fred Kaplan says such actions are usually simple matters for navies. Richard Irvine says the incident recalls the 1947 Exodus affair. The National says Israeli spin is failing. Tariq Alhomayed says only Arab errors can save Israel from the consequences. Life in Gaza is complex and dysfunctional. Two Palestinian students are shot by a settler in Hebon. An IDF panel says its decisions on settlers must refer to international and not Israeli law. Michael Jansen profiles new Palestinian strategies in the occupied West Bank.
Coverage is dominated by the Gaza flotilla attack. Hussein Ibish says Israel's narrative of attack is failing badly. The New York Times profiles the Turkish NGO, and says the blockade of Gaza should be lifted and an international investigation launched. Survivors' testimonies strongly contradict the Israeli narrative of the events. Israel sees no need to apologize. The LA Times says Israel has suffered a self-inflicted wound. David Grossman says it shows Israeli society is confused and panicked. Serious complications emerge for the PA. David Makovsky defends the blockade. Both Egypt and Israel takes steps to ease it. An Australian journalist was allegedly electroshocked in the attack. Margaret Atwood says Israel is haunted by its treatment of the Palestinians. The head of Mossad says Israel is becoming a liability for the United States. Pres. Abbas urges international protection for Palestinians. An Israeli Navy commander vows, “next time we will use more force.” Patrick Cockburn says this was a typical botched Israeli military action. The National says Israel fails to understand how it looks to others.
News coverage focuses on the Gaza flotilla attack: ATFP Advocacy Director Ghaith Al-Omari is interviewed on CNN; several analyses examine the difficulties it poses to the peace process; the UN Security Council issues a condemnation and calls for an independent investigation; Israel says the Free Gaza movement poses a threat to its national security; the Washington Post says PM Netanyahu has to move quickly in the direction of establishing a Palestinian state; Israeli-Turkish relations are deeply strained; the PLO issues a six point plan of response; a new aid ship is headed towards Gaza; the Israeli inner cabinet is angered the attack went forward without consultation; Amos Harel says Israel fell into a trap due to poor planning; the Guardian says such actions establish Israel as a pariah state in the region; Eyad Sarraj says Israel is a victim of its own pathologies; the Jordan Times and the Arab News condemn the attack as murderous piracy; the head of Mossad says Israel is gradually becoming a burden on the U.S. 2,000 financiers are attending the Palestine Investment Conference. The IDF kills two Palestinians in Gaza. The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics says there were no new housing starts in the West Bank in the first three months of 2010. Aaron David Miller says Pres. Obama simply has to deal with PM Netanyahu. ATFP President Ziad Asali is named to Pres. Obama's delegation to the Palestine Investment Conference.