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Media Summary

PA to seek UN recognition of statehood in September

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The Guardian, Independent, Scotsman and BBC Online today note that Israel has begun to re-route the path of the Security Barrier in the area of Bili’in. The village has formed a focal point for protests against the barrier by Palestinians and foreign supporters of their cause in recent years. TheDaily Telegraph notes that the PA has officially confirmed its intention to seek UN recognition of a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood in September. The Independent reports that Quartet Middle East Envoy Tony Blair is set to move his offices to a new location in east Jerusalem. The paper also has a piece on a ‘counter-terror’ conference held by Iran, and, together with the Guardian, notes an Israeli document saying that foreign journalists who board ships taking part in the flotilla could be banned from Israel for ten years. Reuters and the Financial Times note a planned strategy meeting by Syrian opposition activists. Sky News Online, meanwhile, has a piece by a reporter who traveled with Syrian government officials to the town of Jisr a-Shughur, where the Syrian security forces killed many protestors earlier this month. The Guardianhas a letter claiming that the BBC has showed ‘cowardice’ in the face of the ‘Israeli lobby.’

 

Over the weekend, most papers had items on the revolt in Syria. Sky News Online and the Sunday Telegraph noted the involvement of armed jihadis in protests against the Assad regime. The Observer on Sunday had an article on a boxing club in Jerusalem. The paper, along withReuters, also noted accusations that Israel is trying to intimidate journalists after the Government Press Office issued a communication threatening to withdraw press credentials from journalists who board ships taking part in the planned flotilla to Gaza. Reuters, the Sunday Telegraphand BBC Online noted that five years have passed since the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit. BBC Online reported an explosion near the UN building in Gaza City. BBC Online and the Sunday Mirror also reported on the arrest of an Israeli couple suspected of stealing artifacts from Auschwitz. TheMail on Sunday ran a piece that argued that the BBC is willing to believe anything bad about Israel. The Observer and the Independent had pieces about apparently anti-Islamic remarks made on the Facebook page of Yair Netanyahu, son of the Israeli prime minister. The Evening Standardon Saturday noted concerns at possible Syrian-Turkish clashes if Syria continues its operations close to the border against protesters. TheGuardian on Saturday noted that new EU sanctions are targeting members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

 

In the Israeli media today, all papers note the announcement by the PA of its intention to seek UN support for a unilaterally declared Palestinian state. All papers note Israeli confirmation that the flotilla will not be permitted to dock at Gaza. Haaretz quotes Saudi denials that it discriminates against Jews wishing to visit the country. The Jerusalem Post and Ynetnews note planned wargames to be held by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard this week. The Jerusalem Post has an article noting claims that protest against the Security Fence in Bili’in were financed by foreign governments. Ynetnews notes a planned hunger strike by Hamas prisoners in Israeli jails against plans to revoke their privileges. Israeli media also report on the attempted lynching of an Israeli man who mistakenly entered the Arab neighbourhood of Issawiya in East Jerusalem on Sunday evening.