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Obama at Tampa: Both Palestinians and Israelis Have Legitimate Aspirations
 Speaking at the University of Tampa last week, President Obama said: "The Middle East is obviously an issue that has plagued the region for centuries. And it's an issue that elicits a lot of passions....Here's my view. Israel is one of our strongest allies. It is a vibrant democracy. It shares links with us in all sorts of ways. It is critical for us and I will never waver from ensuring Israel's security and helping them secure themselves in what is a very hostile region. What is also true is that the plight of the Palestinians is something that we have to pay attention to, because it is not good for our security and it is not good for Israel's security if you've got millions of individuals who feel hopeless, who don't have an opportunity to get an education or get a job....We are seeking a two-state solution in which Israel and the Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security. (White House)
See video.
Fayyad to Israel: Palestinians Want to Live Next to You in Peace
by Roni Sofer
 Palestinian Prime
Minister Salam Fayyad told the Herzliya Conference on Tuesday that "the
state being built here is Palestinian, and who should build it rather
than us? A peace process is needed, because this will lead to the end
of the occupation. We want to be ready for a state which is about to be
established, and we are ready to establish it by 2011. We are
encouraged because we have made progress in creating an infrastructure
in the past two years....We are currently in a situation of political deadlock. There is
not practical dialogue. We need a political horizon
which will result in a Palestinian state. We, the Palestinians, want to
live next to you, in peace, security and welfare." (Ynet News)
Hamas Backtracks on Apology over Harming Civilians
by Rizek Abdel Jawad
 The Hamas government in Gaza on Saturday backtracked on its apology
earlier this week in which it expressed regret for harming Israeli
civilians in rocket attacks. The apology had signaled a rare deviation from Hamas' violent
ideology, and the subsequent zigzag reflects the Islamic militants'
conflicting objectives. Hamas, which seized Gaza by force in 2007, is trying to reach out to the West in hopes of winning recognition and getting Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza. However, Hamas is also reluctant to
discard its violent ideology for fear of losing credibility at home. (AP/Washington Post)
Israel Acting Responsibly on Iran, Obama Adviser Says
by Dan Williams
 Israel and the U.S. are closely conferring about the Iranian nuclear program, U.S. National Security Adviser Jim Jone s said in an interview last week. Asked whether Washington was concerned about Israel trying to take on Iran alone, Jones said: "Our Israeli partners are very responsible." Addressing a Washington think-tank, Jones envisaged Iran trying to distract from the diplomatic pressure by ordering proxy attacks from its Islamist guerrilla allies on Israel's borders. "When regimes are feeling pressure, as Iran is internally and will externally in the near future, it often lashes out through its surrogates, including, in Iran's case, Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza," Jones told the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "As pressure on the regime in Tehran builds over its nuclear program, there is a heightened risk of further attacks against Israel," he added. (Reuters)
See also West Rejects Iran's Nuke Proposal by Benjamin Weinthal (Jerusalem Post)
Rod Stewart, Elton John on the Way to Israel
by Or Barnea
 Rod Stewart will perform at the Ramat Gan Stadium on July 1, the veteran British singer's official website confirmed. Fellow British singer Elton John and American heavy metal band Metallica are also expected to perform in the same stadium this summer. (Ynet News)
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Netanyahu: Peace Talks Could Resume in Weeks
by Herb Keinon
 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Herzliya Conference on
Wednesday: "I have reason to hope, realistically, that in the next few
weeks we will renew the peace process with the Palestinians, without
preconditions....Among the international community there is recognition
that Israel wants and is prepared to renew the diplomatic process. And
once this recognition emerged among the central players in the
international community, the practical preparations for this step are
also ripening." (Jerusalem Post)
Israel Flying Aid Remains in Haiti Caring for Children
 As the Israel Defense Forces continued to care for and transfer the
critically injured to other hospitals, they slowly began to pack their
supplies and take down their green tents. But contrary to press reports that Israel is leaving this Caribbean
nation, Israel Flying Aid has announced that it plans to move its
humanitarian relief tent camp to a nearby orphanage. Israel Flying Aid and the Israel Defense Forces visited an orphanage in
Haiti where they examined 50 children who were suffering from severe
starvation. An
IDF Lt. Colonel and three nurses began to vaccinate the children, while
professional clowns which were brought to Haiti by Israel Flying Aid,
provided the children with treatment for trauma. Israel Flying Aid and Orange Israel Telecommunications
announced that they plan to aid humanitarian efforts in Haiti by
creating an orphanage which will immediately accommodate 70 children. (Yahoo News)
See also videos
ABC News - Israel's Legendary Medical Team
CNN - Israel's Medical Operation in Haiti
CBS - "Rolls Royce" of Emergency Medicine
Fox News - Makeshift ICU Saving Lives in Haiti
Israeli Film, Ajami, Nominated for Academy Award
by A.O. Scott
 The Israeli movie "Ajami," one of the five Oscar nominees for best foreign-language film, takes its name from a rough neighborhood in Jaffa, a mostly Arab city just south of Tel Aviv. This particular urban conflict zone may be unfamiliar to most American viewers, but it bears a definite kinship to mean streets we know very well, at least from movies and television. Crime is endemic, bonds of family and friendship can be both sustaining and fatal, and the urge to escape is no match for the gravitational pull of the place itself. Written and directed by Scandar Copti, an Israeli Arab (who also plays an important supporting role), and Yaron Shani, who is Jewish, the film is acutely insightful about the social divisions within Israel, but it examines them without scolding or sentimentality. (New York Times)
NASA Adds Israeli Technical Expertise to Lunar Science Research
 NASA and the Israel Space Agency have signed a joint statement that recognizes the Israel Network for Lunar Science and Exploration as an affiliate partner with the NASA Lunar Science Institute at the agency's research center in Moffett Field, Calif. "NASA looks forward to  working with this distinguished Israeli organization to benefit from our shared expertise and advance our understanding of lunar science," said agency Administrator Charles Bolden. (Moon Daily)
How Bambi Met James Bond to Save Israel's 'Extinct' Deer
by Charles Levinson
 On Nov. 28, 1978, as Iran was hurtling toward Islamic revolution, zoologist Mike Van Grevenbroek landed at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport, coming from Tel Aviv, carrying a blow-dart gun disguised as a cane and secret orders from an Israeli general. His mission: to capture four Persian fallow deer and deliver them to Israel before the shah's government collapsed. It marked the daring climax of a years-long cloak-and-dagger effort to reintroduce the animals of the Holy Scriptures of Judaism to Israel. In December 2009, Israeli wildlife officials added another chapter to the endangered ruminant's unlikely comeback when they released four descendants of those original deer into the Jerusalem hills. (Wall Street Journal) View Video
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