July 6th

The rabbis and the army
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Nahum Barnea - (Opinion) July 6, 2011 - 12:00am

"The admission of religion into combat regiments is growing." I did not read this report on a Hezbollah website or in a statement issued by the Iranian military. I read it on the IDF's official website, on a page that features news from the army's magazine, BaMahane. As it turns out, in the framework of a new IDF Rabbinate plan, a regimental rabbi will be appointed for every IDF combat regiment. The appointments will be made next month. The rabbis will be reserve soldiers. They will accompany combatants during training sessions and operational activity.

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Israel's new friend: Why Greece is thwarting Gaza flotilla
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - July 5, 2011 - 12:00am

An unexpected player has come to Israel's aid in thwarting this year's Gaza-bound flotilla: Greece. It's a country Israel has been courting since a raid on last year's flotilla ended in the death of nine Turkish citizens, severely damaging relations between the Jewish state and one of its most important Mediterranean allies. Desperate for new friends in the region, Israel reached out to Greece, offering generous military assistance to the debt-ridden state.

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A decision-making fiasco
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Eitan Haber - (Opinion) July 6, 2011 - 12:00am

A normal Israeli citizen, characterized by the media as “the man on the street,” reads newspapers, listens to the radio, watches television and asks himself and those around him: What’s going on up there? If this is how they manage a minor, rather insignificant matter like handing over terrorist bodies, how are truly important issues – matters of life and death – being handled? And here’s the answer: This time, Israel’s leadership is not the only culprit – but…

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Israeli FM threatens tough response to planned Palestinian declaration of independence at UN
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Associated Press - July 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel’s hardline foreign minister says there will be a tough response if the Palestinians follow through on a plan to declare independence at the United Nations this fall. Avigdor Lieberman told reporters on Wednesday that “unilateral steps will force us to take unilateral steps.” He says Israel is considering a variety of responses but declined to elaborate. Lieberman has earlier suggested that Israel could annul past peace agreements or annex parts of the West Bank.

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We must stop Israel from becoming a theocracy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Shaul Arieli - (Opinion) July 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Those of us who believe that the internal debate in the Jewish community in Israel is still focused on defense needs or the number of settlements that should be evacuated, were proven wrong by the followers of Kiryat Arba's Rabbi Dov Lior. The real controversy focuses on the image of Israeli society and the nature of the country's governance. The conflict with the Palestinians is only a platform for shaping positions on this issue.

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July 5th

NEWS: The Egyptian gas pipeline to Israel is again attacked. PA employees will get half pay this month. Israel continues home demolitions in the Jordan Valley. The latest Gaza flotilla is stalled. PM Netanyahu remains very popular in Israel in spite of stalled diplomacy. Israel is planning more West Bank settlements. Israeli and Palestinian security services are both preparing for possible violence in September. Clashes between Palestinians and settlers increase. Two Palestinians are killed in an Israeli attack on Gaza. US officials say Pres. Obama plans to visit Israel. Israel says it is determined to keep pressure on Hamas. Palestinian unity talks are stalled. COMMENTARY: Yitzhak Laor says the siege of Gaza is turning into a moral blockade of Israel and Ha'aretz says it must end. Zvi Bar'el says the US may move towards talks with Hamas. Gershon Baskin says leaders must change their messaging. David Newman says Palestinians and Israelis need to work to protect each other's human rights. Linda Gradstein says Israeli attitudes are still shaped by the Gaza redeployment. Eric Alterman says Israeli and Palestinian leaders are making a two-state solution impossible. Linda Heard says the flotilla was blocked by a conspiracy. Yossi Alpher says one of the reasons Palestinians are thinking about asking for UN membership is that they want progress on two states but Netanyahu does not. Ghassan Khatib says Palestinians are ready for freedom and independence.

Borderline Views: Preserving human rights of 'the other'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by David Newman - (Opinion) July 5, 2011 - 12:00am

The real challenge facing human rights groups is respecting and upholding the civil rights of those with whom we often disagree. How appropriate that in the week the Knesset launched a new attack on human rights movements, especially those funded by the European Union, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) received the Gruber International Justice Prize.

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Six years on, lessons of Gaza withdrawal resonate for West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Linda Gradstein - (Opinion) July 4, 2011 - 12:00am

SHILOH, West Bank (JTA) -- Yisrael Medad remembers when just eight families lived in the red-roofed homes in this Jewish settlement deep in the hills of the West Bank. Now some 2,500 Israelis live here, and Shiloh has playgrounds, schools and a yeshiva. The red-roofed homes sprawl over several hills, and new homes continue to be built. At the bottom of the hill is the archaeological excavation of the biblical Shiloh, where the tabernacle is believed to have been built.

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If... then...
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) July 5, 2011 - 12:00am

The Palestinian media are reporting that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has responded to President Barack Obama’s request for an answer on whether or not Israel agrees to the president’s parameters for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. According to the reports, Netanyahu demanded a letter of commitment from the US, patterned on the letter from former president George W.

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The U.S. may be heading toward talks with Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) July 3, 2011 - 12:00am

How would Israel respond if a "senior American official" were to declare that the United States was prepared to speak with Hamas leadership?

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