NEWS: A Palestinian prisoner in Israeli detention ends a hunger strike claimed to have lasted for 103 days. Israeli police are looking into whether settlers used forged land documents in an effort to prevent their court-ordered eviction. Israeli field commanders are reportedly undergoing training in international law. The UN expresses grave concern over the fate of Palestinian refugees in Syria. PLO official Ashrawi urges the EU to reconsider upgrading its relations with Israel. Egypt's ambassador to the PA says entry regulations for Palestinians to his country have not changed. PA and Hamas officials will reportedly meet in Cairo to explore ways of alleviating the Gaza fuel crisis. Israel's municipal authorities in Jerusalem have asked the military to take responsibility for Palestinians living east of the separation barrier. FM Lieberman says any transfer of weapons of mass destruction from Syria to Hezbollah would be grounds for war. Gangs in southern Sinai are reportedly smuggling stolen fuel into Gaza and Israel. COMMENTARY: Budour Hassan says Palestinians are not neutral in the Syrian uprising. David Harris says Israel can't afford a Romney presidency. Yossi Verter says the real reason Kadima leader Mofaz left the Netanyahu coalition is fear that it is preparing a war with Iran. Orly Azoulay says PM Netanyahu is “playing with fire” by counting on a Romney victory in the US presidential election. Gershon Baskin says the Israeli right, including Netanyahu, are pretending the Palestinian problem has disappeared. Tal Harris says official Israeli government recognition of the university in the Ariel settlement undermines prospects for a two-state solution, and Ron Mandelbaum says it fails both in terms of due process and substance. The National says Egypt's unofficial easing of visa restrictions for Palestinians might be limited to the seven people who already reportedly took advantage of the procedure. Elisheva Goldberg and Hannah Gross say New York's MTA is using a double standard regarding Middle East-related ads.

Dear MTA, A Little Consistency
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Elisheva Goldberg, Hannah Gross - (Opinion) July 23, 2012 - 12:00am

The latest player in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be sidestepping the law.  And it's not the ultra-Orthodox.  It's the MTA.

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Palestinians, visa-free
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) July 24, 2012 - 12:00am

Early yesterday morning, seven Palestinians were allowed entry into Egypt through Cairo International Airport. Nothing too special, you might think. But these seven were allowed in without the usual security clearances and visas, making it the first time in years that Palestinians had been allowed visa-free entry into Egypt.

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The Real Problems with Israel's Newest University
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Ron Mandelbaum - (Opinion) July 20, 2012 - 12:00am

A few days ago, Israel named Ariel’s University Center as its eighth official university. It should not have done so for several reasons. First, the decision was facilitated because it was based on a peculiar institutional setup existing as a result of its occupation of the West Bank. Second, the decision goes against a basic tenet of academia: judgment of an argument should be based on its merit alone. The erroneous decision is only compounded by the current state of Israeli higher education.

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Wait until Ariel is part of Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Tal Harris - (Opinion) July 23, 2012 - 12:00am

Let it be that the settlement of Ariel becomes part of Israel’s sovereign lands. Let it be no longer considered illegal and subjected to international boycotts. Let it be that its 18,000 residents don’t have to move out in the future. Let it be that it prosper and even become a highly desired tourist attraction. The Ariel of today, however, cannot be any of these things.

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South Sinai Gangs Smuggle Stolen Fuel Into Gaza, Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Masry Al-Youm
by Ayman Abou Zeid - July 23, 2012 - 12:00am

South Sinai residents have reported that organized gangs are smuggling state-subsidized fuel into the Gaza Strip and Israel through underground tunnels at the border.

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The Palestinian problem is gone!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) July 23, 2012 - 12:00am

I am struggling to make sense of the policies being implemented by our prime minister. Binyamin Netanyahu is an intelligent man. In keeping his coalition together and staying in power longer than most past prime ministers, he has proven that he is also a masterful politician. However, I can’t accept that his political strategy is only a game of survival. I believe Netanyahu cares deeply about the country and its people; he adheres to a defined worldview and does not only make difficult decisions under pressure, as many claim.

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FM: WMD transfer to Hezbollah is 'justification for war'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - July 24, 2012 - 12:00am

The transfer of chemical weapons from Syria to Hezbollah is a clear casus belli, and Israel will act "decisively and without hesitation or restraint,"  Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference at the EU-Israel Association Council meeting in Brussels, Liberman said this would be "a completely different ballgame, and we hope for the understanding and cooperation of the international community."

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Jerusalem municipality asks IDF to take responsibility for residents who live east of the separation fence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Nir Hasson, Chaim Levinson - July 24, 2012 - 12:00am

The Jerusalem municipality director-general has asked the IDF to take responsibility for handling civilian matters pertaining to Jerusalem residents east of the separation fence. The director-general, Yossi Heiman, made this request at a municipality meeting three weeks ago, saying the Israel Defense Forces' Civil Administration could increase its responsibilities.

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Mideastern poker game
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Orly Azoulay - (Editorial) July 24, 2012 - 12:00am

Barack Obama was a distinguished poker player: As a high school student in Hawaii, he would sit at street corners and defeat anyone who played against him. He did the same during his college days in California: He would walk around the dorms holding a whiskey bottle and a deck of cards, looking for players who would challenge him.

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