July 20th

Hamas speaker of Palestinian parliament released
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - July 19, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel on Thursday released one of the Islamic militant Hamas movement's most senior members, the speaker of the now-defunct Palestinian parliament. Abdel Aziz Dweik, 64, was freed after serving six months without charges, his aide Baha Mahmoud said. Israel confirmed the release. Hamas defeated the Fatah movement of internationally backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2006 parliamentary elections. After the vote, Israel began arresting Hamas legislators in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

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Syria Unrest Will Shadow Romney's Israel Trip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Buzzfeed
by Zeke Miller, Ben Smith - July 19, 2012 - 12:00am

The deepening unrest in Syria threatens to drive an unlikely wedge between many American conservatives and their allies in Israel on the eve of Mitt Romney’s friendly visit to the country. Even before the violence intensified and closed in on Damascus this week, Romney and his advisers were pushing for more direct American support of the Syrian rebels, while the Obama administration focused bringing international pressure to bear and working through proxies.

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Syria’s Stockpile of Chemical Weapons is Making Israel Nervous
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Linda Gradstein - July 19, 2012 - 12:00am

During the first Gulf War in the winter of 1990, Israelis huddled in sealed rooms and donned gas masks as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein lobbed Scud missiles at the Jewish state. Israeli intelligence knew that Hussein had a stockpile of chemical weapons and was worried that he might use them.

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PA fears for Palestinians caught in Syria violence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - July 20, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority officials Thursday concern over the safety of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in refugee camps in Syria. They said that some 300 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the uprising in Syria in March 2011. More than 500,000 Palestinians are believed to be living in Syria, mostly in a number of refugee camps. The PA announced Thursday that it was in contact with the Syrian authorities and opposition to avoid involving Palestinians in the escalating violence.

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Israel Is Forced to Rethink Its Regional Strategies
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - July 19, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel’s defense minister, Ehud Barak, observed on Thursday that President Bashar al-Assad’s grip on power was slipping away. “The disintegration is not abstract; it is real,” Mr. Barak said after a tour and debriefing with the local commander. “It is getting closer.”

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July 19th

NEWS: PM Netanyahu appears secure in his position, despite the breakup of his larger cabinet. DM Barak says Israel will stop Syrian refugees at the border. Iranian state television calls charges that the country was involved in an attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria “ridiculous.” A former Israeli intelligence official says the attack was probably a delayed reaction to the assassination of Hezbollah's military commander. Israeli officials claim the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. Israel announces plans to revive the Jordan River. Pres. Morsy meets with Hamas leader Misha'al. Israel is seeking closer ties with the Dominican Republic. Jordan's King says the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains the defining issue in the Middle East. Israeli soldiers confiscate water storage tanks from Bedouins in the Jordan Valley. COMMENTARY: Ma'an interviews Nurit Peled-ElHanan about the depiction of Palestinians in Israeli schoolbooks. Douglas Bloomfield says Israel is facing choices that will affect its relationship with the United States and Jewish Americans. The Media Line interviews Ari Fleischer about the upcoming American presidential election, Israel and Jewish Americans. J.J. Goldberg says Israel can't ignore international opinion about the occupation. Moshe Dann argues that convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard should be released. George Hishmeh asks if Pres. Obama is re-elected, will he do something about Israel's settlements. Matthew Levitt asks if Hezbollah was responsible for the attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria. Raja Shehadeh talks about what it's like to be a Palestinian visiting Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. The New Statesman says now is not the time to give up on a two-state solution. Benny Elon and Yossi Beilin say the Jewish right and left should work together for peace.

After 20 Years, Moving Beyond Oslo
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National Review
by Yossi Beilin, Rabbi Benny Elon - (Opinion) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am

Let us start with a rare activity in that twilight zone that is called the Middle East peace process: talking about things we agree upon. Regional leaders and experts on all sides of the discussion have declared the peace process to be dormant, if not dead. No meaningful negotiations have taken place in almost three years. The Obama administration is hiding its head in the sand. Rumors have replaced ideas and action.

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Leader: Now is not the time to give up on a two-state solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from New Statesman
(Editorial) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am

The window of opportunity for a “two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has long been narrowing. Should the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, endorse the conclusions of the Levy report, he could close it for good. The report, produced by a government-appointed panel led by the former Supreme Court justice Edmund Levy, argues that Israel’s presence on the West Bank does not constitute an occupation and, therefore, that the 121 Jewish settlements in the region are legal under international law.

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A Palestinian in Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune
by Raja Shehadeh - (Blog) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am

Jerusalem — As a tourist visiting the Old City of Jerusalem, seeing Christians, Jews and Muslims walking side by side, hearing church bells ringing and Muslims being called to prayer, you might think the place is a model of tolerance. As a resident of the Old City of Jerusalem, you think differently.

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Did Hezbollah Do It?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Matthew Levitt - (Opinion) July 18, 2012 - 12:00am

Earlier today, on the 18th anniversary of the Hezbollah bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, a busload of Israeli tourists was bombed in Burgas, Bulgaria, a popular summer vacation destination among Israeli tourists.  Early reports indicate several people were killed, and many more injured.  Hezbollah is the leading suspect, and for good reason.

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