July 16th

The PA's Pitiable Strategy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by George Hale - (Opinion) July 12, 2012 - 12:00am The mood in Bethlehem this weekend offered a stark contrast to the wailing and gnashing of teeth going on in Washington since UNESCO recognized the birthplace of Christ as a world heritage site. Hundreds of Palestinians gathered Saturday at the Church of the Nativity to hear their leaders take credit for a rare victory and promise more to come. » Read more

U.S. Jews to Netanyahu: Report urging state to legalize settlements will aid those seeking to delegitimize Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chemi Shalev - July 15, 2012 - 12:00am More than 40 American Jewish leaders and philanthropists have sent a letter to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressing their concern about the recent Levy Committee report on the legality of settlements in the territories and urging him to make sure that the government does not adopt it. » Read more

Think Before Joining Anti-Israel Boycott ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Leonard Fein - (Opinion) July 15, 2012 - 12:00am True or false: Boycotts are bad. True. And false. » Read more

Obama's Promise Kept to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Mel Levine - (Opinion) July 15, 2012 - 12:00am ‘I can assure you, if somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I’m going to do everything in my power to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing.” This was the vow made by then-senator Barack Obama in Sderot in 2008, after the besieged Israeli city had been hit by more than 2,000 rockets, » Read more

Uprooting Palestinian trees - and lives ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - July 16, 2012 - 12:00am The hummer and the jeep screeched to a halt on the path in the olive grove. The soldiers bravely climbed out of the vehicles, and proceeded toward the unknown. Armed and determined, they cleared their way through thorns, stones and rusty barrels; they headed toward the suspicious figures. Within a few minutes, the soldiers received reinforcements. Another hummer appeared on the scene, and its soldiers climbed out of it, armed and determined. Behind them the Swiss red rooftops of the Nachliel settlement jutted into the skyline. Standing before them was a group of thirty people. » Read more

Mutiny fear in Israeli army as religious Zionists gain influence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - (Opinion) July 11, 2012 - 12:00am In large study halls, ranks of young Jewish men are bent over religious books or debating in pairs the meaning of their texts. Many wear the large knitted kippa associated with the settler movement; a few have guns by their side. This scene is typical in settlements all over the West Bank, where the hesder yeshiva movement has gained strength in recent decades. The programme, backed by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), allows religious Jews to combine intensive theological study with a shortened period of military service over five years. » Read more

Palestinian PM hails $100 million in Saudi aid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) July 16, 2012 - 12:00am "Prime minister Salam Fayyad and the Palestinian people thank... King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz after he instructed the Saudi finance ministry to transfer $100 million to the Palestinian Authority treasury at the request of president Mahmoud Abbas," Fayyad's office said. The money, the office added, would "support the Palestinian Authority and assist them in overcoming the financial crisis they are suffering from". » Read more

Saudi Arabia donates $100 million to Palestinian Authority ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 16, 2012 - 12:00am President Abbas on Sunday welcomed Saudi Arabia's decision to donate $100 million to the Palestinian Authority, official news agency Wafa reported. Ramallah prime minister Salam Fayyad applauded King Abdullah for arranging the contribution through Saudi's ministry of finance. » Read more

Where Obama failed on forging peace in the Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Scott Wilson - (Opinion) July 14, 2012 - 12:00am It was their first meeting with the new president, and the dozen or so Jewish leaders picked to attend had made an agreement among themselves: No arguing — either with each other or their host. The pledge would be hard to keep. » Read more

Israel mulls sanctions on UN agency in West Bank due to staffers' illegal activity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - July 15, 2012 - 12:00am The Foreign Ministry and Israel Defense Forces are considering imposing sanctions against a UN agency in the West Bank and Gaza following allegations that agency employees have engaged in illegal activity such as illegal construction. As senior officials in Jerusalem put it, Israel wants to “reassess” the role in the West Bank of the agency, the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. » Read more