July 13th

Israeli troops kill man crossing illegally from Egypt
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
July 13, 2012 - 12:00am

Israeli troops shot dead a man trying to infiltrate the Sinai border with Egypt and wounded another on Friday, the Israeli military said, in the latest in a series of deadly incidents along a once quiet frontier. Both men, who crossed the desert border under cover of darkness, turned out to be unarmed when Israeli medics found them after dawn, a military spokeswoman said. She would not divulge the identities or nationalities of the infiltrators though Israeli media said they were Palestinians from the nearby Gaza Strip.

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Who’s scared of Olmert?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Sima Kadmon - (Opinion) July 12, 2012 - 12:00am

What does the acquittal of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have to do with the law on military service equality? Well, in politics, just like in nature, one thing is related to another.

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UNESCO chair at Gaza University angers Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Ian Deitch - July 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel has condemned UNESCO's decision to establish a chair at the Islamic University of Gaza, calling the institution "a breeding ground for terrorists." Israel's foreign ministry said Thursday that "(Palestinian militant group) Hamas uses Gaza University laboratories to develop and produce explosives and rockets and has even run a course on explosive making." Gaza militants often bomb southern Israel with mortars and rockets.

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Ehud Olmert could be Israel's comeback kid – and make peace with Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Nir Eisikovits - (Opinion) July 12, 2012 - 12:00am

The July 10 acquittal of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert from most of the corruption charges against him is a watershed moment for the Jewish state and, perhaps, for the whole region.

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Committee: Arafat died from unknown poison
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 13, 2012 - 12:00am

The head of a medical committee investigating the death of Yasser Arafat said Thursday that the late President died from poisoning, but not could not confirm the use of a radioactive element called polonium. Abdullah Al-Basheer, a doctor in Jordan, made the comments during a press conference in Ramallah. While not being able to confirm the use of polonium, the element can still not be excluded from current investigations, he said.

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Arafat sister: Don't exhume late leader's body
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 13, 2012 - 12:00am

A sister of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is not among those, including his widow, calling for the Palestinian Authority to exhume the body in the wake new questions about his death. "Leave him to rest in his soil,” Khadija Arafat said Thursday, saying she has been overwhelmed with media inquiries following an Al Jazeera investigation that raised the possibility Arafat was poisoned.

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New Arafat medical file released in death probe
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Karin Laub - July 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Medical files released for the first time Thursday portray Yasser Arafat as a robust 75-year-old whose sudden health crisis, a month before his mysterious 2004 death, was initially blamed on viral gastroenteritis. The treatment notes by Arafat's Arab doctors who cared for him at his West Bank compound before he was airlifted to France are part of a renewed push to find out what killed the Palestinian leader.

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Israel's richest rabbis become savvy businessmen
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Daniel Estrin - July 13, 2012 - 12:00am

One summer night, on the outskirts of a sleepy desert town, a who's who of Israel's elite gathered for an annual feast to honor a rabbi whose gaze is said to pierce the soul. He's Rabbi Yaacov Israel Ifargan. But he is better known as, simply, the X-ray.

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Service to Israel Tugs at Identity of Arab Citizens
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - July 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Three young Palestinian women sat on the floor at a summer camp this week surrounded by Legos and 3-year-olds. As the toddlers played, the women taught them the color of each block, repeating the words in Arabic, azrak for blue or akhdar for green.

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July 12th

NEWS: Israel bombs Gaza, killing one Palestinian militant. Former PM Olmert says he's not interested in rejoining political life. Palestinian officials say they're still deciding what to do about the late Pres. Arafat's body, and Arafat's nephew says he believes he was poisoned with polonium by Israel. Israel deploys its latest rocket interceptor. The US House of Representatives holds a hearing on corruption in the PA. Pres. Abbas will reportedly meet Pres. Morsy next week. Israel protests what it says is UNESCO support for a Hamas-affiliated university implicated in violence. Israel's blockade is taking a toll on mental health in Gaza. New advertisements in New York commuter train stations depict growing Israeli control over Palestinian lands. Palestinian authorities continue their crackdown against journalists. Israel's growing naval profile might antagonize Turkey. The PA says it has received only $466 million out of $1.2 billion pledged by donors. COMMENTARY: Trudy Rubin says Israel should be wary of the recommendations. Jonathan Rosen says there is no chance PM Netanyahu will endorse the recommendations of the Levy Committee. Barak Ravid asks if Olmert is going to return to Israeli politics. Ely Karmon says Al Jazeera's conspiracy theory about polonium poisoning of Arafat seems more aimed at the current PA leadership than Israel. Douglas Bloomfield says Mitt Romney's positions on Israel and the Palestinians seem to be available to the highest bidder. Michael Herzog proposes a transition process for Syria. Sophia Jones says Palestinian women are trying to find new business opportunities. Raphael Magarik contrasts Israel's Levy and Sasson reports.

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