July 12th

Will Olmert return to politics?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - (Opinion) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am


The dramatic decision of the Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday morning to acquit former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of charges pertaining to the Rishon Tours and Talansky affairs, will shock not only Israeli law enforcement, but will also send shockwaves through Israeli politics and the international arena.


July 11th

NEWS: Human rights groups say there has been another spike in Israeli settler violence. Israel releases a hunger-striking Palestinian detainee. Pres. Abbas is going to Saudi Arabia to seek increased aid for the PA. The residents of occupied East Jerusalem are suffering serious water shortages. Pres. Peres says settlements are a threat to Israel's future. The head of the European Commission says a two-state solution is the only way to achieve peace. Hamas is increasingly pinning its hopes on Muslim Brotherhood rule in Egypt. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe denies observer status to the Palestinian Authority. UNSG Ban says the peace process is “at a dangerous standstill.” Souad Mekhennet describes the interaction of Jews and Arabs in Israeli hospitals. COMMENTARY: The New York Times says the Levy Committee report is “a potentially disastrous blow” to peace. Bloomberg says PM Netanyahu should reject its recommendations. Hussein Ibish says it raises impossible quandaries about the occupation for Israel. Bradley Burston looks at the dangers of Israel saying there is no occupation in the occupied territories. Eric Yoffie says it's a good thing the report was issued after the divestment vote of the Presbyterian Church. Michael Sfard says the report's ideas would soon enough collide with a very different reality. Boaz Okon agrees the report cannot change reality. The National says Israel should be looking for ways to make peace, not issuing ridiculous reports denying the occupation. Stuart Reigeluth says the EU should condition trade with Israel on progress towards peace. Yossi Melman says Israel considered but decided not to assassinate the late Pres. Arafat in the period leading up to his death. Jon Haber derides claims that the boycott movement against Israel is growing or that it can “win by losing." Aaron David Miller dissects the errors that led to the failure of the 2000 Camp David summit.

NEWS: Human rights groups say there has been another spike in Israeli settler violence. Israel releases a hunger-striking Palestinian detainee. Pres. Abbas is going to Saudi Arabia to seek increased aid for the PA. The residents of occupied East Jerusalem are suffering serious water shortages. Pres. Peres says settlements are a threat to Israel's future. The head of the European Commission says a two-state solution is the only way to achieve peace. Hamas is increasingly pinning its hopes on Muslim Brotherhood rule in Egypt. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe denies observer status to the Palestinian Authority. UNSG Ban says the peace process is “at a dangerous standstill.” Souad Mekhennet describes the interaction of Jews and Arabs in Israeli hospitals. COMMENTARY: The New York Times says the Levy Committee report is “a potentially disastrous blow” to peace. Bloomberg says PM Netanyahu should reject its recommendations. Hussein Ibish says it raises impossible quandaries about the occupation for Israel. Bradley Burston looks at the dangers of Israel saying there is no occupation in the occupied territories. Eric Yoffie says it's a good thing the report was issued after the divestment vote of the Presbyterian Church. Michael Sfard says the report's ideas would soon enough collide with a very different reality. Boaz Okon agrees the report cannot change reality. The National says Israel should be looking for ways to make peace, not issuing ridiculous reports denying the occupation. Stuart Reigeluth says the EU should condition trade with Israel on progress towards peace. Yossi Melman says Israel considered but decided not to assassinate the late Pres. Arafat in the period leading up to his death. Jon Haber derides claims that the boycott movement against Israel is growing or that it can “win by losing." Aaron David Miller dissects the errors that led to the failure of the 2000 Camp David summit.

BDS Loses by Losing
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Jon Haber - (Opinion) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am


The Rumplestilskins of the BDS “movement” have had to work overtime to spin the soiled straw of defeat within the Mainline Protestant Churches into gold.  But what can you expect from a “movement” that can keep a straight face when writing headlines such as “Pro-Divestment Presbyterians Win by Losing.” (The response to my piece on Open Zion by Alex Kane was one such example—albeit without such a tell-tale headline.)


No trade with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Stuart Reigeluth - (Opinion) July 11, 2012 - 12:00am


“Our intention is to ensure that the trade agreement with Israel is not being used to smuggle settlement [colony] products,” said Denmark’s Foreign Minister, Villy Soevndal, last May. This is exactly what the controversy over the Agreement on Conformity and Acceptance of Industrial products (ACAA) between the European Union (EU) and Israel is all about.


How Not to Host a Summit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am


Twelve years ago this week, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat gathered at Camp David to launch a historic bid to put an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.


Israel Didn't Kill Arafat
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Yossi Melman - (Opinion) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am


Al Jazeera’s English-language TV service released a new documentary that reveals evidence suggesting that Yasser Arafat was poisoned by a radioactive element, polonium-210.  Many who followed Arafat’s death believe that Israel took a byproduct of its nuclear program and used it to turn Arafat into a sickly, weak man, leading to his death in November 2004.


Israel ignores decades of Occupation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) July 11, 2012 - 12:00am


The latest news out of Israel will come as a surprise to both students of international law and the world in general: according to Israeli officials, apparently, the illegal occupation of the West Bank is neither illegal, nor an occupation. That appears to be the ludicrous conclusion of the Levy Committee, set-up by the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to explore the status of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.


Occupation can't be erased
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Boaz Okon - (Opinion) July 11, 2012 - 12:00am


The Levy Report on legitimizing Israel’s West Bank outposts cannot legitimize Israel’s actions in the territories. One cannot curb millions of Palestinians’ demands for freedom via legal reports. At the end of the day, the report will be shelved, and its main contribution would be the boosting cynicism and suspicions towards judges.


Occupation no more
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Michael Sfard - (Opinion) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am


Every lawyer is familiar with that embarrassing situation. A friend or acquaintance asks you an everyday legal question they came across. While you get carried away explaining different legal schools of thought and indications that could lead one way or another, you see in the questioner’s eyes that they were expecting a yes or no answer.



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