July 9th

Israelis, Not MEK, Killed Iranian Scientists, New Book Says ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Barbara Slavin - (Analysis) July 6, 2012 - 12:00am Israelis, not Iranians working for Israel, killed five Iranian scientists connected to Iran’s nuclear program between 2007 and 2011 according to a new book by veteran US and Israeli journalists. » Read more

The Israelis' quest to poison Yasser Arafat ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Uri Avnery - (Opinion) July 9, 2012 - 12:00am For me, there was no surprise. From the very first day, I was convinced that Yasser Arafat had been poisoned by Ariel Sharon. I even wrote about it several times. It was a simple logical conclusion. First, a thorough medical examination in the French military hospital where he died did not find any cause for his sudden collapse and death. No traces of any life-threatening disease were found. » Read more

U.K. slams Israel with stiff upper lip: Not all Palestinian kids are potential terrorists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - July 9, 2012 - 12:00am "A Palestinian child is a potential terrorist," an IDF prosecutor candidly told a delegation of nine visiting British lawyers. The attorneys, who visited Israel for a week in September 2011, reviewed and analyzed Israeli law and practice regarding the detention and prosecution of Palestinian children. Britain's foreign ministry financed the delegation's visit, which appeared to raise the bar a notch; after both British houses of parliament debated the issue last year, after several British MPs paid visits to the military court next to Ofer prison. » Read more

Israeli settlements can face trade bans, says counsel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - July 9, 2012 - 12:00am European governments, including Britain's, have received legal opinion from a leading international counsel who argues they would be fully within their rights to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. » Read more

'Abbas not paying friendly visit to Iran' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Attila Somfalvi - July 8, 2012 - 12:00am The Foreign Ministry responded to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' announcement that plans to attend the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran, saying that "it is not a state visit, and is solely aimed at attending the summit, which will take place in Iran." » Read more

New batch of officials to be charged with corruption ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 9, 2012 - 12:00am Legal authorities are putting the final touches on a fresh series of indictments of public officials for corruption and misuse of public funds, an informed source told Ma'an on Monday. The defendants in this new batch of corruption cases will now be summoned for interrogation, the source said. A senior official recently tried to travel to Jordan via Jericho, but police prevented his exit and ordered him back to Ramallah for interrogation, Ma'an has learned. » Read more

Israel’s Arab Spring problem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by David Ignatius - (Opinion) July 9, 2012 - 12:00am Whatever else that might be said about the Arab revolutions, it’s obvious that they pose a problem for Israel. But how bad, and what should the Israeli government do to hedge its risks? I heard some interesting — but not very encouraging — ideas on this subject from top government officials last week. » Read more

Minister: Abbas refused Israeli offer of selective prisoner release ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 9, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority Prisoners Minister Issa Qaraqe said Monday that President Mahmoud Abbas refused an Israeli offer for the staged release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for returning to peace talks. Abbas insists that all 123 prisoners held since before the 1994 Oslo agreement be freed in a single release, Qaraqe said. Israeli daily Haaretz reported earlier Monday that Israel offered to release some 25 Palestinian prisoners convicted of the murder of Israelis, followed by another 100 prisoners by the end of the year. » Read more

Abbas says Hamas obstructs reconciliation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 9, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday accused rival Hamas movement of obstructing the implementation of the Palestinian internal reconciliation agreements reached in Cairo and Doha. At a joint news conference with European Commission Chief Jose Manuel Barroso following a meeting held in Ramallah, Abbas said that he doesn't know why Hamas suddenly decided to halt the update of voters' record in Gaza. » Read more

East Jerusalem Suffers Economic Tailspin ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Ben Lynfield - (Analysis) July 8, 2012 - 12:00am Call it patriotism or doing something to express his Palestinian identity — Taisir Jubeh wanted to start a business in Jerusalem. So five months ago, after handing over the reins of his Ramallah bookshop to relatives, he opened a men’s casual wear store in the new Addar Shopping Mall, off Salah el-Din Street. The mall, opened earlier this year in downtown East Jerusalem by Muhammad Nuseibeh, a member of one of East Jerusalem’s most prominent families, had sparked hope that its 40 stores and offices would inject new life into the struggling area. » Read more