July 30th

Abbas confident in Palestinian bid for UN recognition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 29, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday expressed confidence that the Palestinian bid for the United Nations' recognition of a Palestinian state will succeed this time once the bid is applied. Abbas, who paid a visit to the West Bank's northern city of Jenin to have Iftar meal with city notables during the holy month of Ramadan, said that "we went to the UN and we didn't succeed in the first time, but next time we will." » Read more

Mitt, Are You Sure This Trip Was a Good Idea? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Gershom Gorenberg - (Opinion) July 27, 2012 - 12:00am Even before he gets to Israel this weekend, Mitt Romney has discovered the perils of trying to look like a statesman overseas while running for office at home. » Read more

Israel troops shoot dead Palestinian at checkpoint ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli border police have shot dead a Palestinian man and wounded two others at the entrance to Jerusalem. Border police spokesman Shai Hakimi says 40-year-old Akram Badr was traveling in a car that burst through a checkpoint at high speed early Monday and tried to run over officers who ordered him to stop. Palestinian police said the car had entered a wrong lane and was backing up to enter the right one when Israeli border police mistakenly thought it was trying to hit them and opened fire. » Read more

Fayyad meets US presidential candidate Romney ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority prime minister Salam Fayyad met with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Sunday, PA spokesman Ghassan al-Khatib said. The former Massachusetts governor was in Jerusalem on the second leg of a trip to strengthen his foreign policy credentials in his race to unseat Obama. After talks with Israeli leaders, Romney met with Fayyad. He then visited the Western Wall, Judaism's most revered site. » Read more

In Jerusalem speech, it was Romney's voice but Netanyahu's words ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - (Opinion) July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Romney's staff picked the 150 guests carefully. Religious American immigrants dominated the crowd; secular Jews and native-born Israelis were few and far between. Those present included Jewish-American millionaires, settler leaders like the former chairman of the Yesha Council of settlements Israel Harel, and former Netanyahu aides such as Dore Gold, Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and Yoaz Hendel. » Read more

Romney: US, Israel differences embolden enemies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Mitt Romney says any public differences between the United States and Israel only embolden adversaries. The U.S. presidential candidate says it is a "basic truth" that the United States and Israel will always stand together. Without mentioning the tensions between President Barack Obama and Israel's leaders, Romney suggested in a Jerusalem speech Sunday that the diplomatic differences only encourage Israel's enemies. » Read more

Romney to Israel Hayom: Israel deserves better treatment than it's getting from Obama ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Hayom by Boaz Bismuth, Amos Regev - (Interview) July 27, 2012 - 12:00am Israel deserves better treatment than it received during the term of U.S. President Barack Obama, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney told Israel Hayom in a special interview this week. "I would treat Israel like the friend and ally it is. We share not only common interests, but also common values." "I cannot imagine going to the United Nations, as Obama did, and criticizing Israel in front of the world," he said. "You don't criticize your allies in public to achieve the applause of your foes." » Read more

In Israel, Romney declares Jerusalem to be capital ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Kasie Hunt - July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Standing on Israeli soil, U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Sunday declared Jerusalem to be the capital of the Jewish state and said the United States has "a solemn duty and a moral imperative" to block Iran from achieving nuclear weapons capability. "Make no mistake, the ayatollahs in Iran are testing our moral defenses. They want to know who will object and who will look the other way," he said. "We will not look away nor will our country ever look away from our passion and commitment to Israel." » Read more

Romney comments at fundraiser outrage Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Kasie Hunt - July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Mitt Romney told Jewish donors Monday that their culture is part of what has allowed them to be more economically successful than the Palestinians, outraging Palestinian leaders who called his comments racist and out of touch. » Read more

Panetta Sidesteps Issue of Israel’s Plans on Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Elisabeth Bumiller - July 29, 2012 - 12:00am Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Sunday that he did not think Israel had yet made a decision to strike Iran, but that his goal in meeting with the Israeli leadership this week was to strengthen ties with the United States “so that we can be fully prepared to deal with any contingency that may happen.” » Read more