Israel losing international support, says British ambassador ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - August 3, 2012 - 12:00am The British ambassador to Israel has said international support for the Jewish state among those in the political mainstream is eroding, driven by settlement expansion in the West Bank and continued restrictions on Gaza. There is "growing concern" in the UK over lack of progress towards peace with the Palestinians, and Israel was now being seen as Goliath against the Palestinians as David, said Matthew Gould, in reference to the biblical story. » Read more

As Netanyahu pushes Israel closer to war with Iran, Israelis cannot keep silent ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by David Grossman - (Opinion) August 3, 2012 - 12:00am Here's a possible scenario: Israel attacks Iran despite the strenuous opposition of President Barack Obama, who is practically pleading that Israel leave the work to the United States. Why? Because Benjamin Netanyahu has a historical mind-set and a historical outlook under which, basically, Israel is "the eternal nation" and the United States, with all due respect, is just the Assyria or the Babylonia, the Greece or the Rome, of our age. » Read more

Syria crisis felt in Israel and occupied Golan Heights ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News by Yolande Knell - August 2, 2012 - 12:00am The deepening crisis in Syria threatens to have a destabilising effect on all of its neighbours but Israel has a particular set of concerns. Technically, the two countries have been in a state of war since 1948. Israel also continues to occupy the Golan Heights, Syrian territory which it captured in 1967 and later annexed, in a move that is not internationally recognised. Yet under President Bashar al-Assad, there has been a long-standing truce and for the past 40 years the border between the two countries has been relatively calm. » Read more

New NIF head Brian Lurie: 'The occupation is a cancer that is eating us' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chemi Shalev - (Opinion) August 2, 2012 - 12:00am Rabbi Brian Lurie, who recently replaced Naomi Chazan as president of the New Israel Fund, has spent most of his professional life at the heart of the American Jewish establishment. Nonetheless, he is a rebel, a nonconformist, a Jewish communal leader "on the cutting edge," as former Forward editor J.J. Goldberg puts it, especially in matters relating to the relations between Israel and the Diaspora. » Read more

Erekat: No date set for next UN bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 3, 2012 - 12:00am PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said Thursday that no date was set for next steps at the United Nations, where officials are considering a new initiative to seek membership as a state. Erekat said the timing of a draft application for the General Assembly will be discussed at the next cabinet meeting on Tuesday and after consulting with regional leaders. His remarks followed separate meetings with ambassadors from France, Germany, India, Brazil and the United States, Erekat said. » Read more

Diplomacy: Accord short on fanfare, but not meaning ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - (Opinion) August 2, 2012 - 12:00am It was a small news item during an active news week dominated in Israel by tax increases, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s visit, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s statements on Iran, and – of course – the Olympics. But Tuesday night’s signing in Jerusalem of an economic agreement on behalf of Israel and the Palestinian Authority by Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is not without significance. » Read more

Palestinian women's killings spark outcry over lax laws ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Maher Abukhater - August 3, 2012 - 12:00am Four recent cases of Palestinian women slain allegedly at the hand of relatives have prompted women and human rights groups to demand tougher laws against domestic violence and more stringent enforcement. Several female activists marched Thursday through the streets of Bethlehem in the West Bank demanding justice for women in this patriarchal and traditional society. They also demanded severe punishment for men who kill or batter a female family member. » Read more

Israeli strike would only delay Iran's nuclear program by two years ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel - August 3, 2012 - 12:00am An Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities would delay its manufacture of nuclear weapons by no more than two years, according to the prevailing assessment. This assessment holds that Iran's nuclear program would technically be set back by only a year. But it would likely take Iran another year on top of that to overcome side effects of the strike that would cause additional delays. » Read more

Don't attack Iran now, warns ex-IDF intel chief ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Yaakov Katz - August 3, 2012 - 12:00am Maj.-Gen. (res.) Aharon Ze’evi Farkash is worried. So worried that he decided this week to break his longstanding silence on Iran and to share his concerns with the world. » Read more

Missiles on Tel Aviv will unleash unprecedented response: Israeli former intelligence chief ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua August 3, 2012 - 12:00am Israel's former army intelligence chief said Thursday that a missile attack by foes against Greater Tel Aviv would mean that "Israel's legitimacy to take action will drastically increase." Speaking at a conference on "Israel's Home Front Preparedness," retired Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin sought to quell concerns over recent assessments that Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas could wield unprecedented 200,000 missiles and rockets in any future conflict. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has repeated threat to target Tel Aviv. » Read more