July 12th, 2012

Will Romney outsource foreign policy?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) July 11, 2012 - 12:00am


Earlier in this space I noted how Mitt Romney seems to emulate Groucho Marx’s famous line, “I have my principles, and if you don’t like them, I have others.” That was on display again last week when he was tied in knots contradicting himself and his top advisers on both immigration and Romneycare following two key Supreme Court decisions. Romney may also have a Nixonian trait. No, I’m not saying he’s a crook or paranoid, but he does appear obsessed with secretiveness.


Palestinian officials hesitant on Arafat autopsy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - July 12, 2012 - 12:00am


In an apparent flip-flop, Palestinian investigators looking into Yasser Arafat's death said Thursday they want to review reports from a Swiss lab before deciding whether to exhume the leader's remains.


Israel's Olmert says he won't re-enter politics
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - July 12, 2012 - 12:00am


Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Thursday that he would not return to politics, two days after he was acquitted of the central charges in a corruption trial. Speculation over whether he may return to political life has been rife since a Jerusalem court dismissed most of the counts against him on Tuesday. The charges cut short Olmert's premiership three years ago, ending all serious peace negotiations with the Palestinians. Many observers today ask themselves how the Middle East may have looked had he stayed in office.


Israeli military strikes Gaza, kills 1 militant
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
July 12, 2012 - 12:00am


A Palestinian militant was killed and four people were wounded in Israeli air and artillery attacks in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, a Gaza health official said. The Israeli military confirmed a combined air and artillery attack, which Gaza health official Dr. Ashraf al-Kidra said wounded three Palestinians, including one critically. Al-Kidra said a second airstrike later Thursday morning killed the militant and wounded another. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on that report.


Was Arafat poisoned with polonium? If so, by whom?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Ely Karmon - (Opinion) July 11, 2012 - 12:00am


In an interview with Yaakov Lappin published in The Jerusalem Post on July 5, 2012, I asserted that considering polonium 210’s 138-day halflife, the abnormally high levels of polonium discovered by specialists at the Institut de Radiophysique in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Yasser Arafat’s belongings eight years after his death could mean the polonium was planted much later.


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.



American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017