July 8th

The left went to the beach ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Aluf Benn - (Opinion) July 8, 2009 - 12:00am A huge omission lies in the American demand that Israel freeze construction in the settlements. President Barack Obama and his aides failed to stir an internal Israeli debate on the settlements and did not pose a political or public challenge to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding his insistence that "natural growth" be allowed beyond the Green Line. » Read more

Livni: Netanyahu support for two-state solution is hypocrisy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz July 8, 2009 - 12:00am Kadima Party chair Tzipi Livni on Wednesday criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's performance in his first 100 days in office, calling his new-found support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "the height of hypocrisy." Speaking in an interview to Army Radio, the opposition leader accused Likud members of continuing to attack Kadima over its support for a two-state solution, but said that the government changed its position due to pressure from the United States. » Read more

Obama will not give in ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Mickey Bergman - (Opinion) July 8, 2009 - 12:00am President Obama will not give in to Israel when it comes to settlements. Both he, Secretary Clinton and Special Envoy Mitchell have made it abundantly clear: “not one more brick.” Israel’s refusal of this demand could potentially lead to a level of tensions between Washington and Jerusalem that we have not seen in a long while. Israel should propose an alternative that will not only make the administration happy, but will also make real progress toward ending the Israeli-Arab conflict. » Read more

UN Gaza inquiry wraps up hearings ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News July 8, 2009 - 12:00am A UN war crimes investigator has said testimonies about the recent conflict in Gaza have been "difficult to hear" as four days of public hearings ended. Richard Goldstone said his four member team had been shaken by the extent of the destruction in Gaza. Witnesses from Gaza, Israel and the West Bank gave testimony in public hearings in Gaza and Geneva. Israel has refused to co-operate, accusing the UN Human Rights Council of bias against it. » Read more

'Law must thwart' Israeli barrier ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News July 8, 2009 - 12:00am The campaign marks five years since an International Court of Justice advisory opinion found its construction was illegal and it should be dismantled. Since then, Oxfam says, the view of the "most distinguished international legal body has been met by inaction". Israel says the barrier for security; Palestinians view it as a land grab. In the report, entitled Five Years of Illegality, Oxfam details the situations of 13 Palestinian communities affected by the barrier and its associated security system of gates, buffer zones and passes. » Read more

July 7th

Why Israel won't evacuate West Bank outposts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel - (Analysis) July 7, 2009 - 12:00am If George Mitchell, America's special envoy to the Middle East, wants an advance estimate on the reliability of Israeli promises to evacuate outposts, he may find the High Court of Justice discussion on the outpost of Migron helpful. The state's request to be granted another year-long extension before having to evacuate the outpost by law offers a sad glimpse into the situation, and reveals the gaps between the official declarations of the Netanyahu administration and the actual law enforcement in the territories. » Read more

The Arabs' blanket rejection of Netanyahu's speech is short-sighted ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Abdel-Moneim Said - (Opinion) July 7, 2009 - 12:00am US President Barack Obama's speech at Cairo University triggered a host of repercussions. Perhaps the most salient is that it compelled the Israeli government to declare its position, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did in his speech at Bar-Ilan University on June 14. The Netanyahu speech, in turn, triggered two general responses. Whereas the United States and the European Union welcomed the speech, the Arabs rejected it, with some Arab media insisting it had effectively sounded a death knell for the negotiating process. » Read more

What demographic problem? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yair Lapid - (Opinion) July 7, 2009 - 12:00am At times, we need to stop and rethink everything. Our entire history is made up of people who were sure they knew the truth, yet forgot that the truth has an annoying tendency to change on occasion without us noticing it. » Read more

Testing Religious Authority before Negotiation! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq Alhomayed - July 6, 2009 - 12:00am The dispute between the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement and Hamas in Gaza reveals many hidden aspects about the two movements and their alliances. It has illustrated the extent to which they exploit the Palestinian Cause and religion, and the pressure of political finance on their decisions. The Islamic Jihad movement, which is facing financial deficit, resorted to using the weapon of religion against Hamas, which in return responded with the very same weapon. All of this is happening to consolidate the internal positions in Gaza in front of the supporters of these movements. » Read more

Poll: Majority of Israelis in favor of 'natural growth' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews (Analysis) July 7, 2009 - 12:00am Some 61% of the Israeli public support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands on settlement expansion, unless for the purpose of "natural growth," the War and Peace Index for June said Tuesday. Thirty-one percent are against the PM's position, but both sides agree that the government cannot do anything that may harm Israel's relations with the United States. » Read more