The Incoherence of the Slogans ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Hassan Haidar - (Opinion) July 21, 2011 - 12:00am Is it recognition of the Palestinian state or recognition of Israel? » Read more

Settlers start fires across the West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 22, 2011 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Palestinian firefighters have been battling blazes across the West Bank as Israeli settlers set fire to land in multiple locations on Thursday night. Reports earlier on Friday said that settlers had torched agricultural fields near the village of Burin in the West Bank city of Nablus. “Some settlers from the Yizhar settlement adjacent to the village set fire to the area south of the village and fled the scene,” Head of Burin village council Ali Ead told Ma'an. Hundreds of residents in the village arrived at the scene and helped extinguish the fire. » Read more

Demography as Destiny: Israel's Growing Right Shapes Law, Military ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by J.J. Goldberg - (Blog) July 21, 2011 - 12:00am The increasingly progressive Atlantic Monthly correspondent and former Forward staffer Jeffrey Goldberg (for the last time, no, we’re not the same person) posted a link on his blog Tuesday to an online essay — which he called “hard to disagree with” — by senior research fellow Hussein Ibish of the American Task Force on Palestine. Here’s the excerpt Goldberg posted on his blog: » Read more

Election season underway ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Nahum Barnea - (Editorial) July 21, 2011 - 12:00am Some politicians talk about elections next fall, on the eve of the US elections: these are the optimists. And there are others, who talk about elections sooner, in the spring. One way or another, the election year is underway. » Read more

The Israeli right fears for the dream ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Bradley Burston - (Opinion) July 21, 2011 - 12:00am How could it happen that the seemingly unstoppable momentum of a hard-line majority government would split the right, and, in the process, break the hearts of icons of the ruling Likud? And how does it happen that what began as a debate about McCarthyism in Israel, turned into a Soviet-style show trial, complete with verdicts handed down in advance, manipulative visual aids, dubious parliamentary procedure, playing to a captive media, and Politburo-worthy redefinitions of democratic values and practice, all on the Knesset floor? » Read more

ISRAEL: Benjamin Netanyahu's first interview on Arab network ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Batsheva Sobelman - July 21, 2011 - 12:00am "Everything is on the table; we just need to get to the table," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Al Arabiya TV in an exclusive interview airing Thursday evening. According to advance excerpts from the 30-minute interview, the Israeli leader answered questions on a wide range of issues, including the peace process and regional regime changes. It was Netanyahu's first appearance on an Arab television outlet. Why now?... » Read more

J Street poll: Obama's Jewish support tops Republicans ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Hilary Leila Krieger - July 21, 2011 - 12:00am WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama handily defeats his current Republican presidential opponents among Jewish voters, according to a poll put out by J Street Thursday. At the same time, the majority of American Jews disapproves of his handling of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the poll found. Obama currently enjoys 63 percent of the American Jewish vote, compared to 24% for Mitt Romney and 67% when facing-off against Michele Bachmann, who received 19% support,according to the poll. » Read more

The blunders of Palestinian leader Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jackson Diehl - (Opinion) July 21, 2011 - 12:00am Back in May, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas adopted a new and radically different political strategy. Turning his back on the United States and peace talks with Israel, he signed a ”reconciliation” agreement with the Hamas movement and announced his intention to appeal to the United Nations in September for recognition of Palestinian statehood. September is still six weeks away, but already it’s becoming clear that Abbas committed a monumental blunder, one that will leave his movement at a dead end — and possibly lead to an eruption of violence in the West Bank and Gaza. » Read more

Palestinians face a dangerous U.N. clash on statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) July 21, 2011 - 12:00am A potentially dangerous confrontation looms in September over the question of Palestinian statehood, one that threatens significant negative consequences for all parties. It is in the interests of all constructive actors to find a compromise that avoids such a confrontation. » Read more

Palestinians face a dangerous U.N. clash on statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) July 21, 2011 - 12:00am A potentially dangerous confrontation looms in September over the question of Palestinian statehood, one that threatens significant negative consequences for all parties. It is in the interests of all constructive actors to find a compromise that avoids such a confrontation. » Read more