Is Israel's Nuclear Ambiguity Worth Preserving? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'ariv by Adam Raz - October 30, 2012 - 12:00am Since the 1960s, Israel has maintained a "nuclear ambiguity policy" under which it will not be the first nation to introduce nuclear weapons to the Middle East. This policy, according to which Israel refrains from declaring what it does and doesn't have is a "diplomatic fiction," and it isn't for nothing that it was deemed by some to deserve the Israel Defense Prize. It is a "fiction" since it is no secret that, according to foreign sources, Israel is a nuclear state, as even a child can discover reading Wikipedia. » Read more

Bibi's Mistake ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Michael Koplow - (Opinion) October 30, 2012 - 12:00am In an announcement last Thursday that shocked the Israeli political establishment, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated their intention to merge Netanyahu's Likud Party with Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu. Despite the contention made by some -- notably Haaretz editor Aluf Benn -- that this move creates a war cabinet that will make it easier for Israel to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, it's more likely the two men had domestic politics at the forefront of their minds. » Read more

Palestinian Economy Is Teetering On Brink of Collapse, Study Finds ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Danny Rubenstein - (Analysis) October 30, 2012 - 12:00am Last Saturday [Oct. 13], I visited a folk festival in the [West Bank Palestinian] Christian village of Taybeh, east of Ramallah — not to be confused with the Arab city [of Tayibeh] within the Green Line. The village of Taybeh is known primarily thanks to the beer-producing Taybeh Brewery, which is marketing to Israel as well and is quite popular in some of the pubs in the country. » Read more

Virtual debate ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star (Editorial) October 31, 2012 - 12:00am Arab officials and politicians are fond of spending an inordinate amount of time talking about the Palestine issue. They engage in the most Byzantine discussions of the need to support the Palestinian people in their struggle, how to offer this support, and who deserves “traitor” status for taking a given position. » Read more

The case for President Obama’s reelection ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Alan Dershowitz - (Opinion) October 30, 2012 - 12:00am The case for the reelection of President Barack Obama is compelling for several important reasons. » Read more

A party in denial ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) October 31, 2012 - 12:00am It took some effort to get worked up about the jubilant fanfare with which the Likud Central Committee welcomed the product of Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman's fusion. One might mistakenly suppose that two noble metals had just blended in the blistering crucible of the right wing. » Read more

Never mind the settlements, it's the absurdity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) October 31, 2012 - 12:00am Compared to the value of the security technology Israel sells overseas, the value of European imports from the settlements are mere pocket money. Israel's economy won't be hurt even if European governments adopt the measures proposed by a group of nongovernmental organizations in order to shrink trade with the settlements and reduce the contradiction between European pronouncements ("the settlements are illegal" ) and imported dates from the Jordan Valley. » Read more

Obama reelection would be bad for Jerusalem, Rivlin says ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times of Israel by Ilan Ben Zion - October 30, 2012 - 12:00am A week before Americans head to the polls, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday said that US President Barack Obama’s reelection would bode ill for the State of Israel. » Read more

As Morsi and Brotherhood spur alarm, what to do about Egypt? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - October 30, 2012 - 12:00am WASHINGTON (JTA) – Jewish groups looking for signals from Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi regarding his views were appalled when one finally came -- in the form of a nod and what appeared to be a muttered “amen” to an imam’s call for God to “deal harshly” with the Jews. » Read more

Scots Hotel: Why the Church of Scotland has a Galilee getaway ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Angus Roxburgh - October 30, 2012 - 12:00am Spot the odd one out: Hilton, Marriott, Radisson, Church of Scotland, Holiday Inn. Yes, you're right, they are all names of hotels apart from… but wait a minute, the Church of Scotland also owns a hotel, and a very splendid one at that. » Read more