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.) » Read more

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. » Read more

How Not to Host a Summit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am Twelve years ago this week, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat gathered at Camp David to launch a historic bid to put an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. » Read more

Israel Didn't Kill Arafat ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Yossi Melman - (Opinion) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am Al Jazeera’s English-language TV service released a new documentary that reveals evidence suggesting that Yasser Arafat was poisoned by a radioactive element, polonium-210.  Many who followed Arafat’s death believe that Israel took a byproduct of its nuclear program and used it to turn Arafat into a sickly, weak man, leading to his death in November 2004. » Read more

Israel ignores decades of Occupation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) July 11, 2012 - 12:00am The latest news out of Israel will come as a surprise to both students of international law and the world in general: according to Israeli officials, apparently, the illegal occupation of the West Bank is neither illegal, nor an occupation. That appears to be the ludicrous conclusion of the Levy Committee, set-up by the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to explore the status of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. » Read more

Occupation can't be erased ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Boaz Okon - (Opinion) July 11, 2012 - 12:00am The Levy Report on legitimizing Israel’s West Bank outposts cannot legitimize Israel’s actions in the territories. One cannot curb millions of Palestinians’ demands for freedom via legal reports. At the end of the day, the report will be shelved, and its main contribution would be the boosting cynicism and suspicions towards judges. » Read more

Occupation no more ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Michael Sfard - (Opinion) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am Every lawyer is familiar with that embarrassing situation. A friend or acquaintance asks you an everyday legal question they came across. While you get carried away explaining different legal schools of thought and indications that could lead one way or another, you see in the questioner’s eyes that they were expecting a yes or no answer. » Read more

Crossing Religious Lines in an Israeli Hospital ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Souad Mekhennet - July 10, 2012 - 12:00am Hadassah-Ein Kerem hospital. Doctors and nurses hover over patients. Manar Igbarya, 25, is giving a woman an injection and inspecting a bandage on her right leg. The Orthodox patient is absorbed in talking to her visiting husband. Everyone is chatting in Hebrew; nothing in this scene seems unusual, except that Ms. Igbarya is a Palestinian Muslim. » Read more

Be grateful Presbyterians voted before the settlements were ‘legalized’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Eric H. Yoffie - (Opinion) July 11, 2012 - 12:00am Last week, the Presbyterian Church (USA) rejected a resolution calling for divestment from Israel. This was a victory for supporters of Israel - sort of. The resolution was defeated by a single vote, and another resolution endorsing a boycott of West Bank products was adopted. Divestment advocates have vowed to continue their struggle, and they may win next time around. » Read more

UN head warns Israeli-Palestinian peace process at 'dangerous standstill' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Examiner by Rhonda Parker - July 11, 2012 - 12:00am The Israeli Palestinian peace process is at a “dangerous standstill,” according to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. At an Asian and Pacific meeting in support of the peace process, a spokesperson for Ki-moon said the U.N. leader was calling on the international community to help steer the situation towards negotiations and a historic peace process. » Read more