Occupation Divides Israeli Protest Movement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Jeffay - July 15, 2012 - 12:00am One year after Israel’s social protest movement was born, activists are battling over its soul. Throughout June, protestors once again started to flow into the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday nights. They all claimed to be reviving the demonstrations held weekly last summer, when tent cities proliferated all over the country. But it quickly became evident that this time, there were very different ideas among the protestors about what their demands should be. » Read more

The Palestinian Authority under pressure ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CNN by Lucky Gold - (Opinion) July 16, 2012 - 12:00am We have been facing serious financial difficulties for more than two years CNN – Can the stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority be revived by the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the region? On Monday, Christiane Amanpour sat down with Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian Prime Minister, in his Ramallah office on the West Bank, where he expressed serious doubts – not only about the peace talks but about the very existence of the Palestinian Authority he represents: » Read more

'Mofaz mulling departure from coalition today' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gil Hoffman - July 17, 2012 - 12:00am Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz will remove his party from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition as early as Tuesday if gaps between Likud and Kadima on how to equalize the burden of IDF service are not bridged, sources close to Mofaz said Monday. » Read more

Gaza Christians protest 'forcible conversions' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Diaa Hadid - July 16, 2012 - 12:00am Dozens of Gaza Christians staged a rare public protest Monday, claiming two congregants were forcibly converted to Islam and were being held against their will. The small but noisy demonstration showed the increasingly desperate situation facing the tiny minority. Protesters banged on a church bell and chanted, "With our spirit, with our blood we will sacrifice ourselves for you, Jesus." » Read more

MI chief: Over 10 recent Sinai attacks thwarted ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Lahav Harkov - July 17, 2012 - 12:00am IDF Military Intelligence head Aviv Kochavi said that more than 10 recent planned terror attacks emanating from the Egyptian side of the Sinai border have been thwarted during remarks before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Kochavi said that upheaval in Egypt is expected to continue for a long time, and that the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi in the presidential election has ushered in an age of political Islam. » Read more

Israel and the West Bank’s Oil ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Hayat by Walid Khadduri - (Opinion) July 15, 2012 - 12:00am On July 10, 2012, the English-language website of the BBC published an article by journalist Alex Rowell, who recently visited the West Bank. The article mentioned that Givot Olam Oil Ltd, an Israeli company, is producing oil from the Meged field located in Israeli territories “on the edge of the West Bank”, “raising concern that it might also draw from untapped Palestinian reserves”. » Read more

Premier Palestinian medical school graduates struggle to work in Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - July 16, 2012 - 12:00am Basel Nassar, a young Palestinian doctor from this city, is not allowed to practice medicine here. So he flew to Houston last week to take the last phase of a licensing exam that will qualify him to work in the United States. “I am forced to do this,” Nassar, 33, said on the eve of his departure. “Israel is so close, but it is making trouble for us for some trivial reason. I can’t work 15 minutes from my house, where they accepted me in a specialty I was dreaming to get. I simply can’t understand it.” » Read more

'You're dead' daubed near Peace Now activist's flat ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Noam Dvir - July 16, 2012 - 12:00am The words "Hagit, you're dead" and "Kahane was right" were daubed near the apartment of Hagit Ofran, the director of Peace Now's Settlement Watch project. Police have launched an investigation into the incident, which marks the third time hate slogans were spray-painted near Ofran's apartment in Jerusalem. » Read more

Fayyad meets with Clinton in Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 17, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Jerusalem on Monday, and discussed prospects for a return to negotiations with Israel, officials said. The meeting was set to follow-up Clinton's meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris ten days ago, when Abbas asked the US official to communicate to Israel his demands before going ahead with talks, presidential advisor Nimir Hamad told Ma'an. » Read more

Op-Ed: Look between the headlines to understand the Presbyterians’ vote ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ethan Felson - (Opinion) July 16, 2012 - 12:00am NEW YORK (JTA) -- The Presbyterian Church (USA)’s 220th General Assembly had just cast its first vote on an anti-Israel divestment resolution when the spin began. Major news outlets and activists on each side could hardly wait for the debate to finish the next day before declaring winners and losers.  This was my fourth GA and one thing I’ve learned is that reality lies somewhere between the headlines. Here are some reality checks on the GA. * The defeat of divestment was narrow -- and it wasn’t.  » Read more