Golan Heights provides glimpse of Syria civil war ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Blake Sobczak - July 24, 2012 - 12:00am As Syrian regime forces clash with rebels close to the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, this windswept plateau has become a front-row seat to Syria's escalating civil war. » Read more

Gaza Christians fear for future of tiny community ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ibrahim Barzak - July 25, 2012 - 12:00am Christians in overwhelmingly Muslim Gaza have long fretted in private about the survival of their tiny community. » Read more

Mitt's Pilgrimage ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Oren Kessler - (Opinion) July 26, 2012 - 12:00am The U.S. presidential race might be deadlocked, but when Mitt Romney visits Israel on Sunday, July 29, the presumptive Republican nominee can reasonably expect the most heartfelt welcome he'll receive anywhere outside Utah. Israeli enthusiasm for Romney is not necessarily the result of a carefully cultivated relationship -- as a former governor and business executive he had little time for foreign policy. Instead, affection for the candidate appears to be a clear case of ABO: Anyone But Obama. » Read more

PA official: Economic crisis will not be solved this year ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 26, 2012 - 12:00am A Palestinian Authority official said Wednesday that a World Bank report describing weaknesses in the Palestinian economy was accurate.  » Read more

World Bank says Palestinian economy unsustainable ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press July 25, 2012 - 12:00am The Palestinian economy's recent growth is unsustainable because of its heavy reliance on foreign aid, a World Bank report said Wednesday. » Read more

Gaza: Fears of Economic Isolation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Rick Gladstone - July 25, 2012 - 12:00am The United Nations' top Middle East diplomat expressed growing concern on Wednesday about the precarious finances of the Palestinian Authority and the economic isolation of Gaza. The diplomat, Robert H. » Read more

Mitt's Trip to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward (Editorial) July 26, 2012 - 12:00am President Obama’s critics like to acknowledge that official visits to foreign countries are more about style than substance, but when it comes to Israel, that’s a disingenuous feint. As Mitt Romney, presidential candidate, takes his campaign to Israel, conservative pundits see an opportunity to point out that Barack Obama hasn’t been there since moving into the White House. » Read more

A 12-step plan to sober up for peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) July 26, 2012 - 12:00am With the Arab world in turmoil from the Maghreb to the Gulf, few are paying much attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict these days. Libya, Tunisia and Egypt are experimenting with democracy and have new governments just feeling their way, and no one can be sure which way they will go. Syria is exploding in civil war, and while the Assad regime appears to be steadily weakening, it still has the most guns, tanks and planes. And Russia is running interference for the Assad regime at the United Nations to block international intervention. » Read more

Ehud Barak is the only leader who can take on Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Aluf Benn - (Opinion) July 26, 2012 - 12:00am Benjamin Netanyahu is in trouble. He missed the opportunity to push forward the election at the high point of his popularity and now his leadership is flagging. The ruse to split Kadima failed and exposed the prime minister's predicament. The Likud is returning to its extreme-right roots, as the party of the settlers and their sycophants. The recession is here and the cabinet is forced to raise taxes and cut back services. The controversy over the draft law has shown Netanyahu as a collaborator with the ultra-Orthodox draft-dodgers. » Read more

Israel’s Settlers Are Here to Stay ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Dani Dayan - (Opinion) July 25, 2012 - 12:00am Whatever word you use to describe Israel’s 1967 acquisition of Judea and Samaria — commonly referred to as the West Bank in these pages — will not change the historical facts. Arabs called for Israel’s annihilation in 1967, and Israel legitimately seized the disputed territories of Judea and Samaria in self-defense. Israel’s moral claim to these territories, and the right of Israelis to call them home today, is therefore unassailable. » Read more