July 20th

Palestinian Olympic participation brings conflict to the fore ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ben Sales - July 19, 2012 - 12:00am A portrait of the two most prominent Palestinian leaders -- current Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and former President Yasser Arafat, who died in 2004 -- hangs in the conference room of the Palestinian Olympic Committee headquarters. » Read more

Israeli PM unfazed by Kadima walkout of government ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Adam Gonn - (Analysis) July 20, 2012 - 12:00am It was labeled the "super coalition" which would give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a solid majority in the Knesset (parliament) to deal with challenges facing the nation. However, on Tuesday, Kadima party leader Shaul Mofaz decided to leave the government he had joined only 72 days earlier, after negotiations over a new draft law fell apart. The day after Kadima joined the government in May, the Knesset was scheduled to vote on a law calling for elections in September, but after Kadima joined the law was scrapped. » Read more

Summer Camp at Israeli Outpost Trains Girls to Become Settlers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Amichai Atali - July 19, 2012 - 12:00am You won’t find a shower here, and don’t even think about a mobile phone. Nor are any of these girls dreaming of amusement parks. Welcome to a summer camp for the daughters of the outposts: three days of Krav Maga (a martial art and eclectic self-defense system developed in Israel), whitewashing of unauthorized buildings and tree-planting. » Read more

Levy Report Tests American Consensus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Paul Berger - July 20, 2012 - 12:00am The American Jewish Committee, a centrist pillar of America’s organized Jewish community, is breaking with the long-standing establishment consensus that settlements on the Israeli-occupied West Bank pose no impediment to peace. The committee, in a press release issued on July 12, affirmed the legality of settlements throughout the West Bank and rejected the notion that the territory was under legal occupation. » Read more

Thousands head to Aqsa mosque ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 20, 2012 - 12:00am Thousands of Palestinians traveled from inside Israel and the occupied West Bank to the Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform the first Friday prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. Crossings experienced a large volume of traffic, particularly at the Qalandiya checkpoint north of Jerusalem. Israeli forces deployed at crossings and checkpoints throughout Jerusalem and the West Bank. The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Waqf and Heritage and other groups are implementing a campaign under the Ministry of Religious Affairs to protect the mosque during the Ramadan period. » Read more

Israeli officials says Iran will face retaliation for bombing that killed 5 in Bulgaria ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Karin Brulliard - July 19, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli officials maintained Thursday that Iran was behind a suicide bombing that killed five Israeli tourists in Bulgaria and vowed to settle the score, but indicated that retaliation was unlikely to take the form of a military strike on Iran. » Read more

Israeli president vows retribution "both near and far" over tourist bus blast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 19, 2012 - 12:00am "Israel will locate and act against terror all over the world," Israeli President Shimon Peres said Thursday in a strong response to a suicide bombing against Israeli tourists in Bulgaria a day earlier. Five Israelis were killed, along with the Bulgarian bus driver, at the Burgas airport when an as-yet unidentified man detonated a powerful charge that ripped through a tour bus full of just- arrived Israeli tourists. » Read more

Palestinian reconciliation frozen until elections commission resumes work in Gaza: Fatah official ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 19, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian reconciliation is frozen until Hamas allows the elections committee to resume its work in the Gaza Strip, an official from President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party said Thursday. "We are not ready to hold any meeting with Hamas before it cancels its unjustified position," said Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of Fatah Central Committee, referring to the closure of the Central Elections Commission (CEC) office in Gaza. Hamas took over Gaza in 2007 after routing pro-Abbas forces in deadly battles. » Read more

Egypt's president promises to help lift Gaza blockade: Hamas official ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 20, 2012 - 12:00am Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi promised to exert more efforts to lift a blockade on the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas, a Hamas official said Thursday. The promise was made during a meeting between Morsi and a delegation from Hamas in Cairo Thursday, according to the official, Ayman Taha. It is the first time that an Egyptian president has sat with Hamas, the Islamic movement that took over Gaza after routing forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007. » Read more

Hamas speaker of Palestinian parliament released ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - July 19, 2012 - 12:00am Israel on Thursday released one of the Islamic militant Hamas movement's most senior members, the speaker of the now-defunct Palestinian parliament. Abdel Aziz Dweik, 64, was freed after serving six months without charges, his aide Baha Mahmoud said. Israel confirmed the release. Hamas defeated the Fatah movement of internationally backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2006 parliamentary elections. After the vote, Israel began arresting Hamas legislators in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. » Read more