July 20th

Syria Unrest Will Shadow Romney's Israel Trip ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Buzzfeed by Zeke Miller, Ben Smith - July 19, 2012 - 12:00am The deepening unrest in Syria threatens to drive an unlikely wedge between many American conservatives and their allies in Israel on the eve of Mitt Romney’s friendly visit to the country. Even before the violence intensified and closed in on Damascus this week, Romney and his advisers were pushing for more direct American support of the Syrian rebels, while the Obama administration focused bringing international pressure to bear and working through proxies. » Read more

Syria’s Stockpile of Chemical Weapons is Making Israel Nervous ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Linda Gradstein - July 19, 2012 - 12:00am During the first Gulf War in the winter of 1990, Israelis huddled in sealed rooms and donned gas masks as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein lobbed Scud missiles at the Jewish state. Israeli intelligence knew that Hussein had a stockpile of chemical weapons and was worried that he might use them. » Read more

PA fears for Palestinians caught in Syria violence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - July 20, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority officials Thursday concern over the safety of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in refugee camps in Syria. They said that some 300 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the uprising in Syria in March 2011. More than 500,000 Palestinians are believed to be living in Syria, mostly in a number of refugee camps. The PA announced Thursday that it was in contact with the Syrian authorities and opposition to avoid involving Palestinians in the escalating violence. » Read more

Israel Is Forced to Rethink Its Regional Strategies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Jodi Rudoren - July 19, 2012 - 12:00am Israel’s defense minister, Ehud Barak, observed on Thursday that President Bashar al-Assad’s grip on power was slipping away. “The disintegration is not abstract; it is real,” Mr. Barak said after a tour and debriefing with the local commander. “It is getting closer.” » Read more

July 19th

After 20 Years, Moving Beyond Oslo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National Review by Yossi Beilin, Rabbi Benny Elon - (Opinion) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am Let us start with a rare activity in that twilight zone that is called the Middle East peace process: talking about things we agree upon. Regional leaders and experts on all sides of the discussion have declared the peace process to be dormant, if not dead. No meaningful negotiations have taken place in almost three years. The Obama administration is hiding its head in the sand. Rumors have replaced ideas and action. » Read more

Leader: Now is not the time to give up on a two-state solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from New Statesman (Editorial) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am The window of opportunity for a “two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has long been narrowing. Should the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, endorse the conclusions of the Levy report, he could close it for good. The report, produced by a government-appointed panel led by the former Supreme Court justice Edmund Levy, argues that Israel’s presence on the West Bank does not constitute an occupation and, therefore, that the 121 Jewish settlements in the region are legal under international law. » Read more

A Palestinian in Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Raja Shehadeh - (Blog) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am Jerusalem — As a tourist visiting the Old City of Jerusalem, seeing Christians, Jews and Muslims walking side by side, hearing church bells ringing and Muslims being called to prayer, you might think the place is a model of tolerance. As a resident of the Old City of Jerusalem, you think differently. » Read more

Did Hezbollah Do It? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Matthew Levitt - (Opinion) July 18, 2012 - 12:00am Earlier today, on the 18th anniversary of the Hezbollah bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, a busload of Israeli tourists was bombed in Burgas, Bulgaria, a popular summer vacation destination among Israeli tourists.  Early reports indicate several people were killed, and many more injured.  Hezbollah is the leading suspect, and for good reason. » Read more

Will Obama do something about colonies if re-elected? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am A lengthy account in the Washington Post of the Obama administration’s nearly four-year fruitless effort to resolve the 64-year-old conflict between Palestinians and Israelis — running over four pages — carried the eye-catching headline, Where Obama failed on Middle East, and the subhead elaborated, Despite years of US trying new approach, Israelis and Palestinians came no closer. » Read more

Why Is Jonathan Pollard Still in Jail? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Moshe Dann - (Opinion) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am Why are efforts to obtain clemency for Jonathan Pollard stuck? The man convicted in 1987 for spying for Israel and given a life sentence remains in jail despite a growing chorus calling for his release. » Read more