July 18th

The lie about rights and duties in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Salman Masalha - (Analysis) July 18, 2012 - 12:00am We are not going to discuss how to get the desert to bloom here but rather how the public discourse in Israel is made devoid of content. Many people with bad intentions take part in the attempt to cover our eyes and block our ears. Because after all, there is no greater lie than that sold by populist politicians, the cynical and "engaged" media, and those who tell all kinds of stories. Anyone who draws a link between granting civil rights and fulfilling duties will no doubt be surprised to read what will follow here. » Read more

The anti-Semitism that goes unreported ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) July 18, 2012 - 12:00am Here's a statistic that you won't see in research on anti-Semitism, no matter how meticulous the study is. In the first six months of the year, 154 anti-Semitic assaults have been recorded, 45 of them around one village alone. Some fear that last year's record high of 411 attacks - significantly more than the 312 attacks in 2010 and 168 in 2009 - could be broken this year. » Read more

Ex-Israeli diplomat: Boycott my country ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - (Opinion) July 17, 2012 - 12:00am Alon Liel is a former Israeli ambassador to South Africa and former director general of the Israeli foreign ministry. But when his former office harshly criticized South Africa for enabling a consumer boycott of exports from West Bank settlements in May, Mr. Liel's response sharply diverged from the party line. » Read more

Israeli Lawmaker Destroys New Testament ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Jeffay - July 17, 2012 - 12:00am He’s not exactly known for his sensitivity, but Israeli lawmaker Michael Ben-Ari has rarely made a statement that has the potential to offend quite so many people. » Read more

State will not oppose Migron petition to High Court ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Tovah Lazaroff - July 18, 2012 - 12:00am The state does not plan to oppose a High Court of Justice petition by the residents of the West Bank Migron outpost to remain in their homes. Last summer, the High Court of Justice issued a binding order mandating the state to evacuate the outpost by August 1, because it was built without proper permits on land classified by the state as belonging to private Palestinians. But early this month, outpost residents announced that they had purchased 2.5 out of 5 hectares on which the outpost is located from its Palestinian landowners. » Read more

Death of Palestinian woman at Bil'in protest goes to High Court ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gili Cohen - July 18, 2012 - 12:00am The High Court of Justice on Wednesday will hear a petition demanding an IDF criminal investigation into the January 1, 2011 death of a Palestinian woman while a demonstration was taking place in the West Bank village of Bil'in. Jawaher Abu Rahmah died after having inhaled tear gas fired the previous day to disperse a demonstration staged in Bil'in to protest the separation fence in the village area. » Read more

Palestinian camp shelters 2,000 displaced Syrians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 18, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinians in a refugee camp near Damascus on Wednesday welcomed more than 2,000 displaced Syrians fleeing fighting that has spread to the Syrian capital. The Syrians came to al-Yarmouk camp from neighborhoods throughout the area, but many are from Al Tadamon which locals say has been bombed heavily by the Syrian army. Sources in the camp said Palestinians have organized into civil teams to organize shelter for those displaced, housing people in family homes, mosques and schools. They also formed medical teams to treat those who are injured. » Read more

Abbas in Egypt to meet Mursi ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 18, 2012 - 12:00am President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Egypt on Tuesday evening to meet with newly elected Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi. The president will update Mursi, Egypt's first democratically elected leader and Islamist in power, on the situation of Israeli settlements, and other activities in the occupied territories, a Fatah statement said. He will tell Mursi of the pressure put on Palestinian leaders to return to negotiations without conditions. » Read more

PNA outraged by Israel's remarks about Al-Aqsa Mosque ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 17, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian National Authority ( PNA) was outraged Tuesday by Israel's attorney general's remarks that Muslim's Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem is integral to Israeli territory and thus under Israeli Law. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat protested the comment, saying it went against UN Security Council resolutions and the Palestinian-Israeli agreements. Erekat stressed that East Jerusalem with its holy places and archaeological sites are part of an occupied territory. "All the Israeli attempts to annex them are illegal and unrecognized." » Read more

Was Yasser Arafat Poisoned? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Voice of America by Cecily Hilleary - July 17, 2012 - 12:00am Former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died in 2004 of a sudden illness, which led to a fury of conspiracy theories that have never died down.  The rumors surrounding his death were revitalized recently after a the Lucerne-based Swiss Institute of Radiophysics found traces of the deadly radioactive agent polonium  on Arafat’s clothing and personal effects.  So what has prompted this investigation into Arafat’s death - and could an autopsy of his remains finally put a rest to this enduring mystery? » Read more