August 17th

Obama Has Been Great for Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Colin H. Kahl - (Opinion) August 16, 2012 - 12:00am A recent Mitt Romney campaign commercial takes U.S. President Barack Obama to task for not visiting Israel during the first three-and-a-half years of his presidency. The television ad, complete with footage of the former Massachusetts governor thoughtfully contemplating the Western Wall in Jerusalem, declares that Romney "will be a different kind of president -- a strong leader who stands by our allies." A similar spot by the Emergency Committee for Israel, an advocacy group that backs Romney, charges that Obama has "traveled all over the Middle East. » Read more

Hamas helps Egypt in hunt for Sinai terrorists ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - August 17, 2012 - 12:00am Hamas announced Thursday that it was doing its utmost to help the Egyptian authorities capture the terrorists who killed 16 Egyptian border guards in Sinai on August 5. The announcement came as Palestinians in the Gaza Strip reported that Hamas security forces have rounded up a number of suspects belonging to extremist Islamic groups in the context of efforts to solve the case. The statement also came amid reports that Hamas and the Egyptians have formed a joint security committee to investigate the terrorist attack. » Read more

'Israel making threats over compensation for Jews' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - August 17, 2012 - 12:00am The Arab media was up in arms this week over a plan spearheaded by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon to hold a summit on the issue of Jewish refugees from Arab countries at the UN in September. » Read more

My Story As a Pacifist in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Jonathan Ben-Artzi - (Opinion) August 16, 2012 - 12:00am Exactly ten years ago I was imprisoned for my refusal to enlist in the Israeli military. This marked the end of a three-year losing legal battle in Israeli court to have conscientious objection recognized as an option for military service.  It was the beginning of an ongoing struggle to save my country from its inevitable demise. Like a drug-addict, Israel needs an intervention.  It is addicted to the military; blind support does it no good. » Read more

Minister: Prisoners launch initiative for PoW status ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 17, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian detainees in Israel are launching an initiative to press for prisoner of war status, the Palestinian Authority prisoners minister said Thursday. Palestinians in Israel's Eshel jail have developed a national legal and political program to push their cause internationally, Issa Qaraqe said in a statement. The initiative aims to secure treatment in line with the Geneva Conventions, rather than Israel's military orders which govern Palestinians under occupation, the minister added. » Read more

Finding a safe space for Palestinian queer activism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 17, 2012 - 12:00am In 2008, Laila was a recent college graduate and committed anti-occupation activist in her hometown of Nablus. But there was one issue her groups could not adequately address: her sexuality. “I started testing the waters, looking at what organizations are out there, what’s the discourse,” said Laila last month in Nablus. She researched the Haifa-based lesbian group Aswat, but that organization is more attentive to Palestinians within Israel and inaccessible to West Bank residents like Laila. » Read more

Israel: Firebomb attack wounds 6 Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press August 17, 2012 - 12:00am The Israeli military says six Palestinians have been wounded in a suspected firebomb attack in the West Bank. The six were traveling in a taxi Thursday night when the firebomb was allegedly thrown into the car. The military suspects Jewish extremist to be behind the attack. Extremist settlers often attack Palestinians and their property in a campaign they call "price tag." It's meant to retaliate for either army action against settlers or Palestinian attacks. Several more firebombs were hurled earlier Thursday toward settler vehicles in the West Bank. » Read more

In Israel, debate rages over Netanyahu's threats to attack Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - August 16, 2012 - 12:00am Whether serious or a bluff, Israel'spublic threats to attackIran'snuclear development program are widely credited for bringing U.S. pressure and international sanctions against Tehran this year. » Read more

Obama's Last Chance Before Israel Bombs Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Benny Morris - (Opinion) August 16, 2012 - 12:00am There is only one thing that can prevent an Israeli assault on Iran’s nuclear installations before the US presidential elections—and that, short of an attack by America itself, which is seen as extremely unlikely, is an iron-clad guarantee by President Obama that he will destroy the Iranian installations soon after his prospective re-election if the Iranian do not desist under the impact of the ongoing economic sanctions » Read more

Israeli defense minister: Only government to decide Iranian issue ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua August 16, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak lashed out at his critics on Thursday, saying that the decision on how to counter the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran lies within the exclusive domain of the government. "The prime minister, defense minister and foreign minister hold responsibility. A decision (to attack Iran), once one is needed, will be made by the government of Israel, not by groups of citizens or editorials," Barak said at a Knesset (parliament) session to swear-in a new home front defense minister. » Read more