Democratic platform drafters defend Israel section ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Josh Rogin - (Blog) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am CHARLOTTE - Changes between the 2008 Democratic Party platform's language on Israel and the 2012 version were due to a deliberate effort to refocus the platform toward President Barack Obama's policies, two officials directly involved in its drafting process told The Cable. Leading pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC were heavily involved in the platform-drafting process, saw final language of the draft platform, and told platform drafters they were satisfied with it, both officials said. » Read more

Hurricane "Jerusalem" Hits the DNC ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Daniel Seidemann - (Opinion) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am Jerusalem always comes up during U.S. political campaign season, and this year is no different. In July, GOP candidate Mitt Romney came to Jerusalem, where he skillfully bobbed and wove his way around the issue, expressing fidelity to Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but stopping short of promising to move the U.S. embassy there the moment he becomes President. Now, apparently, it’s the Democrats' turn. » Read more

DNC adds Jerusalem to platform ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Laura Rozen - (Blog) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am Update: The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday added an amendment to its 2012 platform saying Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel. The language, almost identical to that in the DNC 2008 platform, was added after its omission came under criticism from some Republican groups. “President Obama personally intervened to strengthen the language,” a Democratic aide involved in the process told Al-Monitor Wednesday. » Read more

US-Israeli Relations in Crisis? No! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Alon Pinkas - (Opinion) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am First, there was "a crisis." Then, there was "the worst crisis in US-Israel relations ever." Now, a mere 36 hours later, the "crisis recedes." » Read more

Rebuked by US, Israel scrambles to climb down from war rhetoric ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Crispian Balmer - (Opinion) September 6, 2012 - 12:00am STUNNED by a rebuke from the United States’ top general, Israel is preparing a climb-down strategy in its war of words over Iran’s nuclear program, aware that its room for maneuver is shrinking rapidly. » Read more

Hamas seeks to enter the world of diplomacy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Saleh al-Naami - (Opinion) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am   Gaza Asharq Al-Awsat – For the first time since the 2007 division between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, following the bloody confrontation between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority [PA] and Hamas’s subsequent takeover of the Gaza Strip, the Hamas government is seeking to appoint diplomats. This is a move that many believe is an indication that Hamas intends to announce an independent state in the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Is Netanyahu planning an October surprise? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am As the Republicans and Democrats held their conventions and the presidential election moved into the home stretch, the rhetoric and pressure coming out of Israel for an attack on Iran intensified like the winds of Hurricane Isaac. It’s difficult to tell how much is aimed at keeping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and how much at preventing Barack Obama’s reelection. » Read more

The PA’s electricity tab ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Editorial) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am We Israelis love to grumble but on occasion, our gripes aren’t irrational. The spate of price hikes that recently hit us from all directions may be unavoidable due to factors outside anyone’s direct control but they hurt nonetheless. Electricity charges offer a cogent case in point. » Read more

News Analysis: Tensions simmering in West Bank over high living cost ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 6, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Protests against the high cost of living increasingly erupted all over the West Bank over the past few days, during which some demonstrators burned Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's posters while others attempted to set themselves ablaze. » Read more

More signs signaling Israel will not be attacking Iran soon ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Anshel Pfeffer - (Opinion) September 5, 2012 - 12:00am If anyone needed further proof that Benjamin Netanyahu has buckled under the pressure and will probably not be giving the order to attack Iran in the next few months, at least not before the U.S. elections, the latest reported IDF appointments seem to supply it. » Read more