Dispossession, a love story ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) July 31, 2012 - 12:00am Defense Minister Ehud Barak has a weakness for real estate images, primarily "premium" real estate. Israel is to him a nice villa, the home of good and law-abiding Israeli citizens surrounded by a teeming jungle of bad and law-breaking Arabs. » Read more

W. House: 'Scratching heads' from Romney on J'lem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - July 31, 2012 - 12:00am White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Tuesday said that US Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney's unqualified comments about Jerusalem as solely Israel's capital was causing many to "scratch their heads." Earnest further said that Romney would need to explain himself to the general public. » Read more

Romney the dunce ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star (Editorial) July 31, 2012 - 12:00am For many onlookers around the world, it once would have seemed impossible for a U.S. politician to arise that was more ignorant than former President George W. Bush, but Mitt Romney’s recent international tour seems to have killed these hopes. Even before the Republican presidential candidate’s current trip, it appeared the ex-governor of Massachusetts was spending most of his time clarifying comments he or his staff had made the previous day. » Read more

Romney’s Visit Shows Israel as Rising Power ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by David Hazony - (Opinion) July 31, 2012 - 12:00am For people used to presidential candidate visits to Israel, Mitt Romney’s was a short, strange trip. Missing were the carefully scripted visits to high-profile places like Yad Vashem and Sederot. And though he did get a photo-op at the Western Wall, it wasn’t planned in advance. Press coverage was strictly controlled and interviews were minimal. Compared with candidate Barack Obama’s visit in 2008, this was a low-key affair. What was going on? » Read more

In Israel, Romney wows crowds but puzzles with grasp of Palestinian relationship ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Scott Wilson - July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Touring U.S. allies this week in his first foreign trip as the likely Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney often appeared to be visiting just another set of swing states, pleasing audiences with parochial promises, puzzling others with off-the-cuff remarks, and raising loads and loads of money. Only the trip was designed to be more than that for a campaign playing catch-up — a chance to show that a former governor light on foreign policy qualifications could represent the United States abroad. On that, the verdict is still out. » Read more

Romney visit reveals falling visibility of Palestinian issue ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ben Sales - (Opinion) July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Mitt Romney’s policy speech in Israel covered plenty of bases: The presumptive Republican presidential candidate spoke about the status of Jerusalem, the threat of a nuclear Iran, the “tumult” of the Arab Spring and the “enduring shared values” that bedrock the U.S.-Israel relationship. But there was one topic that gained little attention: Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians. The word “Palestinian” did not appear once in the speech on Sunday evening.  » Read more

‘The Hand Of Providence’ And, Oh, The Occupation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Bernard Avishai - (Opinion) July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Dear Governor Romney: Today, in Jerusalem, you compared the Israeli economy to Palestine’s and suggested, by implication, that Palestinians lacked everything from a progressive culture to “the hand of Providence.” You and I were management consultants in Boston. Here are some facts: » Read more

Romney Versus the World Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Republican candidate Mitt Romney's visit to Israel was marked by a series of largely boilerplate comments about the special relationship between the United States and Israel. And, like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he almost entirely avoided the question of peace and the two-state solution, preferring to focus on the threat posed by Iran's nuclear weapons. In his speech in Jerusalem, the word “Palestinian” did not once cross his lips. » Read more

Romney’s visit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Editorial) July 30, 2012 - 12:00am There is no doubt that Mitt Romney is a great friend and supporter of Israel. During his short but significant visit to the country this week, the former Massachusetts governor said all the right things. He backed, inter alia, “any and all measures” to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons, Israel’s right to defend itself (adding “it is right for America to stand by you”) and its claim to Jerusalem as its capital – much to the chagrin of the Palestinians. » Read more

Mr. Romney Stumps in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times (Editorial) July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Mitt Romney made a point of insisting that he would adhere to an unwritten rule and often violated rule about candidates not criticizing each other or contradicting American foreign policy on foreign soil. About the only effort he made to keep that promise during his stop in Israel was to avoid mentioning President Obama by name. » Read more