Is peace a “vital” American interest?
In Print by Hussein Ibish - NOW Lebanon (Opinion) - September 4, 2012 - 12:00am

“Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a vital national security interest,” the voice of the American foreign policy consensus has intoned, with its trademark gravitas, for the past decade. “But,” it continues sagely, “We cannot want peace more than the parties themselves.” Around Washington wise heads have nodded grimly at the self-evidence of this hegemonic dictum. 

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When It Pays to Talk to Terrorists
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Paul Thomas Chamberlin - (Opinion) September 3, 2012 - 12:00am

Tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Munich massacre in which Palestinian militants killed 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team. For many Westerners, the incident was the most chilling example of international terrorism before 9/11.

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An Israeli attack on Iran would help, not harm, Obama’s reelection
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chemi Shalev - (Opinion) August 26, 2012 - 12:00am

In many of the conspiracy theories that have been presented in recent weeks in the Israeli press concerning the possibility of an imminent Israeli attack on Iran, one theme has been constant: it would put President Barack Obama in a bind and possibly hurt his chances in the November elections as well.

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Ex-AIPAC Flack to Head The Israel Project
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - (Opinion) August 22, 2012 - 12:00am

The Israel Project, one of the country’s fastest-growing pro-Israel advocacy groups, is on the brink of new leadership and a revised set of goals. Founded a decade ago to influence journalists and other media professionals by connecting them with timely, pro-Israel information, The Israel Project announced on August 22 that Josh Block, a former spokesman for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, will be its new CEO. He will succeed the group’s founder and president, Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, who stepped down earlier this year.

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Islamophobia, not Islam, will be the end of Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Bradley Burston - (Opinion) August 21, 2012 - 12:00am

Everyone knows how it works. Everyone knows what it sounds like. Everyone knows how easy it is to get away with it. Everyone knows, deep down, that hatred feeds on tolerance. That however well-intentioned, a society's forbearance for the toxic slur, for the poison of ethnic or religious or racial prejudice, does hatred invaluable service.

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Time to Authorize Use of Force Against Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Weekly Standard
by Elliott Abrams - (Opinion) August 21, 2012 - 12:00am

How America can stop what theNew York Times calls “Israel’s March to War” is the hot topic this month. The issue—for the Times—is whether Israel is on the verge of bombing Iran’s nuclear sites, or can be persuaded to delay that decision and rely on the United States instead. This is what a parade of U.S. officials visiting Jerusalem this summer have counseled (and pressured) Israel to do. But the comments of Israel’s top officials suggest that its patience is wearing thin and that it may act soon, in weeks if not months.

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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.

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Panetta: No Israeli decision yet on attacking Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - August 15, 2012 - 12:00am

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday that he did not believe that Israel had made a decision on whether to attack Iran over its nuclear program, and added that he thought there was still time for a stronger sanctions push. Panetta’s comments came at a Pentagon briefing against the background of the very loud and public debate in Israel about whether to attack Iran. Panetta held a round of talks in Israel two weeks ago, and met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

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Romney must stop playing politics with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Frank R. Lautenberg - (Opinion) August 15, 2012 - 12:00am

The rhetoric coming from Republicans and their presidential candidate, Governor Mitt Romney, concerning the US relationship with Israel is downright dangerous. Republicans want to use our relationship with Israel as part of a political game – which is terrible for US national security and bad for Israel’s safety.

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Paul Ryan, Meet Dr. Lewis and Mr. Bernard
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) August 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Mitt Romney's vice presidential nominee pick, Congressman Paul Ryan, doesn't have a lot of foreign policy experience. But neither does Romney himself, nor did President Barack Obama when he was nominated by the Democratic Party four years ago. Romney's selection confirms the conventional wisdom that, barring unforeseen developments, this will be an election almost entirely fought over domestic policy issues, particularly the economy.

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