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Allegations against Clinton aide Abedin stir Jewish concerns about attacks on ‘outsiders’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - (Opinion) July 31, 2012 - 12:00am

Rep. Michele Bachmann has incurred the wrath of leading Jewish groups and some Republican leaders, even though she may be one of Israel’s staunchest defenders in Congress and one of its best-known Republicans. The reaction was spurred by the Minnesota congresswoman's call for an inquiry into allegations that Huma Abedin, a top aide to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Some of the toughest condemnations of Bachmann have come from major Jewish groups.

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?

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.

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.

Who’s a better friend to Israel?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Yaakov Katz - (Analysis) July 31, 2012 - 12:00am

Like a kid at the circus, Israel just can’t get enough of the different acts. First it was Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who came to Israel earlier this month and in some of the harshest rhetoric yet by a senior member of the Obama administration, declared that the US would use “all elements of American power” to stop Iran.

Romney Versus the World Bank
In Print by Hussein Ibish - The Daily Beast (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.

In Jerusalem speech, it was Romney's voice but Netanyahu's words
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - (Opinion) July 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Romney's staff picked the 150 guests carefully. Religious American immigrants dominated the crowd; secular Jews and native-born Israelis were few and far between. Those present included Jewish-American millionaires, settler leaders like the former chairman of the Yesha Council of settlements Israel Harel, and former Netanyahu aides such as Dore Gold, Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and Yoaz Hendel.

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.

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.

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.

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