Internal Israeli Politics | The American Task Force on Palestine

On Jewish new year, Israelis fear Iran strike
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Daniel Estrin - September 16, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — Israelis ushered in the Jewish New Year on Sunday with a sense of uncertainty, fearful that war with Iran could break out this year.

PM: I'm not interfering in US presidential election
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - September 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu dismissed as “completely groundless” allegations he is manufacturing a crisis with US President Barack Obama just before the November 6 American election to influence the outcome in favor of Republican candidate Mitt Romney. Netanyahu, in a Rosh Hashana interview with The Jerusalem Post that will appear in full on Sunday, said his call for the United States and the international community to set red lines for Iran was not at all connected with the US political campaign.

Israel on the Ballot
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
(Editorial) September 13, 2012 - 12:00am

It’s difficult to recall a time when an Israeli prime minister has inserted himself into a presidential election campaign in the way that Benjamin Netanyahu has. It’s even harder to recall a time when a trusted ally openly urged the American president to undertake a questionable, unpopular and highly risky war. We sure hope Netanyahu knows what he’s doing, because the stakes for him — and for the two nations he professes to care about the most — could not be higher.

Ari Shavit's countdown: Former Israeli intelligence chief breaks his silence on Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Ari Shavit - September 13, 2012 - 12:00am

Over the past 30 years, Amos Yadlin has fought against three nuclear programs that threatened our future. In 1981 he was one of the eight F-16 pilots who attacked and destroyed the Iraqi-French nuclear reactor in Osirak. In 2007, he was the Israel Defense Forces head of Military Intelligence who, according to foreign sources, was among the leaders of the campaign that led to the destruction of the Syrian-Korean nuclear reactor in Deir ez-Zor.

Israeli gov't boosts army budget by over 126 mln USD
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Dave Bender - September 13, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- An Israli Knesset (parliament) committee ruled to allocate an extra 500 million shekels (126.7 million U.S. dollars) to the Israeli army's 2012 budget, according the Jerusalem Post on Thursday Israeli Finance Committee's decision raised the total sum to about 60.3 billion shekels (15.2 million U.S. dollars), the Jerusalem Post said.

In Israel's Tel Aviv, missiles seem like a distant notion
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Anat Shalev - September 13, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, Sep. 13 (Xinhua) -- Nobody seems to be thinking about a nuclear Iran or a possible missiles attack on the streets of Tel Aviv, Israel, this week. Everything seems normal, and mundane urban life seems to continue its daily routine in the " city that never stops." However, there is still a tangible threat of a looming war with Iran. Or at least, that is what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have tried to signal over the past few months: prepare for war.

Israeli PM orders transfer of tax revenues to cash-strapped PNA
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
September 12, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Tuesday night the transfer of 250 million NIS ( around 63 million U.S. dollars) of Palestinian tax revenues to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which is facing a severe financial crisis.

OECD: Israel is second-most educated country
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Tomer Velmer - September 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel is the second-most educated country after Canada, a recent report published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said. According to the “Education at a Glance 2012” report, Israel came in second place, in terms of the percentage of 25 to 64 year-olds that have reached higher education.

Being a tomato beats being an Arab
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Oudeh Basharat - (Opinion) September 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Correspondents who deal with tomatoes show more empathy for their subjects than do correspondents who cover Arab affairs. Channel 2's Roni Daniel, for example, so staunchly defends the subjects of his coverage, that it sometimes seems as though the IDF spokesperson is on the screen, not the network's military affairs correspondent. The Arab affairs correspondent for Ch. 10, Zvi Yehezkeli, depicts his subjects in as corrosively a negative light as he can possibly muster.

Israelis Fear Fallout From Netanyahu’s Blunt Comments
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - September 12, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — In Israel, where arguments are rife, there are at least two issues of national consensus: that the special relationship with the United States must be preserved at all costs, and that the looming threat of a nuclear Iran must be dealt with.

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