Israeli journalist reaches plea bargain with state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
July 5, 2012 - 12:00am

An investigative reporter who faced indictment for exposing classified military documents has reached a plea bargain with the government that will allow him to avoid jail time, his newspaper and the justice ministry said Thursday. The government had announced in May that it would charge Uri Blau from the liberal Haaretz newspaper with unauthorized possession of state secrets, stirring up fears of a crusade to stifle the press. Journalists had said charges against Blau would make reporters hesitate to do their jobs, for fear they might end up in jail.

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Israel's Coalition With Potential
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Peter A. Joseph - (Opinion) July 5, 2012 - 12:00am

The inclination by those in the peace camp, both in Israel and the United States, to react cynically to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s surprise announcement of a coalition agreement with Kadima party chairman Shaul Mofaz was not that shocking. But it is sorely misguided. Worse, it could be detrimental to Israel’s interests.

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Israeli Identity Is at the Heart of a Debate on Service
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - July 5, 2012 - 12:00am

On one level, the questions shaking the Israeli political system this week are pragmatic: how many ultra-Orthodox men and Arab citizens should be drafted into the military or national service, over how many years and how should those who resist be penalized? But the debate over these details masks a more fundamental and fractious one about evolving identity in this still-young state, where a “people’s army” has long been a defining principle, and about the growing cleavage among its tribes.

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In death, Yitzhak Shamir is triumphant
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Michael Young - (Opinion) July 5, 2012 - 12:00am

Yitzhak Shamir was the kind of person whom you didn’t remember was alive until learning that he was dead. The strange thing about many of the comments that followed the demise last week of Israel’s onetime prime minister was that he was portrayed as a relic – someone out of touch with the political temper in Israel today.

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Israel’s Domestic Communication Satellite Industry Saved
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Arieh O'Sullivan - July 5, 2012 - 12:00am

The decision to award the construction of Israel’s newest communications satellite to a state-owned company has probably saved the life of the production line and was likely done to preserve independence for defense communications.

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It was Zionism itself that Israel buried this week. Let it go.
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Bradley Burston - (Opinion) July 3, 2012 - 12:00am

It's time to take a lesson from the successful. It's time to begin thinking like Yitzhak Shamir. When he died this week, the first several people I spoke with, knowledgeable people who closely follow politics and the news, all had the same reaction. "I wasn't sure that he was still alive."

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The Coming War
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Benny Morris - (Opinion) July 3, 2012 - 12:00am

Over the years, commentators–including myself–have wrongly predicted an Israeli assault on Iran’s nuclear installations coming “soon.” But recent developments and a variety of signs indicate that such an attack is imminent, and highly likely before the American presidential elections.

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Settlers say they bought outpost land, one year after Palestinian owner's death
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - July 3, 2012 - 12:00am

Residents of the condemned West Bank outpost of Migron have appealed the High Court to stay the demolition of the settlement's illegal structures on Tuesday, claiming that they had recently purchased the land on which the homes were built. However, a preliminary inspection of the purported sale reveals that the Palestinian whom the settlers claim sold them the land passed away in 2011, one year before the alleged transaction.

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Israel to begin recording settler land claims, deny Palestinians' right of appeal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - July 3, 2012 - 12:00am

After 45 years of running the West Bank, the State of Israel plans to start compiling land registry records of assets controlled by settlers. The registry would bypass regular tabu land-listing processes, and appears designed to prevent Palestinians from appealing the validity of the ownership listings.

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Israel Disbands Panel on Military Service Rules
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - July 2, 2012 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Monday disbanded the committee he had charged with devising a plan for universal military or national service, a move that could lead to a coalition crisis and end the national unity government he formed two months ago.

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