Israeli Leaders Could Be Dissuaded From Striking Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - August 15, 2012 - 12:00am

A former Israeli national security adviser said Wednesday that the prime minister and the defense minister told him this week they had not yet decided to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities and could be dissuaded from a strike if President Obama approved stricter sanctions and publicly confirmed his willingness to use military force.

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Dennis Ross: Israel's Iran Threats Aimed at Spurring Global Action
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Laura Rozen - (Opinion) August 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel’s intentions on Iran are ambiguous, veteran United States-Middle East trouble shooter Dennis Ross says. “Part of the motivation for being as public as they have been is to motivate the rest of world," Ross, who served as the top Obama White House Iran strategist from 2009 to the end of 2011, told Al-Monitor in an interview Tuesday. “The second reason is to condition the rest of the world not to be surprised if or when they are going to act militarily,” Ross said. “And to get the Israeli public ready as well.”

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Israeli defense ministry asks for billions more in 2013 budget
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
August 14, 2012 - 12:00am

The Israeli Defense Ministry is asking for several billion shekels more than the Israeli Finance Ministry is willing to allocate to it in 2013 budget, according to local media. In discussions set to begin Wednesday, an 11.5-billion-shekel ( 3.5 billion U.S. dollars) gap remains between what the military is requesting - 62 billion shekels (15.5 billion U.S. dollars) - and the Finance Ministry's 50.5-billion-shekel (12.5 billion U.S. dollars) offer.

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Enlisting From Afar for the Love of Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - August 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Three days into Josh Warhit’s first-ever visit to Israel, as a 16-year-old on a summer tour, war broke out in Lebanon, which transformed the group’s itinerary — and his life plan. On Tuesday, with talk rampant about the possibility of an imminent Israeli attack on Iran, Mr. Warhit became a citizen of Israel to enlist in its army.

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Contesting history: A tale of two Tekoas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by Brandon Davis - (Opinion) August 13, 2012 - 12:00am

The Gush Herodion Development Corporation has big plans for Tekoa. Already boasting a pizza parlor, a swimming pool and a horse ranch, this idyllic "Jewish village" of approximately 1,600 will soon add six new buildings with eight "spacious" apartments each, designed by the architect Jacques Gabay.

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Israel and Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
(Editorial) August 13, 2012 - 12:00am

Israeli leaders are again talking about possible military action against Iran. This is, at best, mischievous and, at worst, irresponsible, especially when diplomacy has time to run.

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Where's Ben-Gurion when you need him?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Eitan Haber - (Opinion) August 12, 2012 - 12:00am

I've been a part of the Israeli media and its system of government for over three decades, and yet I'm envious of those who know if we should thwart the Iranian nuclear program with a military strike or hold our fire and await further developments.

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Bibi and Barak: Enough Chatter, Decide Already!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'ariv
by Ben Caspit - (Opinion) August 12, 2012 - 12:00am

You can all relax — in the last two weeks, nothing new has happened with regard to an attack on Iran. The cabinet hasn’t convened, the defense minister hasn’t summoned the IDF general staff and no new information has been received. Everything that is known today was known two months ago.

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Preparations and Rhetoric for Possible Israeli Strike on Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Linda Gradstein - August 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Sometime this week, all Israelis will get the following SMS message in Hebrew on their cell-phones:  “Home Front, testing cellphone warning system.” The test is the final preparation before declaring the new warning system operational next month, according to military officials who explain that the mechanism is believed to be an effective way to transmit messages during wartime.

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Israel: Hezbollah smuggled explosives into Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
August 9, 2012 - 12:00am

Israeli security forces say Hezbollah militants have smuggled explosives into northern Israel using a network of drug dealers on either side of the Lebanese-Israeli border. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Wednesday the explosives were to be used in attacks on Israelis. He says 14 Israeli Arabs were arrested over the past few weeks in connection with the case. The arrests followed a months-long undercover operation.

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