Israel upgrades Arrow missile defense system
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - August 5, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel has upgraded its top-tier Arrow II missile defense, a Defense Ministry official confirmed Sunday, as the country girds for possible attacks from Iran and Syria. Sensors, command and control equipment and radar have been enhanced to improve reach and accuracy, the official confirmed without elaborating. He would not say how many Arrow II batteries are deployed around the country and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the military's preparations.

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Israel realizes: Only US can stop Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ron Ben-Yishai - (Opinion) August 3, 2012 - 12:00am

It's a known secret that the IDF and the security establishment have been focused over the past few years on creating a viable military option for a strike in Iran. Israel has invested billions in this endeavor. The goal was to obtain operational capabilities that would serve as the basis for a strike, which, if launched, would set Iran's nuclear program several years back.

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Israeli PM denies rift with military ranks over Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
August 1, 2012 - 12:00am

In an interview with Israel's Channel 2, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he is still deliberating whether or not to strike Iran's nuclear facilities and downplayed report that the military echelon are not in favor of attacking Iran. Netanyahu said that "Israel cannot count on anyone else" when it comes to the Iranian threat.

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Using water as a weapon in the West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - (Opinion) August 1, 2012 - 12:00am

Events in Area C are a burning issue for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot. More correctly, he is infuriated by what he and the Civil Administration bureaucracy term "Palestinian illegal construction."

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Israel troops shoot dead Palestinian at checkpoint
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
July 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Israeli border police have shot dead a Palestinian man and wounded two others at the entrance to Jerusalem. Border police spokesman Shai Hakimi says 40-year-old Akram Badr was traveling in a car that burst through a checkpoint at high speed early Monday and tried to run over officers who ordered him to stop. Palestinian police said the car had entered a wrong lane and was backing up to enter the right one when Israeli border police mistakenly thought it was trying to hit them and opened fire.

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Israel to deploy two new rocket interceptors in 2013
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
July 30, 2012 - 12:00am

The Israel Air Force (IAF) is expected to deploy two additional Iron Dome missile-defense batteries early next year, The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday. The new batteries have reportedly been outfitted with upgraded software and radars that will enable interception at extended ranges, and will be operated by reservists, according to the report. The batteries will join the four currently at the disposal of the IAF, with additional systems scheduled for supply in the coming years.

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Attili: Israeli settlers draining Palestinian water supply
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel allocates 70 times more water to each settler than to the average Palestinian in the West Bank, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority said Sunday. At a press conference in Ramallah, Shaddad Attili said Palestinians received 105 million cubic meters of water, less than the amount allocated in the 1995 Oslo Accords and around a quarter of the 400 million cubic meters needed according to international standards.

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Israel's Barak plays down Syrian chemical arms risk
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet
by Dan Williams - July 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel played down on Monday the risk from Syria's chemical weapons, in what appeared to be a new tack after threats to take military action to prevent the arsenal falling into Islamist hands. Israel has been particularly worried that Hezbollah, the Iranian-inspired Shiite militia in neighbouring Lebanon, may gain access to the weapons should Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's grip slip amid a 16-month-old insurgency. Israel's warnings on this spread war fears and bumped up demand for government-issued gas masks.

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Rivlin comes out against Arab draft
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Hassan Shaalan - July 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin on Monday came out against the call to enlist Arabs to the IDF during a Ramadan feast in Kafr Qara. "Any sensible person understands that one cannot draft the Arab sector," he said. "Any such call is tinted with hypocrisy and even malevolence."

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Israeli field commanders to undergo training in int'l law
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
July 24, 2012 - 12:00am

The Israeli military is launching a first-of-its-kind course on international law for field commanders in a bid to lower the chances that Israel will be accused of war crimes in a future conflict, The Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday. The Military Advocate-General's Office is behind the initiative, which aims to familiarize officers with international law pertaining to combat operations, particularly those that take place in urban settings, said the report.

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