June 22, 2012

Israel [14] must choose between peace and settlements and release Palestinian prisoners, Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat was quoted Thursday as saying.

Romney says he will do the ‘opposite’ of Obama on Israel

Mitt Romney told an audience of Christian conservatives that he would do the “opposite” of what President Obama has done when it comes to Israel.

“I think, by and large, you can just look at the things the president has done and do the opposite,” Romney said Saturday in an address by video to a conference of the Faith and Freedom Coalition.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and the all but certain Republican presidential nominee, was campaigning in Pennsylvania when the conference took place in Washington.

Israelis, Palestinians Closely Watch Egypt Turmoil

The political face-off in Egypt between the military and Islamists following the presidential election is being closely watched by Egypt's neighbors in Israel and the Palestinian territories. And as with many issues the viewpoints vary considerably.

Opinions are divided among Israelis and Palestinian groups over future relations with Egypt although all agree those relations will continue to be important.

Israel should wait with peace deal until Mideast unrest ends, former envoy says

For decades Prof. Itamar Rabinovich has studied the Middle East, analyzing Israel's complex status in the region and documenting its attempts to achieve peace with its neighbors. For four years (1993-1996) he himself took an active part in the diplomatic efforts as Israel's ambassador to the United States and head of the Israeli delegation to negotiations with Syria, as Yitzhak Rabin's envoy. (After Rabin's assassination, Rabinovich continued as ambassador under Shimon Peres but not as head of the delegation.)

IDF chief of staff-turned-vice premier: 'We are not bluffing'

Exactly seven years ago, I interviewed the chief of staff. On the eve of his retirement from the Israel Defense Forces, Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon spoke with an expressionless face against the Gaza disengagement, against a Palestinian state and against giving terrorism a “tailwind.” He predicted that Hamas would seize control of the Gaza Strip and that rockets would rain down on Israeli cities.

Ex-U.S. official: American dominance over Mideast peace process is ending

The era of U.S. dominance over the Middle East peace process is coming to an end, a former top American official said at the fourth Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem on Thursday, adding that what happens in the Middle East won’t influence the upcoming U.S. presidential elections.

Hamas flexes muscle after period of 'calm'

In and around Gaza is where it is played out.

There are signs that following three days of fighting, the latest escalation in violence is subsiding after Egyptian efforts to mediate a ceasefire.

In the long run, apart from for those directly involved, this flare-up will likely barely register on the timeline of this decades-long conflict.

But it is a reminder that the conflict has not gone away.

As is usually the case, in terms of casualties, it is the Palestinians who have paid a heavier price.

Israeli air strikes have killed at least eight people in Gaza.

Hamas violence undermines the real resistance

The violence that has plagued Gaza over the past four days may be ended by a truce offered to Israel by the military wing of Hamas. But the group is using tactics from an outdated playbook. The occupation of Palestinian lands must be fought in political, public and legal arenas, where Israel is weak. The battlefield plays to its strengths.

The Palestinians’ best friend

Article Author(s): 

Patrick Seale

Media Outlet: 

Gulf News

Article Type: 

Opinion

Date: 

June 22, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/the-palestinians-best-friend-1.1038893 [22]

No western statesman has done more to promote the cause of Palestinian statehood than the charismatic Foreign Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Store, a Labour politician who enjoys unrivalled popularity in his own country. Yet all his efforts over the past several years in favour of the Palestinians have ended in failure. He has been defeated by Israeli intransigence, by US President Barack Obama’s collapse under Israeli pressure, and by Palestinian disunity.

Nasrallah fears the Arab Spring, and an Israeli winter

Article Author(s): 

Paul Salem

Media Outlet: 

The Daily Star

Article Type: 

Opinion

Date: 

June 22, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2012/Jun-22/177710-nasrallah-fear... [23]

Three years ago, regional opinion polls showed that the Middle East’s most popular leaders were Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. People at the time appreciated that they were standing up to Israel in Lebanon and Gaza, and pushing back against aggressive American policies in the region.

Israel-Hamas Escalation in Gaza Has Explosive Potential

Article Author(s): 

Alex Fishman

Media Outlet: 

Yedioth Ahronoth

Article Type: 

Opinion

Date: 

June 21, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/01/06/unusual-and-explosive.html [24]

Something different, with hugely volatile potential, has been happening in the last few days in the Gaza Strip.

Over the course of an entire year, Hamas didn’t take responsibility for violent acts from the Strip against Israel, nor did it actually carry out any such acts. It didn’t even take part in the last significant round of fire this past March. But now, in the last day, not only has Hamas fired Qassam rockets at Israeli communities, it has also rushed to take loud and clear responsibility for doing so.

The minuses of unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank

Article Author(s): 

Shaul Arieli

Media Outlet: 

Haaretz

Article Type: 

Opinion

Date: 

June 19, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/the-minuses-of-unilateral-withdrawal-from-the-wes... [25]

The stalemate in negotiations with the Palestinians and the assumption that it's impossible at present to reach a final-status solution have revived the idea of evacuating part of the West Bank unilaterally. Supporters of this idea believe that current trends, especially the expansion of the settlement enterprise, must be stopped before taking a decision that will anchor the two-state solution. A unilateral evacuation, they believe, will create a two-state reality that will make it easier to implement a final-status agreement.

The game of buying time

Article Author(s): 

Saleh Al-Naami

Media Outlet: 

Al-Ahram

Article Type: 

Opinion

Date: 

June 22, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2012/1103/re2.htm [26]

It is difficult to keep track of how many media interviews Shaul Mofaz, acting Israeli prime minister, was given to publicise a political initiative aiming at reviving negotiations with the Palestinian Authority (PA). In order to make his initiative seem serious, Mofaz declared that re-launching talks will be based on 1967 borders, and that he will seek to meet with PA President Mahmoud Abbas to present the proposal to him.

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