Dan Shapiro to be named US envoy to Israel
Media Mention of Ziad Asali In The Jerusalem Post - February 23, 2011 - 1:00am

Senior White House adviser Dan Shapiro is set to be nominated as the next US ambassador to Israel, Washington sources said on Tuesday. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement has been made, though one is expected soon. Shapiro, born in 1969, currently serves as the National Security Council’s senior director for the Middle East and North Africa. He has regularly traveled to Israel and worked closely with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell to try to forge an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

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Israel, US successfully test Arrow missile
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Matti Friedman - February 22, 2011 - 1:00am

Israel and the U.S. carried out a successful test of the Arrow anti-missile system off the coast of California, Israel's Defense Ministry said Tuesday. Israel's Defense Ministry said the Arrow detected, intercepted and destroyed a target missile launched from an offshore platform inside a U.S. Navy firing range in a test carried out late Monday. Tuesday's statement said the trial, the latest in a series of successful tests of the system, "provides confidence in operational Israeli capabilities to defeat the developing ballistic missile threat."

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Shameful position
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Opinion) February 22, 2011 - 1:00am

The US veto of a draft resolution condemning Israel’s continued settlement programme on Palestinian lands is wrong and fraught with immeasurable dangers. The resolution was sponsored by all Arab delegations at the UN headquarters in New York. It expresses complete Arab rejection of the Israeli construction of illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, while fully supporting a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

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Obama expected to appoint Dan Shapiro Ambassador to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - February 22, 2011 - 1:00am

U.S. President Barack Obama intends to appoint his adviser Dan Shapiro to the position of U.S. Ambassador to Israel, according to the website Politico. Shapiro, considered to be the White House point person for Israel, has served as the main go-between for the U.S. government and Prime Minister Netanyahu. A White House source told Haaretz on Monday, "I cannot confirm the report, but neither can I disclaim it."

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Netanyahu should view U.S. veto at the UN as a warning
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Opinion) February 19, 2011 - 1:00am

After hesitating until the very last moment, U.S. President Barack Obama decided to have his envoy veto the UN Security Council resolution condemning the settlements. The Palestinian-initiated proposal would have declared the Israeli settlement enterprise in the territories illegal. Fourteen members of the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution, and only the U.S. veto kept it from being passed.

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US rhetoric on settlements tested at the UN
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
February 18, 2011 - 1:00am

A good tongue lashing hurts, but it rarely stings. American criticism of Israeli policy offers a case in point. As much of the rest of the world has stood up at the United Nations to ink its displeasure with Israel for decades, one nation has proven the reliable spoiler. All of which makes America’s support for a new Security Council statement condemning Israel’s settlement construction encouraging. The US Ambassador to the UN has reportedly expressed interest in a measure that, in part, “does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity”.

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Obama taps Rudman, Grossman for key diplomatic spots
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
February 17, 2011 - 1:00am

The Obama administration has tapped veteran Jewish diplomats Mara Rudman and Marc Grossman for senior posts. President Obama said Wednesday that he is nominating Rudman to the top State Department post administering assistance to the Middle East through the U.S. Agency for International Development. Rudman, who has served in senior posts on both the Clinton and Obama National Security Councils, has been involved in a number of groups promoting peace talks in the Middle East and was a senior official with the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims.

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Dennis Ross To Speak at J Street Conference
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
February 14, 2011 - 1:00am

Dennis Ross, the senior adviser to President Obama on Middle East issues, will address this year’s J Street conference, the group said. Ross, seen as an administration hard-liner on Iran and as arguing for greater consideration of Israel’s needs in peace negotiations, would be a coup for the group, which consistently has come under fire from the right and from some Democrats for not being sufficiently pro-Israel. The White House did not immediately comment on J Street’s announcement.

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Israeli president inaugurates Israeli-Arab hi-tech recruitment program
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 10, 2011 - 1:00am

Israeli President Shimon Peres Wednesday inaugurated a 50-million-U.S.-dollar initiative to increase the numbers of Israeli-Arabs in the hi-tech workforce, called Maantech. The term "Maan" in Arabic mean "together," and in this case, that means backing by the government and two dozens leading Israeli and international firms, among them are Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Amdocs, Checkpoint, and Oracle. The Israeli government is footing 20 million dollars of the sum, with the remainder coming from private sources.

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US officials emphasize commitment to Israel security
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
February 10, 2011 - 1:00am

Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and US National Security Advisor Tom Donilon at the White House Wednesday where they emphasized the US's commitment to Israel's security and its qualitative military edge in the region. According a press release, Barak met with the US officials for an hour and 15 minutes, during which time they discussed events in Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia and Turkey and as the status of negotiations with the Palestinians.

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