August 4th

Arab League finalizing PA statehood application for UN
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - August 4, 2011 - 12:00am

Representatives of the Arab League were scheduled to meet in Doha, Qatar on Wednesday night to lay the final touches on the Palestinian Authority’s application to the UN for recognition of a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines. The meeting comes as the PA leadership in Ramallah continues to face pressure from the US and EU to abandon its statehood plan and return to the negotiating table with Israel. The meeting in Doha was being attended by several Arab legal experts who were invited by the PA to help in the wording of the application to the UN in September.

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Israel in Quandary of What September Holds
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Arieh O'Sullivan - August 3, 2011 - 12:00am

If the Palestinians succeed in their quest to get recognition of a state from the United Nations in September, Israel has no strategy to deal with it, according to a new report being drafted in the parliament (Knesset). Entitled “The September Process: Findings, Developments and Recommendations,” the report was put together at the request of Shaul Mofaz, head of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and a leader in the Kadima opposition party.

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Israeli report says Palestinian violence in September unlikely
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by The Associated Press - August 3, 2011 - 12:00am

An internal Israeli parliamentary report shows Israel doesn't anticipate violence around a symbolic UN endorsement of Palestinian independence expected next month, but it proposes reserve soldiers be called up just in case. The report, based on Israeli intelligence assessments, was drafted for parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. It was presented to the committee on Wednesday. An official disclosed main points to reporters. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the material.

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News analysis: Settlement construction can not answer Israeli housing crisis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Adam Gonn - (Analysis) August 4, 2011 - 12:00am

As nationwide demonstrations against the costs of living and lack of affordable housing enter the third week, 42 Israeli cabinet ministers and Knesset (parliament) members signed a petition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to solve the crisis by building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The petition calls on Netanyahu and the government to "consider all possible solutions, including the immediate housing of tens of thousands of citizens in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), as well as Jerusalem."

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Lawmakers seek to drop Arabic as one of Israel's official languages
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Jonathan Lis - August 4, 2011 - 12:00am

Forty lawmakers from both the coalition and opposition Wednesday submitted a proposal to the Knesset for a new Basic Law that would change the accepted definition of Israel as a "Jewish and democratic state." The bill, initiated by MKs Avi Dichter (Kadima ), Zeev Elkin (Likud ) and David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu), and supported by 20 of the 28 Kadima MKs, would make democratic rule subservient to the state's definition as "the national home for the Jewish people." The legislation, a private member's bill, won support from Labor, Atzamaut, Yisrael Beiteinu and National Union lawmakers.

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New US ambassador says Obama might visit Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by The Associated Press - August 3, 2011 - 12:00am

The new U.S. ambassador to Israel says President Barack Obama hopes to visit. Daniel Shapiro presented his credentials to Israeli President Shimon Peres on Wednesday. The 42-year-old Shapiro is Jewish and speaks Hebrew and Arabic. He told Israeli TV stations the U.S. is trying to restart peace talks to head off the Palestinian effort to win recognition from the U.N. He told Channel 2 TV the U.S. is hopeful but that "it's not certain that we will be able to achieve a formula."

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President Peres Accepts Credentials of U.S. Ambassador to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Embassy of Israel to the United States
August 3, 2011 - 12:00am

President Shimon Peres accepted the credentials today (August 3) of the incoming Ambassador of the United States to Israel, Daniel Shapiro.

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West Bank murder smashed the lie of 'honor killings'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 3, 2011 - 12:00am

Aya's remains were found bound, decomposed at the bottom of a well more than a year after she vanished without a trace, leaving her family beside themselves with worry. The university student's disappearance in April 2010 left her relatives increasingly ostracized in their southern West Bank village, an area known for its deeply conservative traditions and morals. Neighbors assumed the worst -- that their daughter had run away with a lover.

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August 3rd

NEWS: Municipal elections are planned in the West Bank for October 22. The UN says there is a clear link between Palestinian displacement and settlement expansion. A Palestinian man is convicted of murdering a settler family. The US and Israel are working on a formula to avoid a Palestinian statehood initiative at the UN in September. Analysts doubt PM Netanyahu's latest proposals will produce any results. 42 MKs say the answer to Israel's cost-of-living crisis is more settlement activity. A new poll shows overwhelming Jewish and Muslim American support for a two-state solution. A Knesset committee says Palestinian efforts at the UN will harm Israel diplomatically. Israel's public security minister claims “a large-scale military operation is needed in Gaza.” COMMENTARY: Ha'aretz says Israeli courts must end discrimination against Palestinians. Gilad Stern, Einav Yogev and Yoram Schweitzer say the border region between Israel, Egypt and Gaza remains very volatile. The Arab News says only Palestinians should decide what to do at the UN. Osama Al Sharif says Israeli and American opposition to Palestinian statehood initiatives is incomprehensible to the rest of the world. Yossi Alpher says a deal on Jerusalem has to be part of a broader agreement. Ghassan Khatib says the international community must do more on Jerusalem. David Myers says hope for peace can still be found in the actions of ordinary people. Marwan Muasher says Pres. Obama must act now to avoid an Israeli-Palestinian crisis.

Something's Got to Give
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Marwan Muasher - (Opinion) July 27, 2011 - 12:00am

Something -- or someone -- has got to give. With international momentum building for a U.N. resolution recognizing Palestinian statehood, Washington is finally coming to the realization that the Israeli-Palestinian status quo is unsustainable.

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