July 10th

Israeli jets strike south Gaza, no injuries
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 10, 2012 - 12:00am


Israeli fighter jets on Tuesday morning bombarded several sites in the southern Gaza Strip, without causing injuries. Three missiles landed in a militant base of the Al-Ansar Brigades, the military wing of Al-Ahrar movement, in Khan Younis, witnesses said. The airstrike caused material damage, but no injuries were reported. Another unidentified site was bombed in Rafah. An Israeli military statement said the forces targeted "two Hamas terror activity sites," confirming direct hits.


US displeased with Levy Report
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - July 10, 2012 - 12:00am


The American Administration vehemently disagrees with the findings of the Levy Report, which states that the Israeli government must promote the legitimization of all West Bank settlements and outposts. Speaking at a press briefing on Monday evening, State Department Spokesman Patrick Ventrell said that, "The US position on settlements is clear.


Netanyahu to discuss legal status of West Bank settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
July 10, 2012 - 12:00am


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he will discuss a recent report stating that settlements in the West Bank are not illegal. "This report, in my opinion, discusses the question of the legality and legitimacy of the settlement movement in Judea and Samaria on the basis of the facts and claims that merit serious examination," said a statement sent by the prime minister's office. "I will submit this report to the Ministerial Committee on Settlement Affairs I established and we will discuss it and make a decision," Netanyahu said.


Abbas hurting himself
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Alex Fishman - (Opinion) July 9, 2012 - 12:00am


Mahmoud Abbas misses no Mideastern opportunity to fall into a pothole. What can you say, the man simply has no luck. He had a terrible year: Every international, regional or domestic initiative he touched has collapsed.


Israeli settler population surges under Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - July 9, 2012 - 12:00am


Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was elected more than three years ago, the Jewish population in the West Bank has ballooned by 18 percent, drawing tens of thousands of Israelis to the territory the Palestinians claim as the heartland of a future state, according to figures obtained by The Associated Press.


Abbas' Iran visit to explore options, not appease Ahmadinejad
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Adam Gonn - (Analysis) July 10, 2012 - 12:00am


Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will make his first-ever visit to Iran next month, when he attends the Non-Aligned Movement Summit to be held in Tehran. "Historically speaking, this forum and its meetings have been extremely important for the Palestinians during the last 30-40 years," Prof. Bassem Zbeidi of Birzeit University told Xinhua on Monday. "We have plenty of supporters in this organization and Palestinians have a very good record in attending its meeting," he added.


Former Israeli Premier Is Cleared of Most Corruption Charges
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - July 10, 2012 - 12:00am


Ehud Olmert, a former prime minister of Israel, was acquitted of corruption charges in two matters by a Jerusalem court on Tuesday, but convicted in a third, in a high-profile corruption prosecution that cut short his term in office and changed the course of Israeli politics and diplomacy. Mr. Olmert was convicted of breach of trust, the least serious of the charges he faced, and will be sentenced in September, according to court documents.


July 9th

NEWS: An Israeli government committee report claims Israel is not the occupying power in the occupied Palestinian territories and recommends sweeping expansions of Israeli territorial claims and authority. Pres. Abbas says the PA will exhume the body of the late Pres. Arafat and invite Swiss experts to take samples for testing. PM Fayyad urges Arab states to fulfill their pledges to the PA. An Israeli court sentences two police officers to 30 months in prison over the death of an injured Palestinian detainee they abandoned. In a meeting with Abbas, Sec. Clinton reiterates the importance of the Palestinian issue. Abbas accuses Hamas of obstructing national unity. Palestinian officials say Abbas turned down an offer from PM Netanyahu to release some prisoners in preparation for resumed negotiations. PA anti-correction officials say more indictments are in the works. The PA says Abbas' upcoming visit to Iran for a conference is “not friendly” and urges Iran "to stop calling to wipe Israel off the map and start calling to add Palestine to the map.” An opinion presented to European governments uphold the legality of boycotts against settlement activity. An Israeli prosecutor reportedly tells British jurists that every Palestinian child “is a potential terrorist.” COMMENTARY: Jeff Barak says Netanyahu has to choose between statesmanship and political survival. Nasser Laham says Abbas needs to decide whether to "fight or negotiate." Ben Lynfield says because of the occupation, East Jerusalem is in an economic tailspin. David Ignatius says the Arab uprisings have left Israel with impossible quandaries. Uri Avnery explains why he thinks Israel, in fact, poisoned Arafat. A new book claims that Israel, not the MEK, was responsible for assassinating Iranian scientists. Emanuel Stoakes says the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must end for the sake of children. Jeffrey Goldberg says the new Israeli Levy Committee report shows the Israeli right wants Palestinian land, but not the Palestinian people on it.

The West Bank: If It's Not Occupation, Then What Is It?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic
by Jeffrey Goldberg - (Opinion) July 9, 2012 - 12:00am


Haaretz is reporting that a committee appointed by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to explore the legal status of Jewish settlements on the West Bank, has come to the conclusion that Israel is not an occupying force:


This conflict in the Holy Land must end – for the children’s sake
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Emanuel Stoakes - (Blog) July 9, 2012 - 12:00am


The enduring fact of the failure of peace in the so-called Holy Land is a royal spring of misery from which bitter tensions flow, with mournful consequences for the entire restive middle-east region, already strained by wars and rumours of wars. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, those who are innocent, small, defenceless or vulnerable are common, even inevitable, victims of the promiscuously-brutalising nature of this clash between the claimed descendants of Abraham.



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