September 20th

AG urges Barak to allow inspectors to prosecute illegal construction in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - September 20, 2012 - 12:00am Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has requested Defense Minister Ehud Barak to allow construction inspectors operating in the West Bank to prosecute settlers who build without permits, Haaretz learned on Wednesday. The request was made as part of the AG's appeal to bolster the Civil Administration's inspecting unit, originally submitted a few months ago as part of the battle against illegal construction in settlements and outposts, only to be resubmitted recently. » Read more

News Analysis: Palestinians' despair pushes call for annulling Oslo interim accords ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua (Analysis) September 19, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinians signaled recently to annul or modify the interim Oslo peace accords signed with Israel in 1993, where observers considered the issue an explanation of despair towards reaching a final agreement and establish an independent Palestinian state. » Read more

Despite calm, Palestinian Authority still on brink of collapse ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) September 19, 2012 - 12:00am Last week, the Palestinian Authority experienced the most dangerous internal crises it has faced since its establishment in 1994. Although the immediate cause of that crisis was the government’s announcement of price hikes in fuel and a 1-percent increase in the value added tax, it is difficult to understand what happened without acknowledging the other, less obvious factors that contributed, including the current political environment. » Read more

Bibi's Chutzpah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Council on Foreign Relations by Michael Desch - (Opinion) September 18, 2012 - 12:00am Speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem last week, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed outrage at the refusal of the Obama administration to set "red lines" for Iran's progress on its nuclear program: limits that, if crossed by the Iranians, would trigger U.S. military action against the Islamic Republic. Netanyahu suggested that by not taking a harder line, the United States might fail to persuade Israel to forego a unilateral strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. » Read more

The Answers to Mitt Romney's Israel-Palestine Apathy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic by Zvika Krieger - (Opinion) September 19, 2012 - 12:00am Just as Mitt Romney's campaign advisors promised this week that his campaign would start having real policy discussions, we receive the candidate's most substantive treatment of the Middle East to date, in the form of a leaked video from a recent closed-door fundraiser. His main thesis seems to be that, for Israelis and Palestinians, "the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish." He provides two general arguments to support his claim, both of which are problematic. » Read more

IMF: Palestinian economy 'facing serious risks' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 20, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian economy is facing serious risks, with a slowdown in growth and rise in unemployment in both Gaza and the West Bank, the International Monetary Fund said Thursday.  » Read more

Fatah leader: Abbas won't quit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 20, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Mahmoud Abbas has no intention to resign and will remain president until the next elections, senior Fatah official Jamal Muhassen said Thursday. » Read more

Peaceniks in Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Maen Areikat - (Opinion) September 19, 2012 - 12:00am The leaked statements by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney once again betray the dangerous relationship between U.S. domestic politics and U.S. national strategic interests. To be clear, this is not the first time U.S. presidential candidates and party institutions made statements contradicting long-standing U.S. policy to improve their electoral chances. The examples are too many to mention and they all end up back-pedaling once they assume office. » Read more

Hamas angered as Palestinian rival arrests supporters ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Nidal al-Mughrabi - September 19, 2012 - 12:00am   GAZA, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Hamas sharply criticised the arrest of dozens of its members by Palestinian Authority police in the West Bank on Wednesday, underscoring dire relations between the Islamist group and its Fatah-dominated rival after a failed bid for reconciliation. » Read more

Even Real Lobbies Fail Sometimes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Peter Beinart - (Opinion) September 19, 2012 - 12:00am Why does writing about the Israel lobby make people stupid? By people, I mean both anti-Semites obsessed with Jewish control of the government and smart foreign policy commentators like David Rothkopf, who believes that because pro-Israel Jews don't control the United States government, the Israel lobby is a myth. » Read more