Obama In Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum by M.J. Rosenberg - July 11, 2008 - 2:29pm Senator Obama’s decision to include Israel in his overseas tour makes a lot of sense. Although he has been there before, the ever-changing Israeli scene needs to be experienced firsthand. I only hope Obama is not going to Israel in order to impress a small but vocal minority of Jewish Democrats who are uncomfortable with his candidacy. » Read more

Palestinians: Let Us Tame Wild Jenin ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ilene Prusher - July 11, 2008 - 2:28pm Throughout most of the decade, Jenin has been synonymous with what Palestinians generally call fawda: a mix of chaos with the might of gun-toting militants trying to impose their own brand of law and order. Today, the Palestinian Authority (PA) police and paramilitary forces, recently returned from US-sponsored training in Jordan, have fanned out around Jenin as part of a new security campaign to regain control of West Bank cities such as this one, which have been in disarray since the start of the Al Aqsa intifada nearly eight years ago. » Read more

U.s. Tries To Help 3 Scholars Barred From Leaving Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - July 11, 2008 - 2:26pm American consular officials drove from Jerusalem to the Gazan border on Thursday in an unusual effort to interview three Gazan Fulbright scholars who Israel says are too dangerous to allow into the country. Using a portable fingerprinting machine flown in from Washington for the interviews, the Americans were seeking to expedite the granting of study visas to the three scholars, despite Israeli concerns. » Read more