What was he thinking? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Sima Kadmon - (Opinion) August 20, 2009 - 12:00am What was he thinking? This is the most intriguing question today. What was the deputy prime minister thinking when he attended earlier this week a meeting organized by the Feiglins; yes, the Jewish Leadership faction which Netanyahu made every effort in the last two years to push out of Likud. » Read more

Swedish government disagrees with embassy in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roni Sofer - August 20, 2009 - 12:00am Sweden's Foreign Ministry on Thursday said a response by the Swedish Embassy in Israel to a report by the Aftonbladet news saying IDF soldiers killed Palestinians in order to harvest their organs does not represent the government's stance. The embassy had stated that the report was "appalling". But the Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman said, "The embassy in Tel Aviv responded in accordance to Israeli public opinion, however the Swedish government is committed to freedom of the press." She added that Israel had not issued an official complaint on the report. » Read more

The Palestinian position is important ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shlomo Avineri - (Opinion) August 20, 2009 - 12:00am Prof. Shimon Shamir is right ("Ask Mustafa Khalil," August 17) in stating that, "It is not our concern if Egypt defines itself as Islamic, Arab, African or pharaonic. We recognize Egypt as a political entity..." Based on this premise, Shamir makes the case that we are not to demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people. Yet the analogy is not valid for a number of reasons. » Read more

Netanyahu slams Vice Premier's anti-peace jibe ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz August 20, 2009 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday lambasted Vice Premier Moshe Ya'alon, who told a closed-door meeting of far-right activists last week that he was "not afraid of the Americans" and that anti-settlement groups like Peace Now were "viruses" to Israel. The statements, referring to the United States' role in the Middle East peace progress and its demand Israel halt settlement activity, came to light after video footage taken by a cellular phone was leaked to Channel 2. » Read more

U.S. blasts Israeli restrictions on American travelers in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass, Natasha Mozgovaya, Barak Ravid - August 20, 2009 - 12:00am The United States has harshly criticized new Israeli restrictions placed on foreign nationals entering the West Bank via the Allenby Bridge, calling the new regulations 'unacceptable'. A report on the restrictions appeared in Haaretz last week. Earlier this week, a senior official at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv met with the head of the Foreign Ministry's consular division, Yigal Tzarfati, for clarifications on the new procedure, by which passports are stamped at the bridge with a directive limiting the bearer to areas of the Palestinian Authority only. » Read more

Taking the Mideast peace plunge ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor (Editorial) August 19, 2009 - 12:00am One of many problems in making Middle East peace is that no one wants to go first. Decades of injustice, violence, and false promises have sown such distrust that the players look for proof of sincerity from others before considering a move themselves. As a consequence, they all stand frozen, waiting – as if on the shore of a cold lake – for the other one to jump in. » Read more

Momentum Slows for Israel's Barrier ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Linda Gradstein, Howard Schneider - August 20, 2009 - 12:00am Cost overruns, court rulings and a decline in violence have led Israel to slow construction of a barrier through and around the occupied West Bank, and many analysts predict the project, which is a deep source of contention between Israelis and Palestinians, will not be completed. » Read more

Boycott Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Neve Gordon - (Opinion) August 20, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli newspapers this summer are filled with angry articles about the push for an international boycott of Israel. Films have been withdrawn from Israeli film festivals, Leonard Cohen is under fire around the world for his decision to perform in Tel Aviv, and Oxfam has severed ties with a celebrity spokesperson, a British actress who also endorses cosmetics produced in the occupied territories. Clearly, the campaign to use the kind of tactics that helped put an end to the practice of apartheid in South Africa is gaining many followers around the world. » Read more