Israeli leader defends contentious boycott law ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Josef Federman - July 13, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday defended a contentious new law targeting local boycotts of West Bank settlements, as the issue escalated into a battle over the limits of Israeli democracy. Supporters say the law is needed to counter what they consider "delegitimization" of Israel's very existence. Critics say it is a violation of the basic right of free speech and part of a chilling trend by the government to stifle dissent. » Read more

Witnesses recount deadly West Bank raid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 14, 2011 - 12:00am A Palestinian student who died Wednesday in the occupied West Bank was shot before being arrested by Israeli soldiers, witnesses in his refugee camp said. Ibrahim Sarhan was already bleeding profusely as soldiers surrounded a house in Al-Farah camp, refusing to allow ambulances to approach the area, witnesses told Ma'an. "Me and Ibrahim finished dawn prayers and were walking home. After I arrived Ibrahim continued but moments later, I heard gunshots and loud shouting," said resident Abed Al-Aydi, 48. » Read more

Boycott Law lets Israel defend itself ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Elihu Stone - (Opinion) July 14, 2011 - 12:00am The anti-boycott legislation recently enacted by the Knesset has invoked a firestorm of criticism from many, fulminating against such legislation as inherently “undemocratic.” Allow me to present an alternative viewpoint, dealing with the particulars of the case. » Read more

Palestinians call on US to support UN bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Agence France Press (AFP) - July 14, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinians have called on the United States to reverse course and support their United Nations membership bid, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Wednesday. Erekat, speaking at a news conference in Ramallah, said the Palestinians had been in touch with Washington after a meeting of the Middle East peacemaking Quartet this week that failed to produce a final joint statement. » Read more

'Balance of terror' sustains tense calm between Hezbollah and Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Nicholas Blanford and Joshua Mitnick - July 12, 2011 - 12:00am As Lebanon’s militant Shiite group Hezbollah and the Israeli army prepare to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2006 war on Tuesday, the tense calm along the traditionally volatile Lebanon-Israel border is being tested by recent regional developments. Still, analysts say, the calm should hold for now. The durability of the “balance of terror” that has helped deter another conflict is rooted in the reluctance of Hezbollah and Israel to embark upon another conflict that both appreciate will be of a far greater magnitude than that of 2006. » Read more

Undemocratic, immoral law ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Nechama Duek - (Opinion) July 14, 2011 - 12:00am The Boycott Law’s approval by the Knesset turned Israel and us, its citizens, into members in a club I would not want to be a member of. The boycotters club. In other words, the new law calls for boycotting the boycotters. This law wishes to silence people, stifle a different kind of thinking, and force people to do things that contradict their conscience, beliefs and democratic right. » Read more

Why Israelis must fight against the boycott law ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) July 14, 2011 - 12:00am I have never preached publicly to others to boycott the products of the settlements. Everyone should follow his own conscience. Just as I try to buy blue-and-white Israeli products, I also try not to buy "black": products with a very black flag flying over them, a flag of injustice and theft. The Boycott Law that was passed this week is causing me to change direction: From now on I will publicly preach to others, too, not to buy black products. Yes, boycott them! » Read more

ISRAEL: A welcome to South Sudan ... and maybe a lesson at home ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Batsheva Sobelman - July 12, 2011 - 12:00am Hundreds of Sudanese and other African asylum seekers and migrants celebrated the independence of South Sudan in Israel on Sunday, flocking from all ends of the country to a southern neighborhood of Tel Aviv, the home away from home for many migrants. » Read more