After 20 Years, Moving Beyond Oslo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National Review by Yossi Beilin, Rabbi Benny Elon - (Opinion) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am Let us start with a rare activity in that twilight zone that is called the Middle East peace process: talking about things we agree upon. Regional leaders and experts on all sides of the discussion have declared the peace process to be dormant, if not dead. No meaningful negotiations have taken place in almost three years. The Obama administration is hiding its head in the sand. Rumors have replaced ideas and action. » Read more

Leader: Now is not the time to give up on a two-state solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from New Statesman (Editorial) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am The window of opportunity for a “two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has long been narrowing. Should the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, endorse the conclusions of the Levy report, he could close it for good. The report, produced by a government-appointed panel led by the former Supreme Court justice Edmund Levy, argues that Israel’s presence on the West Bank does not constitute an occupation and, therefore, that the 121 Jewish settlements in the region are legal under international law. » Read more

A Palestinian in Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Raja Shehadeh - (Blog) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am Jerusalem — As a tourist visiting the Old City of Jerusalem, seeing Christians, Jews and Muslims walking side by side, hearing church bells ringing and Muslims being called to prayer, you might think the place is a model of tolerance. As a resident of the Old City of Jerusalem, you think differently. » Read more

Did Hezbollah Do It? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Matthew Levitt - (Opinion) July 18, 2012 - 12:00am Earlier today, on the 18th anniversary of the Hezbollah bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, a busload of Israeli tourists was bombed in Burgas, Bulgaria, a popular summer vacation destination among Israeli tourists.  Early reports indicate several people were killed, and many more injured.  Hezbollah is the leading suspect, and for good reason. » Read more

Will Obama do something about colonies if re-elected? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am A lengthy account in the Washington Post of the Obama administration’s nearly four-year fruitless effort to resolve the 64-year-old conflict between Palestinians and Israelis — running over four pages — carried the eye-catching headline, Where Obama failed on Middle East, and the subhead elaborated, Despite years of US trying new approach, Israelis and Palestinians came no closer. » Read more

Why Is Jonathan Pollard Still in Jail? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Moshe Dann - (Opinion) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am Why are efforts to obtain clemency for Jonathan Pollard stuck? The man convicted in 1987 for spying for Israel and given a life sentence remains in jail despite a growing chorus calling for his release. » Read more

Israel Can't Ignore the World’s Opinion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by J.J. Goldberg - (Opinion) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am A friend wrote in last week to dispute my critique of Israeli judge Edmond Levy’s settlements report. Levy claimed the West Bank isn’t “occupied” under international law, and therefore settlements aren’t illegal. I wrote that while his interpretation squares with the language of the relevant treaties, not one nation in the world accepts it, so it’s meaningless. » Read more

Bush Press Secretary Says Pro-Israel Obama Voters Have “Buyers’ Remorse” ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Michael Friedson - (Interview) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am  [Jerusalem] A sure sign that elections are drawing near is the effort by Democrats and Republicans to register Americans living abroad who are eligible to vote in November. In Israel, where absentee voters were credited with playing a key role in deciding the razor-thin battle between George W. » Read more

Israeli soldiers confiscate water storage tanks on West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - July 19, 2012 - 12:00am These rocky foothills are a forbidding place even for the scattered Bedouin communities that have herded livestock here for generations. Yet it is not the summer heat that is threatening their way of life. Last month, Israeli soldiers began confiscating water-storage containers used by Bedouin in several pastoral encampments on the northern fringes of the West Bank's Jordan Valley area. No explanation was given to the dozens of impoverished residents, who have since been rationing their already scarce water supplies and tending to thirsty livestock. » Read more

Israeli-Palestinian peace remains core issue of Middle East: Jordanian king ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 19, 2012 - 12:00am Jordanian King Abdullah II said on Wednesday that despite the turmoil and challenges facing the Middle East, the core issue of the region remains the peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians. » Read more