July 30th

Romney on Israel: What is doing the 'opposite' of Obama? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Jan Schakowsky - (Opinion) July 29, 2012 - 12:00am Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney boldly declares that, if elected to the most powerful office in the world, he will do the opposite of US President Barack Obama on Israel. Speaking by satellite last month to the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference of Christian conservatives, meeting in Washington DC, Gov. Romney said he would represent “the opposite” of what President Obama is doing on US relations with Israel and Iran. » Read more

EU pressure for aid change in Area C ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 28, 2012 - 12:00am As demolition orders continue to threaten the work of humanitarian organizations in Israeli-controlled Area C in the West Bank, the European Union and humanitarian agencies are pressing to change the rules of the aid game. » Read more

Attili: Israeli settlers draining Palestinian water supply ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Israel allocates 70 times more water to each settler than to the average Palestinian in the West Bank, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority said Sunday. At a press conference in Ramallah, Shaddad Attili said Palestinians received 105 million cubic meters of water, less than the amount allocated in the 1995 Oslo Accords and around a quarter of the 400 million cubic meters needed according to international standards. » Read more

Arafat inquiry like looking for 'needle in the ocean' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 30, 2012 - 12:00am The investigation into late President Yasser Arafat's death is ongoing, director of the committee responsible for the inquiry said Sunday. Tawfiq al-Tirawi told Ma'an that a medical committee headed by Abdullah al-Basheer is undertaking research in coordination with international specialists and will brief officials on the results once investigations reach their final stages. » Read more

Back lot Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - (Analysis) July 29, 2012 - 12:00am With a setting Jerusalem sun casting shadows on the Tower of David and the walls of the Old City as his background, US Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney got what he wanted Sunday before he even delivered a word of his speech – valuable Holy City campaign footage. » Read more

Israel to deploy two new rocket interceptors in 2013 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 30, 2012 - 12:00am The Israel Air Force (IAF) is expected to deploy two additional Iron Dome missile-defense batteries early next year, The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday. The new batteries have reportedly been outfitted with upgraded software and radars that will enable interception at extended ranges, and will be operated by reservists, according to the report. The batteries will join the four currently at the disposal of the IAF, with additional systems scheduled for supply in the coming years. » Read more

Abbas confident in Palestinian bid for UN recognition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua July 29, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday expressed confidence that the Palestinian bid for the United Nations' recognition of a Palestinian state will succeed this time once the bid is applied. Abbas, who paid a visit to the West Bank's northern city of Jenin to have Iftar meal with city notables during the holy month of Ramadan, said that "we went to the UN and we didn't succeed in the first time, but next time we will." » Read more

Mitt, Are You Sure This Trip Was a Good Idea? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Gershom Gorenberg - (Opinion) July 27, 2012 - 12:00am Even before he gets to Israel this weekend, Mitt Romney has discovered the perils of trying to look like a statesman overseas while running for office at home. » Read more

Israel troops shoot dead Palestinian at checkpoint ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Israeli border police have shot dead a Palestinian man and wounded two others at the entrance to Jerusalem. Border police spokesman Shai Hakimi says 40-year-old Akram Badr was traveling in a car that burst through a checkpoint at high speed early Monday and tried to run over officers who ordered him to stop. Palestinian police said the car had entered a wrong lane and was backing up to enter the right one when Israeli border police mistakenly thought it was trying to hit them and opened fire. » Read more

Fayyad meets US presidential candidate Romney ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 30, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority prime minister Salam Fayyad met with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Sunday, PA spokesman Ghassan al-Khatib said. The former Massachusetts governor was in Jerusalem on the second leg of a trip to strengthen his foreign policy credentials in his race to unseat Obama. After talks with Israeli leaders, Romney met with Fayyad. He then visited the Western Wall, Judaism's most revered site. » Read more