Behind the Barrier: Israel's Fence With Egypt Nears Completion
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Yedioth Ahronoth
by Oded Shalom - August 3, 2012 - 12:00am


It was ten in the morning and the sun beat down mercilessly. From the place we stood, not far from border stone number 45, the activities taking place on the mountain opposite us seemed like a desert mirage. You clearly view the heavy machinery working and descending on a steep slope; you look at them and wipe the sweat that has rolled into your eyes, unsure if what you see is really happening. This entire situation seems to negate the laws of gravity.


Gaza tunnel trade squeezed by Egypt 'crackdown'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Jon Donnison - August 21, 2012 - 12:00am


In the gently rolling dunes around the town of Rafah in southern Gaza, Sagah slopes around with his donkey looking like a man with time on his hands. Fine white dust clings to the sweat on his arms under a hot midday sun. He's glum. "For the last two weeks there has been no work. I am a poor man. I have no money," he shouts, clapping his hands together in exasperation. Sagah's trade is smuggling. He is one of thousands of tunnel workers who have made a living ferrying goods from Egypt into Gaza.


'Strong W. Bank economy not enough for stability'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
August 21, 2012 - 12:00am


A strong Palestinian economy will not be enough to maintain stability in the West Bank, UN special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry said Monday night. Serry was speaking at the closing ceremony of the Israel International Model United Nations at the College of Management Academic Studies (COMAS) in Rishon Lezion. The theme of this year's program was "It's Not All About the Money."


Arab Israelis 'have nowhere to hide' if war breaks out
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Hassan Shaalan - August 21, 2012 - 12:00am


Israel's Arabs are extremely concerned by the mounting tensions between Israel and Iran and claim that the lack of shelters in their cities will leave them exposed in case a war erupts.


Israeli defense officials consult with Rabbi Ovadia Yosef over Iran strike
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yair Ettinger, Barak Ravid - August 21, 2012 - 12:00am


Senior defense officials have recently been visiting the ultra-Orthodox Shas party's spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, to discuss a possible Israeli attack on Iran. Some want the 91-year-old rabbi to support it, others to oppose it. At least one visit, in which the rabbi was briefed on Iran's nuclear program, came at the behest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is battling for support in the cabinet to strike Iran.


Top Iran official: If Israel attacks, it will bring about its own 'annihilation'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
August 21, 2012 - 12:00am


An Israeli attack on Iran will lead to Israel's "annihilation," a senior Iranian official told the country's state-run TV station Press TV on Monday, ahead of the Non-Aligned Movement summit due to take place in Tehran later this month.


Israel overturns appeal, orders eviction of West Bank outpost
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
August 20, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Israel's State Attorney-General' s Office (SAO) on Monday ordered the eviction of an illegal West Bank outpost, in response to an appeal by its residents hoping to prevent its destruction.


Attacks on Palestinians kindle debate on values
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - August 21, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM — Two vicious attacks on Palestinians, presumed to be the work of Jews, have some Israelis worried that their society is increasingly tolerant of hate crimes. Over the weekend, unknown assailants firebombed a Palestinian taxi in the West Bank. Hours later, a mob of Jewish teens beat a 17-year-old Palestinian unconscious in downtown Jerusalem. Israeli leaders have condemned the violence. On Tuesday, President Shimon Peres said he was "mortified" by the "intolerable" attack on the teen.


Young Israelis Held in Attack on Arabs
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - August 20, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM — Seven Israeli teenagers were in custody on Monday, accused of what a police official and several witnesses described as an attempted lynching of several Palestinian youths, laying bare the undercurrent of tension in this ethnically mixed but politically divided city. A 15-year-old suspect standing outside court said, “For my part he can die, he’s an Arab.”


Account of ‘a Lynch’ in Jerusalem on Facebook
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Robert Mackey - August 20, 2012 - 12:00am


As my colleague Isabel Kershner reports, several Israeli teenagers who appeared in court on Monday following their arrest for beating a young Palestinian unconscious expressed little remorse for the attack after a hearing.



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