Dani Dayan's War: Can Israeli Settlers Control Both the West Bank and Themselves? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic by Zvika Krieger - (Opinion) August 3, 2012 - 12:00am Dani Dayan has decided to come "out of the closet," he tells me as we sit in a coffee shop looking out onto the Judean hills earlier this summer. The head of the Yesha Council, which represents the approximately 300,000 Israelis who live in the West Bank, was not referring to his strident opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state; he's been an out-and-proud critic of the two-state solution for years, prominently showcased in an inflammatory op-ed last week. When we met in Jerusalem, he was actually in the process of coming out as a moderate. » Read more

Exploiting Jews from Arab Countries ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Lara Friedman - (Opinion) August 2, 2012 - 12:00am Last month saw an assault in Congress on Palestinian refugees—an effort to use legislation to re-define the Palestinian refugee issue out of existence.  This week the other shoe dropped, when a bipartisan group of members of Congress introduced a new bill embracing the cause of “Jewish refugees from Arab countries” in a way that Congress has never replicated on the Palestinian side (for more info, see this list of all bills/resolutions dealing with Palestinian and/or Jewish refugees since 1989).  » Read more

Hip-hopping to tolerance in the Promised Land ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Danna Harman - (Opinion) August 3, 2012 - 12:00am It’s a sweltering day in Jerusalem. Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, founder of a major record label and clothing company, sits fanning himself with a magazine. Next to him is Orthodox rabbi Marc Schneier, vice president of the World Jewish Congress. » Read more

Zionists frighten US presidency ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Yousef Al Kuwailet - (Opinion) August 3, 2012 - 12:00am American Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney seems more to be a cowboy than a person who can be considered to be in a responsible position as president of a great nation. He speaks in street slang, not the formal language of a diplomat. His remarks that questioned London's preparation for the Olympics sparked fury even among those with a cool temper (“A few things that were disconcerting” about London’s Olympics preparations). Both British officials and the media reacted strongly against Romney’s remarks. » Read more

The Tent People ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Hayat by Zuheir Kseibati - (Opinion) August 2, 2012 - 12:00am The Palestinians no longer have the privilege of “monopolizing” tents as part of the history of their setbacks and the features of their identity. The people of the region now have a new landmark that is unifying them perhaps more than the Arab League ever did: the tents of the displaced and the refugees. » Read more

Mitt or ‘mittout’ Romney ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Hirsh Goodman - (Opinion) August 3, 2012 - 12:00am Mitt Romney comes to Israel for a few hours, speaks platitudes to a largely imported crowd against the backdrop of Jerusalem, mumbles something about Iran and collects a million bucks, rushes for a series of lighting photo-ops with appropriate Israelis and off again, this time to Poland. He did not come here to learn the issues, understand the intricacies of the evolving Middle East or even receive an in-depth expert briefing on Iran. Grin, flash, platitude, applause, photo, insult the Palestinians and away we go. » Read more

Israel realizes: Only US can stop Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ron Ben-Yishai - (Opinion) August 3, 2012 - 12:00am It's a known secret that the IDF and the security establishment have been focused over the past few years on creating a viable military option for a strike in Iran. Israel has invested billions in this endeavor. The goal was to obtain operational capabilities that would serve as the basis for a strike, which, if launched, would set Iran's nuclear program several years back. » Read more

Investment in Settlements Skyrockets Under Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Calcalist by Shaul Amsterdamski - August 2, 2012 - 12:00am The governmental investment in Judea and Samaria skyrocketed under the Netanyahu cabinet by 38% from 2010 to 2011, reaching its high levels on the eve of the disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005. Over the period spanning from 2003 to the end 2011, the Israeli governments invested more than $2.5 billion (more than 10 billion shekels) in the Jewish settlements across the Green Line. This sum reflects the overall governmental investment, including economic support for the local authorities, investment across infrastructures and tax benefits entailing loss of state revenues. » Read more

Making art from trash ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yitzhak Laor - (Film Review) August 3, 2012 - 12:00am Initially, I was afraid that "Zevel Tov" ("Good Garbage" ), a documentary produced and directed by Ada Ushpiz and Shosh Shlam, would be just another story about the atrocities of the occupation. At the very least, it would be an effort to prove that there is an occupation, despite the argument by emeritus Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy, who headed a committee that declared that the West Bank is not occupied territory. » Read more

Israel losing international support, says British ambassador ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - August 3, 2012 - 12:00am The British ambassador to Israel has said international support for the Jewish state among those in the political mainstream is eroding, driven by settlement expansion in the West Bank and continued restrictions on Gaza. There is "growing concern" in the UK over lack of progress towards peace with the Palestinians, and Israel was now being seen as Goliath against the Palestinians as David, said Matthew Gould, in reference to the biblical story. » Read more