August 2nd

Palestinians brace for repercussions over UN bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - August 2, 2012 - 12:00am The Palestinians are bracing for possible punitive reactions by the U.S. and Israel if they go ahead with plans to seek U.N. General Assembly recognition of "Palestine" as a non-member observer state, according to an internal document obtained Thursday. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, backed by the Arab League, is ready in principle to take this step, but hasn't decided whether to submit the request when the General Assembly convenes in September or to wait until after the U.S. presidential election in November. » Read more

Former Israeli spymaster: Iran should be worried ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press August 2, 2012 - 12:00am A former Israeli spymaster on Thursday cautioned Iran not to dismiss Israel's talk about possibly attacking Iranian nuclear facilities. The next 12 weeks will be "very critical" to Israel's decision on whether to strike, Ephraim Halevy said. That time frame coincides with the run-up to the U.S. presidential election. "If I were an Iranian, I would be very worried about the Israeli talk about a possible attack, because Israel's threats sound serious and credible to me," Halevy, who left the Mossad a decade ago, told Israel Radio. » Read more

An Israeli Arab's home is his castle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Noam Dvir - (Opinion) August 2, 2012 - 12:00am During his last visit to Wadi Ara in January 2012, Dr. Kobi Peled was surprised to discover dozens of Corinthian-style pillars on the facades of private homes. While some were structural, it was clear that many were not weight-bearing, but merely placed there to lend an appearance of classical beauty and sanctity to the house, or sometimes, to make homes look like public or government buildings. » Read more

U.S. and Israel Intensify Talks on Iran Options ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Elisabeth Bumiller, Jodi Rudoren - August 1, 2012 - 12:00am A series of public statements and private communications from the Israeli leadership in recent weeks set off renewed concerns in the Obama administration that Israel might be preparing a unilateral military strike on Iran, perhaps as early as this fall. » Read more

Decoding Bibi's West Bank agenda ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ron Pundak - (Opinion) August 1, 2012 - 12:00am The prime minister’s policy of de facto annexation of the West Bank will end badly for everyone, and there will be no way out. It took a while, but the prime minister’s political ideology seems to have been decoded. The designation of a university in the West Bank city of Ariel, Judge Edmond Levy's report that Israel is not an occupier, the construction of more than a thousand new buildings in the settlements and intensive Israeli activity in Area C in the West Bank, all indicate the fundamental political principles that guide Benjamin Netanyahu. » Read more

Capitalism, not culture, drives economies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Fareed Zakaria - (Opinion) August 1, 2012 - 12:00am Mitt Romney has explained that his comments abroad were simply truth-telling. “I tend to tell people what I actually believe,” he said. With regard to one much-debated comment — on the cultural differences between Israelis and Palestinians — many agree with him. The Wall Street Journal editorial page and columnists including Marc A. Thiessen and John Podhoretz all applauded. Podhoretz wrote: “Anyone who publicizes his remark is helping Romney win the election.” » Read more

August 1st

Israel Under Siege ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Benny Morris - (Opinion) July 31, 2012 - 12:00am Here’s a cliché: The Jewish state, founded to provide a safe haven for the world’s persecuted Jews, has become the most dangerous place in the world for Jews. But, unfortunately, this is true, and growing truer by the minute. » Read more

Palestinian Christians swept aside as Israel rewrites history ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Ali Khaled - (Opinion) August 1, 2012 - 12:00am He vanquished a dragon, saved a princess and passed into myth. What popular culture knows about St George (or Georgius, in Latin) pretty much begins and ends with the children's fairy tale, but there is a historical figure underneath that legend. Born about 1,800 years ago, St George's father was a soldier in the Roman army, and his mother was a Palestinian Christian. After his death, he was hallowed by the Catholic Church, but what is less known is that Muslims also venerated his name. » Read more

Using water as a weapon in the West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) August 1, 2012 - 12:00am Events in Area C are a burning issue for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot. More correctly, he is infuriated by what he and the Civil Administration bureaucracy term "Palestinian illegal construction." » Read more

Romney exposed his ignorance in the land of the prophets ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Sam Bahour - (Opinion) July 31, 2012 - 12:00am Mitt Romney made history on Monday. In a single speech from Jerusalem, he proved beyond a reasonable doubt that to qualify to be a U.S. presidential candidate one needs precious little understanding of history, economics, or reality. Romney has just enough to be dangerous. » Read more