August 3rd

NEWS: 21 people are killed during the shelling of a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria. Israel urges its citizens to leave the Sinai Peninsula. A former head of Israel's military intelligence says a missile attack on the Tel Aviv area would elicit an unprecedented response, and another says any attack on Iran would be premature and unwise. The Israeli government calculates that an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would delay the program by approximately 2 years. The murder of a battered woman by her husband continues to stir outrage among Palestinians in the West Bank. PLO officials say they still haven't decided a date on which to resume efforts at the UN. Israel is making contingency plans regarding the deteriorating situation in Syria. The UK ambassador to that country says Israel is rapidly losing international support. Israel has invested more than $2.5 billion in settlements between 2003-2011. COMMENTARY: Herb Keinon says the new Israel-PA trade agreement isn't sexy but it's extremely important. Ha'aretz interviews Brian Lurie, the new head of the New Israel Fund. David Grossman says Israelis cannot stay silent as their government is pushing them towards war with Iran. A new Israeli film profiles a group of Palestinians who make their living scavenging in rubbish dumps. Ron Ben-Yishai says Israel realizes only the United States can stop the Iranian nuclear program and increasingly thinks it will. Hirsh Goodman says it makes no sense for Israelis to dislike Pres. Obama. Zuhair Kseibati says Palestinians are no longer the only “tent people” in the Middle East. Yousef Al Kuwailet says it makes no sense for Arabs to continue to opt out of trying to influence the American political equation. Danna Harman looks at efforts by Russell Simmons and Marc Schneier to strengthen Muslim-Jewish relations. Lara Friedman says American politicians are exploiting Jewish migrants to Israel from Arab states. Zvika Krieger profiles settlement movement leader Dani Dayan.

August 2nd

NEWS: The US and Israel are intensifying talks about Iran. Ephraim Halevy says Iran should be worried about possible military action in the coming weeks. Palestinians are preparing to deal with negative consequences from Israel and the United States in the event of another UN bid. Palestinian women express outrage at the murder of a battered wife by her husband. Hamas condemns the visit of a senior advisor to Pres. Abbas to Auschwitz. Interpol is circulating an image of the man thought responsible for the terrorist attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria. Palestinians say there are now more than half a million Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories. A Hamas official downplays expectations from the new Egyptian government. Palestinian officials denounce Israel's closure of Orient House in occupied East Jerusalem. The University of California is considering banning political “hate speech.” COMMENTARY: Fareed Zakaria says Mitt Romney's view of the relationship between culture and economics is profoundly unsound. Ron Pundak says PM Netanyahu's apparent plans for the occupied West Bank would be a catastrophe for everyone. Noam Dvir looks at the architectural style of Palestinian villas in northern Israel. Zafrir Rinat says Israeli settlers yearn for an environment without borders or Palestinians. Douglas Bloomfield wonders if Romney's Israel trip suggests he's "not ready for prime time.” Ron Kampeas says Jewish Americans are among those alarmed by Islamlophobic attacks on an aide to Sec. Clinton. The National says Iran is a threat, but Israeli and American hints about possible military action are unhelpful. Hani al-Masri says Palestinian political divisions are becoming more apparent. Mustafa Barghouthi says American and Israeli policies are pushing Palestinians, including himself, away from a two-state solution to a one-state aspiration.

August 1st

NEWS: Israel and the PA reach a quietly negotiated agreement on tax revenue collection and trade. One Hamas militant is killed and 2 others are wounded in a car explosion in Gaza. PM Netanyahu denies any split with the Israeli military over Iran. Pres. Morsy has apparently sent a letter to Pres. Peres vowing to try to help “the Middle East peace process back to its right track,” although his spokesperson denies the existence of any such letter. The Israeli government is reportedly set to approve grants for building hotels in settlements in the occupied West Bank. Former Obama advisor Dennis Ross says he still supports the president. An 80-year-old battle over land ownership in the Negev between Bedouins and Jews has shifted into the Israeli courts. COMMENTARY: Mitt Romney insists that culture is a factor in economic success. Thomas Friedman says Mitt Romney's Israel trip was such shameless fund-raising it should have been held in Las Vegas. Hussein Ibish says whatever Romney's campaign rhetoric is now, if elected he will default to traditional American policies. The Washington Post criticizes Romney's remarks about Palestinian culture. The LA Times agrees that Romney was pandering and unhelpful. Rich Lowry says he agrees with Romney. Elias Harfoush says Romney was “begging for Jewish votes.” Ron Kampeas says Romney and Obama are showing “love for Israel” in different ways. Sam Bahour says the prospect of a Romney presidency is frightening. Amira Hass says Israel is using water as a weapon against Palestinians in the West Bank. Ali Khaled says Israeli historical narratives erase Palestinian Christian history. Benny Morris says Israel has become the most dangerous place in the world for Jews.

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