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Jews Cast Wary Eye on Evangelicals
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - April 16, 2012 - 12:00am

Washington — Advocates for improved relations between Jews and Christian evangelicals had hoped that years of working together to support Israel would build bridges between the two otherwise distant communities. But a new poll indicates that mistrust and suspicion still run deep, at least on the Jewish side. Only one in five Jewish Americans holds favorable views of those aligned with the Christian right, a category that includes most of Israel’s evangelical supporters.

Israeli Ambassador to New York Times: Netanyahu Does Not Interfere in U.S. Elections
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - April 12, 2012 - 12:00am

The duel between the New York Times and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisers continues. Israeli ambassador to Washington Michael Oren submitted a letter to the editor to the New York Times' editorial board, with a complaint regarding an article which was published several days ago about the close ties between Netanyahu and the likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. In the letter, which was published on Thursday, Oren rejected the allegations that Netanyahu is intervening in the presidential race in the United States.

Irving Moskowitz, Controversial Backer Of Israeli Settlements, Gives $1 Million To Anti-Obama Super PAC
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Paul Blumenthal - (Blog) April 12, 2012 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON -- Even in the era of unbridled campaign contributions, Irving Moskowitz's $1 million donation in February to American Crossroads, the Karl Rove-linked super PAC, is eye-catching.

Republicans have ‘a real Jewish problem’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) April 10, 2012 - 12:00am

Republicans found some encouragement in the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) 2012 Jewish Values survey released last week and quickly declared it evidence that Barack Obama’s Jewish support is falling. It is not an entirely invalid conclusion since he got 78 percent of the Jewish vote in 2008 and this survey shows 62% of Jewish voters say they would like to see him reelected and 30% prefer an unnamed Republican candidate.

Justices Decline to Say if Jerusalem-Born Americans Can Claim Israeli Birthplace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by John H. Cushman - March 26, 2012 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a lower court to decide whether Congress has the authority to allow Americans born in Jerusalem to claim Israel as their birthplace on their passports. The decision postpones resolution of a long-running dispute between Congress and the executive branch over the power to set foreign policy, in this case the highly fraught issue of whether to formally recognize Israel’s claim that Jerusalem is its capital.

Is archliberal Peter Beinart good for the Jews?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chemi Shalev - (Opinion) March 22, 2012 - 12:00am

NEW YORK CITY ? “If Israel does not survive as a Jewish democratic state, I want to be able to tell my children that I did what little I’m capable of. I’m a writer, so what I can do is to try to sound an alarm. I just want to be able to say that to them.”

Peter Beinart calls for a ‘Zionist BDS,’ but he’s not finding many takers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - (Opinion) March 20, 2012 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Should Jews shun other Jews? And should they shun Jews who call on Jews to shun other Jews? Peter Beinart’s call in Monday’s New York Times for a boycott of goods manufactured in West Bank settlements reignited a debate not just about what works and doesn’t when it comes to advancing a two-state solution, but also about what should and should not be said during the debate. Beinart, a journalist and essayist whose book “The Crisis of Zionism” is about to come out, tried to cast his call in pro-Israel terms.

Answering My Critics on Zionist BDS
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Peter Beinart - (Blog) March 20, 2012 - 12:00am

My New York Times op-ed proposing that American Jews boycott the West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem) and instead spend their money inside the green line has prompted three basic right-wing critiques. (There are plenty of left-wing ones too, but I’ll have to answer them later).

Palestinians taken aback by Obama embrace of Israel, but expect little in US election year
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
March 5, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians say they are disappointed in President Barack Obama but not surprised by his especially warm embrace of Israel in an election year. Still, his weekend speech to the powerful pro-Israel lobby AIPAC was perceived in the West Bank as unprecedented in its show of support for Israel. It raised eyebrows even among hardened skeptics who have lost faith in Washington’s ability to serve as an honest Mideast broker.

The legal case against attacking Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Bruce Ackerman - (Opinion) March 5, 2012 - 1:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington has provoked a broad debate over the military and political wisdom of an attack on Iran. But so far, there has been little attention to the legal issues involved, which are crucial. American support for a preemptive strike would be a violation of both international law and the U.S. Constitution.

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