China joins criticism of Romney, saying comments on Jerusalem could enflame tensions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
July 31, 2012 - 12:00am

China criticized Mitt Romney on Tuesday, saying the U.S. presidential candidate’s statement that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel could worsen an already tense Mideast situation, or even re-ignite a war between Palestinians and Israelis. A commentary Tuesday by the official Xinhua News Agency said Romney’s “hawkish remarks” ignored the sensitive nature of Jerusalem. It said the comments disregarded the Palestinians’ claim to the war-won eastern sector of the city, which was annexed by Israel in 1967 in a move that is not internationally recognized.

»

EU slams Israel’s 'human rights violations'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
July 29, 2012 - 12:00am

In a recent statement issued by the EU-Israel Association Council, the European Union (EU) sharply criticized Israel for what it referred to as a wide range of human rights violations in the Jewish state and the "occupied Palestinian territory (OPT)."

»

Palestinian cash crisis getting worse: minister
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Karin Laub - July 26, 2012 - 12:00am

The cash-strapped Palestinian self-rule government is finding it harder each month to stay afloat, its finance minister said in an interview Thursday. The Palestinian Authority is struggling with its worst financial crisis in years, in part because key donor countries, including the U.S. and some Arab states, have so far not sent aid they promised for 2012.

»

Israel Can't Ignore the World’s Opinion
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by J.J. Goldberg - (Opinion) July 19, 2012 - 12:00am

A friend wrote in last week to dispute my critique of Israeli judge Edmond Levy’s settlements report. Levy claimed the West Bank isn’t “occupied” under international law, and therefore settlements aren’t illegal. I wrote that while his interpretation squares with the language of the relevant treaties, not one nation in the world accepts it, so it’s meaningless.

»

The Levy Committee: Who Are the Real Winners?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Hannah Weisfeld - (Blog) July 17, 2012 - 12:00am

Last week the Levy Committee, set up by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to examine the legal status of outposts in the West Bank, announced its findings. According to the committee the IV Geneva Convention does not apply to the West Bank and, therefore, Israel cannot be deemed to be occupying this piece of land. On that basis the 'illegal outposts' in the West Bank, built on what Israel recognizes as state land, should be made legal, and zoning policies should be amended to make it easier for Jews to build in this area.

»

Ex-Israeli diplomat: Boycott my country
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - (Opinion) July 17, 2012 - 12:00am

Alon Liel is a former Israeli ambassador to South Africa and former director general of the Israeli foreign ministry. But when his former office harshly criticized South Africa for enabling a consumer boycott of exports from West Bank settlements in May, Mr. Liel's response sharply diverged from the party line.

»

Think Before Joining Anti-Israel Boycott
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Leonard Fein - (Opinion) July 15, 2012 - 12:00am

True or false: Boycotts are bad. True. And false.

»

Britain's MI6 chief: Iran two years away from becoming nuclear power
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Anshel Pfeffer - July 13, 2012 - 12:00am

In an unusually frank briefing to senior British civil servants, Sir John Sawers, the chief of MI6, Britain's foreign intelligence service said that British agents have been active against Iran's nuclear program since 2008. Despite their efforts though, Sawers said that Iran would likely achieve nuclear capability by 2014.

»

US displeased with Levy Report
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - July 10, 2012 - 12:00am

The American Administration vehemently disagrees with the findings of the Levy Report, which states that the Israeli government must promote the legitimization of all West Bank settlements and outposts. Speaking at a press briefing on Monday evening, State Department Spokesman Patrick Ventrell said that, "The US position on settlements is clear.

»

Israeli settlements can face trade bans, says counsel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald MacIntyre - July 9, 2012 - 12:00am

European governments, including Britain's, have received legal opinion from a leading international counsel who argues they would be fully within their rights to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017