Israel Allows a Glimpse of Its Array of Defenses
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - May 12, 2011 - 12:00am

The Israeli military allowed foreign reporters rare access to this heavily guarded Mediterranean base south of Tel Aviv on Thursday in what military officials described as an effort to showcase Israel’s technological advancements in the field of air defense and to underscore the array of threats from rockets and missiles.

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Rattling the Cage: There’s no double standard
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Larry Derfner - (Opinion) May 11, 2011 - 12:00am

There’s a consensus here that the assassination of Osama bin Laden revealed the world’s, and especially America’s, double standard toward Israel: When the US targets a terrorist who killed Americans, they’re dancing in the streets, but when Israel targets a terrorist who killed Israelis, they wag their finger at us, if not worse. I disagree. I think the assassination of bin Laden was completely justified, while Israel’s targeted killings of Palestinian terrorists, at least under the current circumstances, are wrong.

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The unbearable Israeli lightness of arresting Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - May 11, 2011 - 12:00am

It began with what dozens of Palestinians experience every month: In the middle of the night, there are kicks on the door or shouts behind it and the house is inundated with soldiers aiming rifles. This time the rifles were aimed at a girl of 14 and her 67-year-old grandmother who are visiting an aunt of 53 and her 22-year-old daughter at their home in El Bireh. Afterwards the young women related that the soldiers “barked” orders, questions and threats.

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5 Palestinians arrested in Jenin operation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 5, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel's army arrested five Palestinians from the northern West Bank early Friday, residents said. An undercover unit raided Jenin refugee camp and seized Islamic Jihad leader Bassam As-Saadi, who had recently been released from Israeli prison after completing an eight-year jail term. Soldiers forced family members into one room while they searched the house and eventually departed with As-Saadi, who was bound before being taken to an unknown location, his wife told Ma'an.

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13 settlers arrested on way to Joseph's Tomb
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yair Altman - April 28, 2011 - 12:00am

Attempts to enter Joseph's Tomb continue despite the death of Ben-Yosef Livnat. Some 40 members of the Hilltop Youth entered the Balata refugee camp in Nablus via agricultural Palestinian land after bypassing police and army checkpoints. Nightly Infiltrations The IDF fired lighting bombs and launched a search with police assistance. Thus far, at least 13 settlers have been detained.

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Israel to launch nationwide war drill
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 27, 2011 - 12:00am

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is gearing to hold a nationwide drill, scheduled to take place in two months, in a bid to prepare the populace for the possibility of war. The exercise, called "Turning Point 5," will begin on June 19 and end four days later. An IDF spokesman confirmed to Xinhua that preparations for the drill are underway, but would not provide further details. National daily Yedioth Aharonot, however, claimed Wednesday that the drill will be the largest-ever to be held in Israel, encompassing 70 percent of civilians residing in more than 80 local councils.

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Past Holds Clue to Goldstone’s Shift on the Gaza War
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner, Jennifer Medina - April 19, 2011 - 12:00am

Two decades ago, Richard Goldstone, a Jewish South African judge, played a vital role in reconciling his country’s white minority government and rising black majority movement by leading a fact-finding mission into black violence that offered a Solomonic conclusion. The violence, he found, was endemic, but a covert government campaign was sponsoring black killings to undermine the opposition. Heads rolled, hands were shaken and Mr. Goldstone was hailed as the most trusted man in the country, going on to a distinguished international career.

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Netanyahu choice: Cabinet stability or Israel's interests
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amir Oren - (Opinion) April 18, 2011 - 12:00am

Who was chiefly responsible for the fact that Israel was surprised by the Egyptian and Syrian attacks on Yom Kippur in 1973? Many say that it was the Intelligence branch of the Israel Defense Forces - and in particular, the head of Military Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Eli Zeira. The chief of staff during that war, David Elazar, also pointed an accusatory finger upward, to then defense minister Moshe Dayan, while Dayan placed almost all the blame on the lower echelon, leaving it with Zeira. Dayan deflected a little of the excess criticism in the direction of the prime minister, Golda Meir.

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Awarta raided overnight, 5 more detained
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 12, 2011 - 12:00am

Concern is mounting for the residents of Awarta, as 71 villagers including a teenage girl and two elderly women remain held in Israeli custody without charge, and official visits to ensure their well being were prevented by Israeli forces. Three Palestinians from the village who were living in Ramallah were detained from their homes there overnight, as their relatives in Awarta, including two brothers, were detained during an overnight raid. From Awarta, Hasan Awwad, deputy mayor of the village, and his brother Salah, a local journalist, were both detained.

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Israel to arm combat soldiers with cameras
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Aron Heller - April 11, 2011 - 12:00am

The next time Israel goes to war, its combat soldiers will likely be carrying cameras in addition to more conventional weapons. Reeling from war crimes accusations during a major offensive against Hamas-ruled Gaza more than two years ago, the Israeli military is studying the wide distribution of cameras as a tool to make its case to the world. The plan would appear to put Israel at the vanguard of such efforts around the world — and reflects the intense and growing scrutiny of Israel's conflict with the Palestinians.

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