Al-Qassam vows revenge over Hebron killings ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 8, 2010 - 12:00am Hamas' military wing the Al-Qassam Brigades vowed Friday that it would respond to the killing of two senior commanders during an Israeli raid in Hebron. Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Ubaidah said the militia would "reply in a suitable way to such a crime," to the killing of Nashat Al-Karmi, a senior military commander and Maamoun Al-Natsha, a local Hebron commander. The killings, the spokesman said, would not "break the resistance and the fighters ... resistance fighters are free to reply at any time at any place." » Read more

Israel loyalty oath bill stirs Arab-Israeli unease ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - October 7, 2010 - 12:00am Israel's cabinet next week will consider a bill that would require non-Jewish candidates for Israeli citizenship to pledge allegiance to the country as a Jewish state. The bill, backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for an amendment to Israel's citizenship law to include "a Jewish and democratic state" in a mandatory oath of loyalty. » Read more

Will Abbas get, and accept, a two-month settlement freeze? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ben Lynfield - October 7, 2010 - 12:00am A senior aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has signaled that his side will not abandon peace talks if Israel extends a West Bank settlement construction slowdown for two months. » Read more

For Israeli army, tests of accountability ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - October 7, 2010 - 12:00am A YouTube video showing a dancing Israeli soldier shimmying near a bound and blindfolded Palestinian woman went viral on the Internet this week, embarrassing the Israeli military and fueling fresh debate about morals and accountability in the armed forces. The army's chief legal officer ordered a military police investigation of the clip, which was posted two years ago but publicized this week on an Israeli television program. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued an emphatic condemnation. » Read more

Examining an Activist’s Death ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Andy Webster - October 7, 2010 - 12:00am “Rachel,” Simone Bitton’s fascinating if uneven documentary about Rachel Corrie, the activist killed in Gaza in 2003, shares a goal with “My Name Is Rachel Corrie,” the controversial Off Broadway play from 2006. Both lionize this 23-year-old protester from Olympia, Wash., who was crushed under a mound of dirt pushed by an Israeli bulldozer clearing a Palestinian area. » Read more

U.S. Believes Arab States Won’t Scuttle Mideast Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner, Mark Landler - October 7, 2010 - 12:00am The Obama administration believes it has persuaded Arab states not to scuttle the fledgling Middle East peace negotiations, officials said Thursday, despite the Israeli government’s refusal to freeze Jewish settlements and a vow by the Palestinians to walk away if Israel did not. With the Arab League’s meeting on Friday expected to deliver a pivotal decision on the future of the talks, the United States has appealed to Jordan and other Arab nations to stop short of pushing the Palestinians to break off the negotiations. » Read more

U.S. Believes Arab States Won’t Scuttle Mideast Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner, Mark Landler - October 7, 2010 - 12:00am The Obama administration believes it has persuaded Arab states not to scuttle the fledgling Middle East peace negotiations, officials said Thursday, despite the Israeli government’s refusal to freeze Jewish settlements and a vow by the Palestinians to walk away if Israel did not. With the Arab League’s meeting on Friday expected to deliver a pivotal decision on the future of the talks, the United States has appealed to Jordan and other Arab nations to stop short of pushing the Palestinians to break off the negotiations. » Read more