October 11th

PNA, Hamas slam Israel's "loyalty oath" law ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua October 11, 2010 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) slammed on Sunday the Israeli government's approval of the "loyalty oath" law, while the Gaza-ruling Hamas movement described it as "racist." Under the new law, non-Jews who seek Israel's citizenship have to take an oath of loyalty to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. "It's a dangerous ruling," spokesman for the Palestinian government in the West Bank Ghassan al-Khatib told Xinhua. "This will undoubtedly harm the Arab minority in Israel as well as the Jerusalemites." » Read more

French, Spanish FMs: Lieberman violated every rule of diplomacy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - October 11, 2010 - 12:00am The foreign ministers of Spain and France were furious with their Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman, telling him Monday morning during a phone conversation that he had "violated every rule of diplomatic etiquette," an Israeli source reported on Monday. During a dinner meeting on Sunday, Lieberman told France's Bernard Kouchner and Spain's Miguel Angel Moratinos to "solve your own problems in Europe before you come to us with complaints. Maybe then I will be open to accepting your suggestions." » Read more

Abbas seeking alternatives if Mideast talks fail ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Salah Nasrawi - October 9, 2010 - 12:00am SIRTE, LIBYA — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday sought Arab backing for possible fallback options in case troubled peace talks with Israel collapse, including urging the United States to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. For now, the Obama administration is still trying to salvage the negotiations that began in Washington five weeks ago. The Arab League, meeting in Libya over the weekend, gave the Americans another month — just past midterm elections in the U.S. — to try to break the deadlock over Israeli settlement expansion. » Read more

Israel's loyalty oath: Discriminatory by design ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian (Editorial) October 11, 2010 - 12:00am There are two narratives at work in Israel that have a bearing on the capacity of its leaders to negotiate the creation of an independent Palestinian state next to it. The first is official and intended for external consumption. It is the one that claims Israel is ready to sit down with the Palestinians in direct talks without preconditions and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, should not have wasted so much of the 10 month partial freeze on settlement building before he did so. » Read more

How good news became bad for Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - October 10, 2010 - 12:00am Hasan Abu Dan still has at hand a single pair of trendy River Woman grey denim shorts, ending just above the knee and complete with Hebrew price label, to remind him of just what a traumatic year 2007 was for his family's garment business. For when Hamas seized control of Gaza after the collapse of its short-lived coalition with Fatah, and Israel imposed a total embargo on the territory in response, the Abu Dan factory was holding 100,000 pairs of the shorts, hitherto a hot-selling item in Israeli fashion stores. » Read more

New arrest revealed in Mabhouh assassination ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Wafa Issa - (Analysis) October 11, 2010 - 12:00am The Dubai Police chief says a major suspect in the killing of Mahmoud al Mabhouh was arrested in a western country about two months ago – but authorities in that country asked that nothing be made public. “The suspect who was arrested played a key role in the killing, but we were informed by the ambassador during a meeting that they did not wish to release the information,” Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, who declined to give any further details on the identity of the suspect, said yesterday. » Read more

Jericho unveils massive ancient mosaic ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Karin Laub - October 10, 2010 - 12:00am Visitors to ancient Jericho got a rare glimpse Sunday of a massive 1,200-year-old carpet mosaic measuring nearly 900 square meters (9,700 square feet), making it one of the largest in the Middle East. The small red, blue and ochre square stones laid out in sweeping geometric and floral patterns cover the floor of the main bath house of an Islamic palace that was destroyed by an earthquake in the eighth century. Since being excavated in the 1930s and 1940s, the mosaic has largely remained hidden under layers of canvas and soil to protect it against sun and rain. » Read more

Palestinian President Presents Four Alternatives to Arab Follow-Up Committee ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Sawsan Abu-Husain - (Opinion) October 11, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas presented four alternatives, which he described as "historic," concerning the prospects of the direct negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. This took place at the recent meetings of the Arab initiative committee in the Libyan city of Sirte on the sidelines of the extraordinary Arab summit. The alternatives are as follows: First: If Israel decides to halt the settlement activities, the direct negotiations will continue, and its pace will be accelerated. » Read more

Palestinian dream city hits snag from Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Ben Hubbard - October 10, 2010 - 12:00am ATARA, WEST BANK — It is billed as a symbol of the future Palestine: a modern, middle-class city of orderly streets, parks and shopping plazas rising in the hills of the West Bank, ready for independence, affluence and peace. But the $800-million project has hit a snag: Palestinians say construction of the city of Rawabi depends on getting an access road, which can't go ahead without Israeli permission. » Read more

Israel keeps door open to new settlement freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from by Jeffrey Heller - (Analysis) October 10, 2010 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Israel is not closing the door on a further freeze of new construction in West Bank settlements after the Palestinians, backed by Arab powers, gave Washington a one-month window to save peace talks from collapse. Much could depend on whether the United States opts to sweeten incentives to Israel to agree to a proposed 60-day partial building moratorium, Israeli political sources said on Sunday. » Read more