Nasrallah recognizes Israel! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq al-Homayed - (Opinion) July 28, 2011 - 12:00am Hezbollah chief [Hassan Nasrallah] has called on the Lebanese government not to waste the opportunity to explore for oil and natural gas along its maritime border. Nasrallah said that "the resistance" has no objection to the government reaching an agreement to demarcate Lebanon’s maritime borders. » Read more

Is Abbas setting the stage for a third intifada? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) July 28, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says he doesn’t want to see a third intifada, and I believe him. So why does he persist in laying the groundwork for it? His two-pronged strategy of powersharing with Hamas and making a bid for UN recognition is foundering, increasing the risk that the high expectations he sparked among his people will dissolve into frustration and violence. » Read more

Before a Diplomatic Showdown, a Budget Crisis Saps Palestinians’ Confidence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - July 27, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — As the Palestinian Authority faces some of the hardest choices in its history regarding relations with Israel, membership in the United Nations and unity with Hamas, it is mired in a severe economic crisis, leading many here to a sense of foreboding and despair. » Read more