Gaza premier plays down talks with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press January 5, 2012 - 1:00am TUNIS, Tunisia — The prime minister of the Gaza government said Thursday the first meeting between Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators in more than a year was "a futile gesture" that will lead nowhere. Ismail Haniyeh of the Palestinian faction Hamas received a hero's welcome at Tunisia's airport where he was greeted by thousands of people chanting their support for the Palestinian cause. He also met with Tunisia's new prime minister, Hamadi Jebali. » Read more

US: Israeli, Palestinian envoys to meet Monday ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters January 6, 2012 - 1:00am WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators will hold their second round of face-to-face talks within a week on Monday in Amman, a US State Department spokeswoman said on Thursday. "We are encouraged that they are both coming to the table, they are talking directly," spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters in her daily briefing. The two sides held their first high-level talks in more than a year in Amman on Tuesday, a gathering sponsored by the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators -- the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States. » Read more

Mashaal makes surprise visit to Cairo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 6, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A delegation of Hamas officials headed by party chief Khalid Mashaal arrived in Cairo Thursday in a visit that had not been officially announced, Egyptian media reported. Mashaal, who heads Hamas' politburo in Damascus, will meet Friday with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi, director of the Palestine Studies center in Cairo Ibrahim al-Darawi told Egyptian reporters. The Hamas chief will discuss internal and external developments with al-Arabi, al-Darawi said. » Read more

Saudi hacker steps up campaign against Israel, calls it payback ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Batsheva Sobelman - (Blog) January 5, 2012 - 1:00am REPORTING FROM JERUSALEM -- Earlier this week, a computer hacker broke into an Israeli sports website and redirected viewers to a page linking to a file claiming to contain personal and credit card details of 400,000 Israelis. Credit card companies said the lists actually compromised about 15,000 valid credit cards, and the Bank of Israel announced the situation was under control. But authorities considered it a wake-up call. And Tuesday's assault on credit card numbers may be just the tip of the iceberg. » Read more

Israel Will Join U.S. in Missile Drill ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press January 5, 2012 - 1:00am The Israeli and American militaries are gearing up for a major missile defense exercise, the largest joint drill between the two countries, the Israeli military said Thursday. The drill, intended to improve defense systems and cooperation between the United States and Israeli forces, follows a 10-day Iranian naval exercise near the Strait of Hormuz. Israel’s military said the drill was planned long ago and was not tied to recent tensions with Iran.