October 15th

Report: Emir of Qatar set to visit Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 15, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The Emir of Qatar is set to visit the Gaza Strip in the coming few days, the first visit by an Arab leader since Hamas took power in the coastal enclave, a Gaza TV channel said on Sunday. Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his wife Sheikha Mozah are slated to come to Gaza following the arrival of Qatari delegates on Sunday, al-Kitab satellite channel said. » Read more

Salafis say Hamas security preventing new political party ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 15, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The founders of a new Salafi political party said Monday that their official launch is being obstructed by Hamas security forces, not legal regulations as the government in Gaza has claimed. Last week, Salafis announced the Al-Nur party, or 'party of the light', would start officially operating in the coming days. It said it would work on similar lines to an Egyptian party of the same name, which follows an ultra-conservative Islamic ideology. » Read more

Abbas says Olmert was "two months" from peace deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters October 14, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank, Oct 14 (Reuters) - In comments that may stir Israel's election campaign, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday that he and Ehud Olmert were "two months" away from a peace deal before Olmert had to resign as Israeli prime minister. » Read more

Abbas says Olmert was "two months" from peace deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters October 14, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank, Oct 14 (Reuters) - In comments that may stir Israel's election campaign, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday that he and Ehud Olmert were "two months" away from a peace deal before Olmert had to resign as Israeli prime minister. » Read more

Egypt's Islamists play to anti-Israel sentiment ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Aya Batrawy - October 13, 2012 - 12:00am CAIRO — A fiery tirade against Jews by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's leader highlights one of the foremost diplomatic challenges facing the country's new Islamist President Mohammed Morsi as he balances popular sentiment with the need for security relations with Israel. » Read more

US drops Gaza scholarships after Israel travel ban ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Lauren E. Bohn - October 15, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Amal Ashour, 18, loves Shakespeare and American pop music. One of the brightest students in the Gaza Strip, she studied her senior year of high school in Minnesota through a U.S.-government funded program. » Read more

US drops Gaza scholarships after Israel travel ban ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press October 15, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Amal Ashour, 18, loves Shakespeare and American pop music. One of the brightest students in the Gaza Strip, she studied her senior year of high school in Minnesota through a U.S.-government funded program. » Read more

Israeli Ex-Soldier Recalls Captivity Under Militants ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - October 15, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — Almost a year after he was released from five years of captivity in Gaza, Gilad Shalit, the former Israeli soldier, has revealed more details of how he coped with the ordeal and his fears of being forgotten. » Read more

Palestinian militant dies in continuous Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, putting death toll to 5 ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua October 15, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian militant died Sunday shortly after he was injured in the continuous Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza Strip, putting the number of Palestinians killed in the round of violence to five, according to medics. » Read more

All-Female Ticket Aims to Be Heard, if Not Seen ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Jodi Rudoren - October 14, 2012 - 12:00am HEBRON, West Bank — The faces of five men in business suits and one woman in a white head scarf beam under the slogan “Modern Hebron” on campaign banners along the streets of this famously conservative city ahead of local elections scheduled for Saturday. Other banners saying “Hebron Independents” feature 12 less formal photos, including three women, with looks more stern than smiling. » Read more