Palestinians: settlement expansion means 1 state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Karin Laub - December 4, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinians will ask the U.N. Security Council to call for an Israeli settlement freeze, President Mahmoud Abbas and his advisers decided Tuesday, as part of an escalating showdown over Israel's new plans to build thousands more homes on war-won land in and around Jerusalem. » Read more

Palestinian war crimes case faces long road ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Josef Federman - December 4, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — Days after winning upgraded status at the United Nations, the Palestinians are threatening to join the world's first permanent war crimes court and pursue charges against the Israelis. » Read more

Abbas says new Israeli settlements 'red line' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Dalia Nammari - December 5, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — An Israeli-Palestinian showdown over plans for new Jewish settlements around Jerusalem escalated on Wednesday. Israel pushed the most contentious of the projects further along in the planning pipeline, and the Palestinian president said he would seek U.N. Security Council help to block the construction. » Read more

Cheering U.N. Palestine Vote, Synagogue Tests Its Members ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Joseph Berger, Sharon Otterman - December 4, 2012 - 1:00am Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, a large synagogue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, is known for its charismatic rabbis, its energetic and highly musical worship, and its liberal stances on social causes. » Read more