January 9th

How to break a Middle East stalemate ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Dennis Ross - (Opinion) January 6, 2012 - 1:00am Dan Meridor, one of Israel’s four deputy prime ministers, said to me years ago that “the peace process is like riding a bicycle: When you stop pedaling, you fall off.” And currently, the Israelis and Palestinians have stopped pedaling. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is convinced that this Israeli government cannot make a peace deal — or at least one he can live with — so he imposes conditions on negotiations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees these conditions as harsh and unprecedented, and doesn’t want to pay a steep political price just to enter talks. » Read more

Palestinians carrying bombs held in West Bank: Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) January 8, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — Four Palestinian men were detained on Sunday after Israeli troops at a West Bank checkpoint discovered 12 pipe bombs, a knife and a gun in their possession, an Israeli police spokesman said. "Four Palestinians were arrested at the Salem checkpoint. They had a commando knife, a pistol and 12 explosives. They were arrested and taken for questioning and the investigation is continuing," spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP. Salem checkpoint is near the northern West Bank city of Jenin. » Read more

Palestinians carrying bombs held in West Bank: Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) January 8, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — Four Palestinian men were detained on Sunday after Israeli troops at a West Bank checkpoint discovered 12 pipe bombs, a knife and a gun in their possession, an Israeli police spokesman said. "Four Palestinians were arrested at the Salem checkpoint. They had a commando knife, a pistol and 12 explosives. They were arrested and taken for questioning and the investigation is continuing," spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP. Salem checkpoint is near the northern West Bank city of Jenin. » Read more

Palestinian peace hopes low as talks resume ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - January 9, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM // Expectations of progress in the peace process could not be lower as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators prepare to meet in the Jordanian capital today. It will be their second meeting in a week but these are rare encounters since direct negotiations collapsed more than a year ago, when Israel refused to stop building Jewish settlements. Still, the Palestinians' ageing leadership has continued with a two decades-old strategy of trying to end their conflict with Israel through negotiations. » Read more

Big Hack Attack on Israel Inevitable, Say Experts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Rosenberg - January 8, 2012 - 1:00am The hacker attack that exposed the credit card numbers and other personal information of thousands of Israelis last week shows every sign of being an unsophisticated break-in that exploited the weaknesses of a poorly secured website. But experts warn that for Israel, like other highly networked economies, the worst is yet to come. » Read more

Palestinian Sesame Street ails without US funds ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Daniella Cheslow - January 7, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — It's quiet time on Palestinian Sesame Street. The iconic children's program, known as "Sharaa Simsim" in Arabic, has been put on hold for the 2012 season because of a funding freeze by the U.S. Congress. Sharaa Simsim is one of many U.S.-funded Palestinian programs suffering after Congress froze the transfer of nearly $200 million to the U.S. Agency for International Development in October. The suspension aimed to punish the Palestinians for appealing to the United Nations for statehood. » Read more

Palestinians' Hamas, Fatah hurl recriminations weeks after shaking hands ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Saud Abu Ramadan - January 8, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party and its rival Islamic movement Hamas recriminated each other on Saturday over Hamas' bar against a Fatah delegation from entering the Gaza Strip. Fatah Party said in an email to reporters that the security forces of Hamas, which rules the coastal enclave, prevented a high- ranking Fatah delegation from entering Gaza on Friday, adding that Hamas behaved like gangs and don't want the reconciliation deal to work. » Read more

Palestinian reconciliation deal faltering ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Nidal al-Mughrabi - January 8, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement said on Sunday it would have to re-evaluate its reconciliation pact with the Islamist Hamas group following the rejection of a Fatah visit to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip last week. In a statement, Fatah's Central Committee said Hamas's behaviour showed it was not interested in the implementation of the reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo last year, which included the formation of a unity government and the holding of a parliamentary election on May 4. » Read more

Report: Jordan seizes assets of expelled Fatah leader ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 9, 2012 - 1:00am AMMAN (Ma'an) -- The assets of Muhammad Dahlan and his brother were seized by Jordanian authorities to allow Palestinian officials to pursue corruption allegations against the ousted Fatah strongman, Jordanian media reported on Monday. The head of Public Prosecutions in the Jordanian capital ordered the Central Bank of Jordan to foreclose the real estate and financial holdings of Dahlan, his brother and another unnamed individual, Jordanian daily Al-Rai reported. » Read more

Israeli minister says peace deal should put some Israeli Arabs under Palestinian sovereignty ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press January 9, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — Israel’s foreign minister said Monday that some Israeli Arabs should be stripped of their citizenship and placed under Palestinian sovereignty as part of any final peace deal. Avigdor Lieberman made the comments before a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators later Monday in Jordan — their second session in a week after a 15-month breakdown in talks. » Read more