A marathon runner with a long-distance goal for Palestinian freedom ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Danna Harman - May 3, 2012 - 12:00am Besides the obvious, what do people do while they run? Some listen to music and get lost in the beat. Some pipe in podcasts. Some, usually those with the big fancy sports watches, pass the time calculating times and distances or monitoring heart beats. And then some just let their minds wander. » Read more

Meshaal may be asked to remain as head of Hamas Political Bureau ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - May 3, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM // Khaled Meshaal, the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, might be asked to stay in his post despite his recent decision not to stand for re-election, a spokesman for the group said yesterday. » Read more

Bethlehem nuns in West Bank barrier battle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Yolande Knell - May 2, 2012 - 12:00am In the green Cremisan valley, west of Bethlehem, a goatherd leans against a rock while his flocks graze under the olive and fig trees. Nearby, a narrow road winds along the hillside to a 19th Century convent and a secluded monastery where monks run the only Palestinian winery. For the mainly Christian town of Beit Jala, this is the local beauty spot. Residents come here to take a stroll or for a weekend barbecue. Many own small plots of agricultural land. They also send their children to the convent school and visit the monastery to sell grapes or buy its wine. » Read more

Fatah official meets Hamas, Islamic Jihad leaders in Cairo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 3, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Fatah leader Azzam al-Ahmad on Wednesday held separate meetings in Cairo with Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal and secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad movement, Ma'an's correspondent said. Al-Ahmad, who heads Fatah's dialogue team, met with Mashaal to discuss the reconciliation process. Egyptian officials attended the meeting, which focused on the need to form a unity government. » Read more

Israel's move toward early vote may shelve any attack on Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - May 2, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM —Israel'smove toward early elections is the latest sign that its threatened attack againstIran'snuclear facilities is unlikely to take place in the coming months. » Read more

Likud official: Early Israeli elections to be announced Sunday, Sept. 4 likely date ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press May 3, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — An official with Israel’s governing Likud Party says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will announce Sunday that national elections will be moved up. The official said Thursday that Sept. 4 was shaping up as the likely date, speaking on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement. The vote was originally scheduled for October 2013. But Netanyahu signaled in December that he might move them up when he called a snap Likud leadership race that he handily won. » Read more

Palestinian journalists shun press freedom reception by U.S. consulate ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 3, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian journalists on Thursday boycotted a reception by the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, protesting against the lack of U.S. pressure on Israel to respond to demands of hunger striking Palestinian prisoners. » Read more

New foot and mouth strain spreads to Gaza Strip ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters May 2, 2012 - 12:00am ROME, May 2 (Reuters) - A new strain of foot and mouth disease (FMD) has reached the Gaza Strip and threatens to spread further after first being detected in Egypt and Libya in February, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Wednesday. FAO said sick animals had been detected on April 19 in Rafah, a town that lies on the border between the coastal Palestinian territory and Egypt. » Read more

Hamas says it's holding talks with 5 EU countries ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Karin Laub - May 2, 2012 - 12:00am BEIRUT — Hamas has been holding secret political talks with five European Union member states in recent months, a senior official in the Islamic militant group told The Associated Press on Wednesday. If confirmed, such talks would be a sign that the isolation of the Gaza-based Palestinian movement is easing in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings that have brought Islamists to power in parts of the Middle East. The EU and the U.S consider Hamas a terror group and refuse to deal with it unless it renounces violence and recognizes Israel. » Read more

Methodists Vote Against Ending Investments Tied to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Laurie Goodstein - May 2, 2012 - 12:00am The United Methodist Church, the nation’s largest mainline Protestant denomination, voted against two proposals on Wednesday to divest from companies that provide equipment used by Israel to enforce its control in the occupied territories. » Read more