Politicians deride PM's UN speech ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Moran Azulay - September 28, 2012 - 12:00am   Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's UN General Assembly address, during which he busted out a red marker and an illustration of a bomb to demonstrate Iran's worrisome nuclear progress, drew varied responses from his fellow politicians. » Read more

Palestinians shrug off Abbas bid for statehood at UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Jihan Abdalla, Noah Browning - September 28, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Reuters) -- Palestinians who were galvanized a year ago by the launch of a campaign for statehood in the United Nations were left cold on Thursday by a watered-down bid from their leader President Mahmoud Abbas. In a speech to the UN General Assembly, Abbas sought so-called "non-member state" status in the world body, a grade below the full recognition that eluded the Palestinians at the UN Security Council last year, due to insufficient backing. » Read more

Abbas says to seek upgrade of Palestinian UN status ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Louis Charbonneau - September 27, 2012 - 12:00am UNITED NATIONS, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday he would seek to have the Palestinians' U.N. status upgraded to a sovereign country and cautioned that Israeli settlement expansion meant time was running out for a two-state solution. "Despite all the complexities of the prevailing reality and all the frustrations that abound, we say before the international community there is still a chance - maybe the last - to save the two-state solution and to salvage peace," Abbas told the U.N. General Assembly. » Read more

Mideast Peace Mired as Abbas Trades Taunts With Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Nicole Gaouette, Flavia Krause-Jackson - September 27, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exchanged taunts at the United Nations as the world body watched a peace process that has all but slipped away. » Read more