Pressure In Israel For Missile Defense ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ilene Prusher - October 10, 2007 - 1:44pm The firing of a long-range Katyusha rocket into Israel from Gaza on Sunday has ratcheted up concerns here for the increased threat of missiles against the Jewish state. The weapon of choice of Palestinian militants in Gaza has been the Kassam rocket, which has relatively poor aim and short range, but has nonetheless caused damage and killed 14 Israelis and injured hundreds more, according to an Israeli government tally. » Read more

Abbas Wants Return To Pre-1967 Borders ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - October 10, 2007 - 1:42pm Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday laid out his most specific demands for the borders of a future independent state, calling for a full Israeli withdrawal from all territories captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Abbas' claim comes as Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams are trying to hammer out a joint vision for a future peace deal in time for a U.S.-hosted conference next month. » Read more

An Israeli Strike On Syria Kindles Debate In The U.s. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Mark Mazzetti And Helene Cooper - October 10, 2007 - 1:37pm A sharp debate is under way in the Bush administration about the significance of the Israeli intelligence that led to last month’s Israeli strike inside Syria, according to current and former American government officials. At issue is whether intelligence that Israel presented months ago to the White House — to support claims that Syria had begun early work on what could become a nuclear weapons program with help from North Korea — was conclusive enough to justify military action by Israel and a possible rethinking of American policy toward the two nations. » Read more

Israel's Rising Right Wing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Salon.com by Gregory Levey - October 10, 2007 - 1:33pm One of this year's nominees for Israeli TV's "Man of the Year in Politics" award doesn't speak Hebrew. He has vast wealth and a shady past. He was once a circus worker. He isn't even a politician, at least not yet. » Read more

Twin Mideast Peace Concerts Rouse Skepticism, Rancor ATFP World Press Roundup Article from McClatchy News by Dion Nissenbaum - October 10, 2007 - 1:28pm It might sound like an inspirational convergence along the lines of John Lennon's antiwar ballad "Give Peace a Chance": twin concerts in which thousands of Israelis join thousands of Palestinians to call for an end to a demoralizing conflict that often looks as if it will go on forever. Except that this is the Middle East, where even a peace concert can become a raucous political battleground. » Read more