Row over Rabin killer interview ATFP World Press Roundup Article from October 30, 2008 - 8:00pm Leading Israelis have condemned interviews by two televisions channels with the man who assassinated Israel's former Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin. Short versions of the first interviews ever done from Yigal Amir's prison cell ran on Israeli television on Thursday. Amir has been moved to solitary confinement and denied telephone use and conjugal visits as punishment. The ultra-nationalist Jew, who opposed the Oslo peace process, has shown no remorse for shooting Rabin in 1995. The telephone interviews were conducted without the knowledge of the prison service. » Read more

Masked settlers assault Palestinian photographers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters October 30, 2008 - 8:00pm Masked Jewish settlers threw stones at Palestinian photographers Friday near the West Bank city of Hebron, injuring one, Reuters television footage showed. The confrontation came hours after Israeli troops tore down a building settlers had constructed without authorization in a bid to expand the Kiryat Arba enclave near Hebron. Half a dozen settlers masking their faces with scarves hurled rocks at several Palestinian photographers at the scene, striking Hazem Bader, of the French AFP news agency in the head. Fellow journalists escorted him away as blood dripped from the wound. » Read more

EU presidency condemns Israeli settlers' attacks on Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) October 30, 2008 - 8:00pm The European Union's French presidency called on the Israeli government Friday to take action to halt Jewish settlers from attacking Palestinians near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. "The European Union once again condemns in the strongest possible terms the acts of violence and brutality committed against Palestinian civilians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank," the presidency said in a statement. » Read more

October 30th

In the name of peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ari Shavit - (Editorial) October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm The 2009 elections will probably end with the establishment of a national unity government. The reason is political rather than geo-strategic. If Tzipi Livni wins she will not be capable of forming a stable center-left government, and therefore she will be forced to cooperate with both Labor and the Likud. If Benjamin Netanyahu wins, he will not want to form an extreme right-wing government, and therefore will choose to have both Kadima and Labor join him. If by some miracle Ehud Barak wins, his slim victory will not leave him any choice but to rely on Livni, Netanyahu and their parties. » Read more

MKs mull umbrella party to represent all Israeli Arabs ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yoav Stern - October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm A group of Israeli Arab politicians are seeking to establish a new party that would represent all members of their fragmented community in the upcoming general elections. The group, which is made up of former and currently serving MKs, has proposed that Science, Culture and Sport Minister Ghaleb Majadele (Labor) head the party, which is to work for the welfare of Israeli Arabs. Majadele's office has confirmed that prominent members of the Israeli Arab community have indeed proposed this to him. It said the minister would bring the matter to the Arab camp within Labor. » Read more

Special situation status in Gaza- vicinity communities lifted ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Hanan Greenberg - October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm Defense Minister Ehud Barak decided Thursday not to extend the "special situation in the home front" status declared in the Gaza vicinity communities 18 months ago. A "special situation" order enables security forces to instruct the shutting down of schools, to operate essential industries and to close certain areas for traffic. The order was first applied on the Gaza communities in May 2007 and has since been extended several times. Barak's decision was made just a month shy of the scheduled end of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the militant groups in the Gaza Strip. » Read more

Police release settler who incited against soldiers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Erfat Weiss - October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm The police decided to release Qiryat Arba settler Shmuel Ben-Yishai from custody on Thursday afternoon, after completing his interrogation. Ben-Yishai was arrested earlier in the day for inciting against IDF soldiers following Saturday night's evacuation of an illegal outpost in the West Bank city of Hebron. He was released to his home under court restrictions. » Read more

Israel Set To Attend Saudi-Organized Gathering ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Marc Perelman - October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm Israel will attend a high-level interfaith meeting sponsored by Saudi Arabia that is set to be held at the United Nations in November. The conference, formally organized by the president of the U.N.’s General Assembly, is a follow-up to another Saudi-sponsored interfaith meeting held in Spain over the summer. Israeli officials were not invited to attend that meeting. » Read more

Lieberman: Mubarak can 'go to hell'; Peres, Olmert apologize ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shahar Ilan, Barak Ravid, Yoav Stern - October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm The 2009 elections will probably end with the establishment of a national unity government. The reason is political rather than geo-strategic. If Tzipi Livni wins she will not be capable of forming a stable center-left government, and therefore she will be forced to cooperate with both Labor and the Likud. If Benjamin Netanyahu wins, he will not want to form an extreme right-wing government, and therefore will choose to have both Kadima and Labor join him. If by some miracle Ehud Barak wins, his slim victory will not leave him any choice but to rely on Livni, Netanyahu and their parties. » Read more

Israel needs to show it is serious about peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by George S. Hishmeh - October 29, 2008 - 8:00pm And now it's Israel's turn to vote in a new parliament. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. The results of the elections in Israel and America are bound to affect the Middle East and, hopefully, the new leaders of the two countries will bring good tidings for traumatised Arabs and Israelis. » Read more