November 9th

Abbas: I don't know what Israel wants ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters November 9, 2009 - 1:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday that Israel had done nothing to promote peace. "It appears they do not want peace, and they don't want to stop settlement, and they don't want the vision of two-states, so I don't know what they want," he said, addressing a small crowd outside the presidential palace in Bethlehem. "We must remain believers in peace," he added, speaking in a car park which still bears the track marks of Israel tanks stationed there during the Intifada, or uprising, which swept the Palestinian territories in 2000. » Read more

West Bank rabbi: Jews can kill Gentiles who threaten Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz November 9, 2009 - 1:00am Just weeks after the arrest of alleged Jewish terrorist, Yaakov Teitel, a West Bank rabbi on Monday released a book giving Jews permission to kill Gentiles who threaten Israel. Rabbi Yitzhak Shapiro, who heads the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in the Yitzhar settlement, wrote in his book "The King's Torah" that even babies and children can be killed if they pose a threat to the nation. Shapiro based the majority of his teachings on passages quoted from the Bible, to which he adds his opinions and beliefs. » Read more

Abbas wants Obama guarantee for East Jerusalem freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - November 9, 2009 - 1:00am If Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas makes good on his declaration that he won't run in the upcoming Palestinian presidential election, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and his entire cabinet would resign, top Palestinian officials predicted yesterday. » Read more

Palestinian sources: Abbas plans to quit before elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - November 9, 2009 - 1:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in private meetings in recent days that he intends to resign from his post in the near future, Palestinian sources told Haaretz. The remarks come after Thursday's announcement that he would not seek reelection as Palestinian president. » Read more

Twenty years after Berlin, Palestinians crack Israel's wall ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 9, 2009 - 1:00am Marking the 20th anniversary since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Palestinians tore down a section of Israel's wall in the West Bank village of Ni'lin on Friday. During a weekly protest against the barrier, which cuts through the Ramallah-area village's center and isolates residents from 60 percent of their farmland, some 300 demonstrators methodically dismantled a concrete section before Israeli forces opened fire. » Read more

Elections commission: No plans to delay vote ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 9, 2009 - 1:00am The Central Elections Commission denied news reports on Sunday regarding its intentions to delay the election date for Palestinian Legislative Council and the presidential elections set for January 2010. The commission confirmed in a statement that it remains committed to the date appointed by President Mahmoud Abbas for 24 January 2010, adding that it lacks the authority to change the presidential decree that was issued by the President, proclaiming the forthcoming elections. » Read more

Poll: Majority want Abbas to run in election ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 9, 2009 - 1:00am A majority of Palestinians oppose President Mahmoud Abbas’ stated decision not to seek another term in elections he recently called, according to an opinion poll released on Sunday. The poll, conducted by the Ramallah-based firm Near East Consulting, 62% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza said they are opposed to Abbas’ decision, which he made public on Thursday. » Read more

Abbas may give up office, but not control ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Howard Schneider - November 9, 2009 - 1:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas may follow through on his vow this week not to run for reelection. But that hardly means he'll fade from the limelight. Even if his term expires in January -- and there is little certainty that a vote for his successor will be held as scheduled -- Abbas holds three other titles that would continue to make him the most influential figure in Palestinian political life and the most important leader in any peace initiative with Israel. » Read more

November 6th

From Initiating Peace to Managing Its Crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Abdullah Iskandar - (Opinion) November 5, 2009 - 1:00am Barack Obama had great aspirations for change during his election campaign, ever since he was elected a year ago and also ever since he was inaugurated in the beginning of this year. These aspirations were then translated in our region into hopes that the peace process might be now resumed, on the basis of an assortment of ideas, and of the direct interest shown in the peace process [by the United States] through appointing personal envoy and through an unrelenting diplomatic endeavouring. » Read more

Mahmoud Abbas feels betrayed by Barack Obama ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Telegraph by Adrian Blomfield - (Analysis) November 6, 2009 - 1:00am The Palestinian leader is a vital US ally and just about the only official in the occupied territories with whom Israel is prepared to negotiate. But the White House has done him few favours of late. Just six weeks ago, much to the delight of the Obama administration, Mr Abbas was enjoying a surprising renaissance. A successful congress of his Fatah party, which saw popular newcomers inducted into its hierarchy, and an impressive upswing in the economy had combined to convince many Palestinians to shift their support from the Islamists of Hamas to his moderate leadership. » Read more