Abbas now ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) December 17, 2009 - 1:00am As could have been expected, the limited construction freeze in the settlements has not brought the Palestinian leaders back to the negotiating table. It is obvious that the decision to give incentives to residents of isolated settlements will not contribute to building trust between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Netanyahu is continuing to walk a tightrope between his commitment to a two-state solution and his desire to placate the settlers and their representatives in Likud and the governing coalition. » Read more

Go back unto death: Life in postwar Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 17, 2009 - 1:00am In one corner of Salah Samouni’s modest living room hangs a “martyr poster” – a customary honor printed for those killed in all Israeli attacks, in the West Bank and Gaza over the years. On the Samouni poster, the 29 faces stare back from eternity, from Muhammad Helmi Samouni, age six months, to Rizqa Muhammad Samouni, age 55. It was this oversize poster that Salah Samouni brought with him to the public hearing held by the UN Fact Finding Mission led by Richard Goldstone in Gaza City in June. » Read more

Palestinian village caught amid Israel settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ben Hubbard - December 17, 2009 - 1:00am The head of this Palestinian village can't scan the horizon without being reminded of everything his people have lost. From the roof of the village council building, Abdelnasser Bedawi can see six of the nine Israeli settlements and outposts that have sprung up on the surrounding hills in the last three decades, fencing in the village and keeping it from two-thirds of its land. » Read more

When Will It Be Our Time? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Mustafa Barghouthi - (Opinion) December 17, 2009 - 1:00am I have lived my entire adult life under occupation, with Israelis holding ultimate control over my movement and daily life. When young Israeli police officers force me to sit on the cold ground and soldiers beat me during a peaceful protest, I smolder. No human being should be compelled to sit on the ground while exercising rights taken for granted throughout the West. » Read more

Why the PLO extended Abbas's term ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ilene Prusher - December 17, 2009 - 1:00am Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority (PA), was given a green light Wednesday to stay in office beyond next January, when his term was due to expire for the second time. The Central Council of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) voted Tuesday to extend indefinitely the tenure of Mahmoud Abbas. The decision was seen as a stop-gap measure aimed at avoiding a potential collapse of the PA. » Read more

Babylon & Beyond ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times December 17, 2009 - 1:00am Religion is the opiate of the masses, Karl Marx said. That might be true in some places, but in Israel, this drug induces dangerous hyperactivity. Always a scratch-of-the-surface away, religion is an emotional factor in conflict -- between Israel and the Palestinians, between Israelis and themselves. Recent days have provided one reminder after another. » Read more

International law is clear: Israeli settlements are illegal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Iain Scobbie - (Opinion) December 17, 2009 - 1:00am Eric Rozenman's Dec. 11 Op-Ed article, "Israeli settlements are more than legitimate," is legal nonsense that disregards history. He is correct in his observation that Article 6 of the Mandate for Palestine permitted "close settlement by Jews on the land, including state lands and waste lands not required for public purposes," but the conclusions he then draws are flatly wrong. » Read more

A Legacy of Regret for a Saudi Diplomat ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Michael Slackman - December 17, 2009 - 1:00am The year that Prince Saud al-Faisal was appointed foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, Gerald R. Ford was president of the United States, the Vietnam War ended and Microsoft had just opened its doors. » Read more