Netanyahu asks Livni, Kadima to join unity government ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis, Mazal Mualem, Barak Ravid - December 24, 2009 - 1:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked opposition leader Tzipi Livni, the chairwoman of Kadima, on Thursday to join a unity government. Livni did not immediately reject the offer, and added that if the offer is real "I always said that it is up for discussion." Livni clarified that any decision regarding Kadima's moves will be taken by the party after thorough discussion and not by her alone. Netanyahu told Livni that Kadima's addition to the government was crucial in light of the local and global challenges facing Israel today. » Read more

Hamas likely to accept Israel offer on Shalit within days ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yuval Azoulay, Avi Issacharoff, Jack Khoury - December 24, 2009 - 1:00am Hamas announced on Wednesday that the German mediator involved in the talks to release kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit had delivered Israel's offer. Hamas' deputy political leader, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said that top officials in the group were studying Israel's offer and would respond to the German mediators within days. Media outlets in the Gaza Strip said that a Hamas delegation would head from Gaza to Cairo on Thursday, and then to Damascus, where they would meet with members of Hamas' political wing there to discuss their response to what Israel has put on the table. » Read more

Israeli minister: Barghouthi must be freed with or without Shalit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 24, 2009 - 1:00am Israel should release imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi, with or with out a prisoner exchange deal, Israel’s Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said on Wednesday. “I call to release Marwan Barghouthi not in the deal with Hamas … these are two entirely different issues,” he told a news conference in East Jerusalem’s American Colony hotel. Ben-Eliezer has called for Barghouthi’s release in the past. » Read more

Prisoners' families say deportation better than nothing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 23, 2009 - 1:00am Rumors of a prisoner release are notoriously hard on families of the detained. As the back-and-forth between Israel and Gaza factions continues at a heated pace, Ma’an spoke with the wives and children of some of Palestine’s most prominent detainees. Abla Sa’adat is the wife of one of the nine prisoners identified by Israeli media earlier in the week as one of the nine high-profile prisoners whose release the swap deal depends on. » Read more

Reports: Hamas flexible on prisoner expulsion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency December 24, 2009 - 1:00am Hamas is leaning toward accepting Israel’s demand to deport more than 100 prisoners in an exchange deal that would secure the release of a captured soldier, news reports said on Thursday. The Lebanese daily Al-Mustaqbal reported on Wednesday that Hamas would allow 123 prisoners to be deported in an exchange that would also see the release of some 1,000 Palestinians from Israeli prisons. » Read more

Postwar Gaza: Scars frozen, Mideast at an impasse ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Karin Laub - December 23, 2009 - 1:00am Gaza's scars have been frozen in place since Israel waged war a year ago to subdue Hamas and stop rockets from hitting its towns. Entire neighborhoods still lie in rubble, and traumatized residents can't rebuild their lives. A man who lost two daughters and his home can't visit his surviving 4-year-old girl in a Belgian hospital because Gaza's borders remain sealed. A 15-year-old struggles to walk on her artificial limbs, while dozens of other war amputees still await prostheses. » Read more

ISRAEL: Good neighbors make fences ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Batsheva Sobelman - (Blog) December 23, 2009 - 1:00am While Egypt's steel barricade draws both ire and fire from Gaza, it isn't the only neighbor fencing in its property. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to build a fence along the country's border with Egypt. The border sprawls about 143 miles through sand-land and mountainous terrain, and with the exception of the official crossing at Taba, it is wide open. It is largely a peaceful area, but in recent years it has become increasingly exploited by a wide range of factors that are evolving into a real threat. » Read more