Jericho unveils massive ancient mosaic ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Karin Laub - October 10, 2010 - 12:00am Visitors to ancient Jericho got a rare glimpse Sunday of a massive 1,200-year-old carpet mosaic measuring nearly 900 square meters (9,700 square feet), making it one of the largest in the Middle East. The small red, blue and ochre square stones laid out in sweeping geometric and floral patterns cover the floor of the main bath house of an Islamic palace that was destroyed by an earthquake in the eighth century. Since being excavated in the 1930s and 1940s, the mosaic has largely remained hidden under layers of canvas and soil to protect it against sun and rain. » Read more

Palestinian President Presents Four Alternatives to Arab Follow-Up Committee ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Sawsan Abu-Husain - (Opinion) October 11, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas presented four alternatives, which he described as "historic," concerning the prospects of the direct negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. This took place at the recent meetings of the Arab initiative committee in the Libyan city of Sirte on the sidelines of the extraordinary Arab summit. The alternatives are as follows: First: If Israel decides to halt the settlement activities, the direct negotiations will continue, and its pace will be accelerated. » Read more

Palestinian dream city hits snag from Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Ben Hubbard - October 10, 2010 - 12:00am ATARA, WEST BANK — It is billed as a symbol of the future Palestine: a modern, middle-class city of orderly streets, parks and shopping plazas rising in the hills of the West Bank, ready for independence, affluence and peace. But the $800-million project has hit a snag: Palestinians say construction of the city of Rawabi depends on getting an access road, which can't go ahead without Israeli permission. » Read more

Israel keeps door open to new settlement freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from by Jeffrey Heller - (Analysis) October 10, 2010 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Israel is not closing the door on a further freeze of new construction in West Bank settlements after the Palestinians, backed by Arab powers, gave Washington a one-month window to save peace talks from collapse. Much could depend on whether the United States opts to sweeten incentives to Israel to agree to a proposed 60-day partial building moratorium, Israeli political sources said on Sunday. » Read more

PA official: Hamas ignoring internal security crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 10, 2010 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Palestinian Authority security department spokesman Adnan Ad-Dmeiri said Hamas was failing to deal with intelligence collaborators among its members. Ad-Dmeiri said security weaknesses within Hamas had enabled a series of assassinations of Hamas leaders. Israeli forces killed two leaders of Hamas' armed wing in Hebron on Friday, Nashat Al-Karmi and Maamoun Al-Natsha. Hamas leader Ali As-Suweiti was killed by Israeli soldiers in Hebron in April, and in March Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was assassinated in Dubai. » Read more

Rachel Corrie trial continues in Israel, reviving controversial case ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ben Lynfield - October 8, 2010 - 12:00am Haifa, Israel — Seven years after an Israeli military D-9 bulldozer buried American pro-Palestinian activist Rachel Corrie under sandy soil near Gaza's border with Egypt, her family has effectively put the Israeli army on trial for her death. The Corrie family is demanding a symbolic $1 in punitive damages from the state for wrongful killing and negligence. » Read more

Transcripts on ’73 War, Now Public, Grip Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - October 10, 2010 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — For many Israelis, the 1973 Arab-Israeli war was their single most terrifying moment, when a woefully unprepared nation, deluded into believing that its neighbors regarded it as impregnable, suffered a devastating attack and struggled back to victory at enormous cost with last-minute American help. Last week, the confidential discussions of Israel’s top leaders in the first days of that war, known here as the Yom Kippur War because the attack began on that Jewish holy day, were declassified and gripped the public. » Read more

Israeli Cabinet Approves Citizenship Amendment ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - October 10, 2010 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — The Israeli cabinet on Sunday approved a contentious draft amendment to the country’s citizenship law that calls for non-Jews seeking to become citizens to pledge loyalty to Israel as a Jewish and a democratic state. Decried by opponents as unnecessary, provocative and racist, the amendment, which is subject to approval by Parliament, encountered a storm of criticism and drove open divisions within the ruling coalition. » Read more