November 12th

Palestinian held for Facebook criticism of Islam ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Diaa Hadid - November 12, 2010 - 1:00am QALQILIYA, WEST BANK — A mysterious blogger who set off an uproar in the Arab world by claiming he was God and hurling insults at the Prophet Muhammad is now behind bars — caught in a sting that used Facebook to track him down. The case of the unlikely apostate, a shy barber from this backwater West Bank town, is highlighting the limits of tolerance in the Western-backed Palestinian Authority — and illustrating a new trend by authorities in the Arab world to mine social media for evidence. » Read more

Clinton offers Netanyahu security pledge on peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters November 11, 2010 - 1:00am NEW YORK, Nov 11 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that Israel's security requirements would be fully taken into account in any peace deal with the Palestinians. In a move that could allow Netanyahu to persuade his governing coalition to back a new freeze on Israeli settlement construction, Clinton and the visiting Israeli leader ended a marathon round of talks in New York with a strong declaration of Washington's "unshakable commitment to Israel's security and to peace in the region." » Read more

Abbas talks peace process at Arafat memorial ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 12, 2010 - 1:00am Palestinians will not accept Israel's construction of settlements on occupied Palestinian land, President Mahmoud Abbas told a crowd attending a memorial for late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Thursday in Ramallah. "We don't want settlements on our land for they are illegitimate from the beginning. We all are sure that Jerusalem is the Palestinians' capital and the refugees will return," he said to the tens of thousands gathered at the site dedicated to the construction of the Arafat Museum. » Read more

Fatah official: Talks waste of time ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency November 12, 2010 - 1:00am The gap between Fatah and Hamas is very big despite the recent commitment to continue talks in Damascus, head of Fatah's unity talks delegation Azzam Al-Ahmad told the Jerusalem-based Al-Quds newspaper Thursday. Outlining the basic divisions, Al-Ahmad said both sides claimed to be in charge of the legitimate security service, with Director of the PA's General Intelligence Majed Faraj and Fatah Central Committee member Sakher Bseiso holding firm on the belief that security services in the West Bank are "complete and legitimate and cannot be restructured,." » Read more

WEST BANK: Abbas tells Israelis peace more important than settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Maher Abukhater - November 11, 2010 - 1:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called on Israelis to choose peace over settlements, urging them not to waste this opportunity. “To the Israeli people I say: Making peace is more important than settlements,” said Abbas as tens of thousands of Palestinians from all over the West Bank rallied at his headquarters to mark the sixth anniversary of the death of his predecessor Yasser Arafat, founder of Fatah movement. » Read more

Lengthy Clinton, Netanyahu meeting fails to revive Mideast peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Glenn Kessler - November 11, 2010 - 1:00am Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met in New York with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu over a seven-hour period Thursday in an unusually lengthy but apparently unsuccessful attempt to rekindle moribund Middle East peace talks. No breakthroughs were reported. Clinton and Netanyahu's offices issued a joint statement reiterating the two sides' diplomatic boilerplate on peace efforts. » Read more

In Coma, Ariel Sharon Is Moved Home ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - November 12, 2010 - 1:00am Ariel Sharon, who had a major stroke while prime minister of Israel nearly five years ago and has since been in a coma in a hospital room, was moved on Friday to his ranch in the Negev Desert, hospital officials told Israel Radio. A former close aide, Raanan Gissen, said in an interview that Mr. Sharon’s sons had been in discussion with Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv about the move. An elevator and other equipment had been installed at the family ranch to accommodate his arrival and long-term care. » Read more

Netanyahu and Clinton in Extended Talks on Mideast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Mark Landler - November 11, 2010 - 1:00am In a marathon day of meetings in New York on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton worked to salvage peace negotiations that stalled last month over Israel’s refusal to extend a freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank. Neither American nor Israeli officials offered details of the talks, although a blandly worded joint statement issued afterward made clear that there had been no breakthroughs. » Read more

November 11th

Lieberman: Israel shouldn't pursue peace talks with Syria ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - November 11, 2010 - 1:00am Israel should not enter peace negotiations with Syria, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said during a visit to the Golan Heights on Thursday, adding anyone who considered such an option a "political hypochondriac." Israel and Syria held four indirect rounds of peace talks with Turkish mediation in 2008, but they were suspended following the resignation of then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in September that year. Syria said at the time of the Israeli offensive in Gaza at the end of 2008 that it ruled out a resumption of the indirect talks any time soon. » Read more

Lieberman: Israel shouldn't pursue peace talks with Syria ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - November 11, 2010 - 1:00am Israel should not enter peace negotiations with Syria, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said during a visit to the Golan Heights on Thursday, adding anyone who considered such an option a "political hypochondriac." Israel and Syria held four indirect rounds of peace talks with Turkish mediation in 2008, but they were suspended following the resignation of then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in September that year. Syria said at the time of the Israeli offensive in Gaza at the end of 2008 that it ruled out a resumption of the indirect talks any time soon. » Read more