November 3rd

Gaza children go to work to help families ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua November 3, 2010 - 12:00am Standing under the sun in a dusty street, Ahmed Al-Massri looks older than 13, his age. As he sees a car parking in Gaza City's upper neighborhood, he rushes to offer cleaning its windows. A Palestinian woman, looking wealthy, nodded and handed over the young boy some tips, asking him to go home instead of " wandering in the streets." The boy put the money in his tiny pocket, and thanked the lady, telling her that he only wanted "to work to earn my living, not to beg." » Read more

Meridor cancels UK visit for fear of arrest ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Attila Somfalvi - (Opinion) November 3, 2010 - 12:00am Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor has canceled a scheduled trip to the UK for fear he would be arrested upon his arrival, Ynet reported Monday evening. Meridor, who was due to speak at a fund-raising dinner organized by the Britain Israel Communications & Research Centre instead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called off the trip after officials in the justice and foreign ministries warned that he may be arrested because the UK has yet to pass legislation preventing the arrest of senior Israeli officials over lawsuits filed by local political elements. » Read more

Israeli tour guides back in Palestinian areas after 10 years ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua November 3, 2010 - 12:00am The Israeli Tourism Ministry is touting a recent decision to allow 50 Israeli tour guides and drivers to work in Bethlehem and Jericho, after a decade-long absence. Officials deemed the move, which was jointly taken with the Civil Authority coordinating civilian affairs between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), a success and plan to increase the numbers of permits. » Read more

Barak: Negotiations to resume after US elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Attila Somfalvi - (Opinion) November 3, 2010 - 12:00am The peace talks with the Palestinian Authority will move forward after the midterm elections in the US, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday. "There are elections in the US today, and I suppose that it will take them a few weeks after the elections to settle in," he said during a visit to a high school in Emek Hamaayanot Regional Council in northern Israel. "I hope and believe that we can see real progress in the negotiations in the next few months." » Read more

Interview: Palestinians prepare to discus with AL on peace standstill ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Omer al-Othmani, Osama Radi - November 3, 2010 - 12:00am A senior Palestinian official said Tuesday that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) planed to discuss with the Arab League the stalled peace process. Nabil Shaath, a Palestinian negotiator and a member of the Fatah party's central committee told Xinhua in an interview that the worst option of this plan is to resolve the PNA and the resignation of PNA President Mahmoud Abbas. » Read more

Does Israel want peace? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yonatan Preminger - (Opinion) November 3, 2010 - 12:00am hose Palestinians are a joke. Israel makes concessions, expends every effort in confidence-building measures, and what do they do? Nothing. In 2000, we withdrew from Lebanon. In 2005 we left Gaza, pulling out the settlers completely. In 2009 we agreed to a building freeze in the West Bank. For 10 months Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu risked his coalition to enable Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to sit with us at the negotiating table. » Read more

US: 'Election results will not affect Mideast policy' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from (Opinion) November 3, 2010 - 12:00am Regardless of who wins the US legislative elections, American-led peace efforts in the Middle East will continue, US State Department spokesperson Philip Crowley said Tuesday, as Democrats prepared to face Republican challengers, reported AFP. "Democratic and Republican administrations supported by Congress under Democratic or Republican leadership have all supported our pursuit for comprehensive Middle East peace," Crowley said. "So this is a significant national interest and I would not expect any electoral results to have an impact on that." » Read more

MI chief: Next conflict will be bigger, broader, deadlier ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Rebecca Anna Stoil - (Opinion) November 3, 2010 - 12:00am Outgoing head of Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin may have initially waxed sentimental on Tuesday during his final appearance before the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, but the MI head later gave a stark warning regarding Iran’s nuclear program, and painted a grim portrait of what Israel’s next war could look like. » Read more

Lieberman: The man dragging Israel to the right ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - (Opinion) November 3, 2010 - 12:00am Foreign Secretary Avigdor Lieberman greets William Hague today in a more powerful position than ever William Hague is entitled to a little more than the usual trepidation that afflicts every minister making a first visit as Foreign Secretary to the political minefield that is Israel and the occupied territories. For today, he comes face-to-face with his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, one of the most controversial politicians in the democratic world who also royally humiliated the last two European foreign ministers to pay him a visit. » Read more

Jewish-Arab relations in Israel hit boiling point ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Diaa Hadid - November 2, 2010 - 12:00am Relations between Israel's Jewish majority and its Arab minority have never been warm, but they appear to have hit a new low that has activists on both sides worried the troubled relationship is beyond repair. In the past month alone, Israeli lawmakers have introduced a series of bills that aim to marginalize Arabs. Rabbis in a northern town have urged followers not to rent homes to Arabs. Extremist Jews marched through this town and set off a violent riot. And a prominent Arab activist has admitted in a plea bargain to spying for the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah. » Read more