Guyana becomes 7th South American state to recognize Palestinian independence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz January 14, 2011 - 1:00am Following Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile, Guyana has become the seventh South American nation to recognize an independent Palestinian state, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday. In a statement by the country's Foreign Ministry, Guyana's said it hoped "that the increasing recognition of the state of Palestine will contribute to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the creation of lasting peace and stability in the region." » Read more

Fatah warns Hamas against increasing tension in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua January 13, 2011 - 1:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party on Thursday warned Hamas movement against increasing internal tension in the West Bank. "Fatah is engaged in a political fighting against Israel and hopes that nobody would change the direction of the fight in the West Bank," said Mahmoud al-Aloul, a member of Fatah Central Committee, referring to Palestinian diplomatic moves to secure more global support against the Israeli occupation. "It should be clear that we will not let anybody threaten our unity and support in the West Bank," al-Aloul said. » Read more

Turkish PM: Israel must remove foreign minister ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Hadeel Al-Shalchi - (Opinion) January 13, 2011 - 1:00am The prime minister of Turkey, whose ties with Israel have been badly strained over the past year, has called on the Jewish state to remove its hawkish foreign minister who he says poses an obstacle to Middle East peace. Avigdor Lieberman is a polarizing figure in Israel and outside, with his outspoken skepticism about peace with the Palestinians and his questioning of the loyalty of Israel's Arab minority. » Read more

Hamas deploys forces to stop Gaza rocket fire ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Ibrahim Barzak - January 13, 2011 - 1:00am Gaza's Hamas rulers deployed forces near the Israeli border Thursday to try to prevent smaller militant groups from firing rockets, a sign that the movement fears Israeli retaliation for the escalating barrages from the Palestinian territory. Hamas leaders called together representatives of militant groups in the seaside strip and told them to hold their fire, according to a meeting participant, before Hamas sent its forces to the border area. » Read more

Closing Karni crossing will 'only tighten siege' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Editorial) January 14, 2011 - 1:00am After denying reports that the Karni crossing would close at the end of January, Israeli security officials told The Jerusalem Post that the military intends to close terminal. On Thursday, when Gaza officials learned of the intended closure, spokeswoman for Israel's Coordination and Liaison Administration for the Gaza Strip Lieutenant Nili Aharon told Ma'an she was not aware of any planned changes in the crossings schedule. She said proper notification would be given if such an change were to occur. » Read more

Hamas and women: Clearing misconceptions ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Ahmed Yousef - (Opinion) January 14, 2011 - 1:00am Women in every society have a different perception of their respective roles, which are generally molded by social and cultural norms. Evidently in many parts of the world, these social and cultural norms have restricted women of their due rights. » Read more

US meets with Israeli, Palestinian negotiators ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 14, 2011 - 1:00am US Middle East envoy George Mitchell met separately on Thursday with Israeli and Palestinian envoys as part of Washington's bid to revive peace negotiations, the State Department said. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said Mitchell met first with Palestinian envoy Saeb Erakat and then with Israel's Yitzhak Molcho. Direct talks began on September 2, but stalled three weeks later with the end of an Israeli moratorium on settlement building. The Palestinians refuse to talk while Israel continues building. » Read more

Report: Guyana recognizes Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 14, 2011 - 1:00am Guyana became the 10th nation to recognize a Palestinian state on Thursday, joining Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador who all pronounced their support over the past two months. Two other South American nations, Paraguay and Uruguay said recognition would come in 2011, while recognition from Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Cuba came during the 1980s. Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth made the latest announcement on Friday, saying the move comes as a "push for Palestinians and Israelis to negotiate a peace deal." » Read more

White House seeks new ideas about Mideast peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico by Laura Rozen - January 13, 2011 - 1:00am With U.S. Middle East peace efforts at an impasse, the Obama administration has sought new ideas from outside experts on how to advance the peace process. One task force has been convened by Sandy Berger and Stephen Hadley, former national security advisers to Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush, respectively, to offer recommendations on the Middle East peace process to the National Security Council. » Read more

Mideast threats that can't be ignored ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jackson Diehl - (Opinion) January 13, 2011 - 1:00am Barack Obama has been fortunate in the Middle East so far. Yes, his attempt to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been a high-profile failure. But Israel, the Palestinians and the region as a whole have enjoyed a remarkable stretch of relative tranquility and stability during the past two years. » Read more