Why do Sarkozy and Obama hate Netanyahu? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jackson Diehl - (Opinion) November 8, 2011 - 1:00am Binyamin Netanyahu seems to have been the target of some ugly — if off the record — barbs from President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Speaking privately (they thought) following a news conference in Cannes last week, Sarkozy said “I cannot bear” Netanyahu, adding that he was “a liar.” » Read more

Sarkozy, Obama Anti-Netanyahu? Not So Simple ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Fox News by Judith Miller - (Opinion) November 8, 2011 - 1:00am Open mic. Open mouth. Insert foot. It seems that politicians never learn: wearing a microphone is like carrying a loaded weapon. You can never be sure when it will go off, or in this case, go live. The French government is deeply “chagrined” – now we know why it’s a French word – about the latest diplomatic “faux pas” that is turning into a major “scandale”: the all-too-candid conversation between French President Nicholas Sarkozy and President Obama about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the G-20 Summit in Cannes. » Read more

Empty shops point to dire times for Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - November 9, 2011 - 1:00am JERUSALEM // One of the world's most celebrated - and surely its most contentious - cities attracts about three million tourists each year. But you would not know it from the cash register in Ahmad Rizeq's grocery. Each day, Mr Rizeq is lucky if a single tourist in Jerusalem's bustling Old City crosses the threshold of his shop, even though it is only metres from the Haram Al Sharif, Islam's third-holiest site. "We're in a sorry state of affairs here," lamented Mr Rizeq, 62, whose shop on a street known as the Khalidiya Ascent has been in the family for 36 years. » Read more

Hacking Palestine: A digital occupation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English by Helga Tawil-Souri - (Opinion) November 9, 2011 - 1:00am In the aftermath of the near-total shutdown of the internet and telephone network in the West Bank and Gaza Strip last week, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is attempting to figure out how, why and by whom Palestine was hacked. Whether the PA ever comes to a conclusive finding is arguable, even if it manages to mobilise the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to conduct an investigation. The Palestinian Minister of Communications has been hinting that a state may be behind the concerted attack - by which he means Israel. » Read more

Israel’s Netanyahu: hero at home, pariah abroad ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Arabiya November 9, 2011 - 1:00am Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu may be feted at home for his role in freeing captive soldier Gilad Shalit, but abroad, world leaders are barely managing to hide their disdain for the media-savvy prime minister. Just how much Netanyahu is failing to win the respect of his global peers emerged on Tuesday after a French website published remarks by President Nicolas Sarkozy, who described him as a “liar” during a private conversation with US President Barack Obama at the G20 summit in Cannes last week. » Read more

How to Save Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Slate by Gershom Gorenberg - (Opinion) November 9, 2011 - 1:00am I write from an Israel with a divided soul. It is not only defined by its contradictions; it is at risk of being torn apart by them. It is a country with uncertain borders and a government that ignores its own laws. Its democratic ideals, much as they have helped shape its history, or on the verge of being remembered among the false political promises of 20th-century ideologies. » Read more

Reporters confirm Sarkozy's 'Bibi slip' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roy Simyoni - November 8, 2011 - 1:00am Loose Lips? The double-presidential faux pas, which saw French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama accidently tell the world what they really think of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, caused a media frenzy on Tuesday, with many media outlets worldwide dubbing it "the juiciest thing since WikiLeaks." French website "Arret sur Images" reported Monday that due to a technical glitch, the two presidents' microphones remained on after a G20 press conference held on Thursday. » Read more

Quartet to meet Israelis, Palestinians on Nov 14-U.S. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet November 8, 2011 - 1:00am WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Envoys of the "Quartet" of Middle East peace mediators will meet separately with Israeli and Palestinian officials on Nov. 14 in Jerusalem, their latest effort to jump-start the stalled peace process, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday. "We expect these will again be Quartet envoy meetings with the parties separately," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told a news briefing, saying the meetings would seek to encourage both sides to offer concrete proposals on land and security concerns. » Read more

Israel and Iran's "Nuclear Program": Serving Each Other ATFP World Press Roundup Article from by Walid Choucair - (Opinion) November 8, 2011 - 1:00am There is nothing new in hearing talk that Iran is trying to develop its military nuclear program, and there is nothing new in the talk about western countries' attempt to stiffen up sanctions on Iran because of this presumed program. The same goes for the talk that Israel is threatening to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities. » Read more

Palestinians: Not enough UN support for state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Mohammed Daraghmeh - November 8, 2011 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian foreign minister admits for the first time there is not enough support in the U.N. Security Council for recognition of a Palestinian state, This comes as the Security Council receives a report saying there's no consensus among the 15 members. Nine votes would be needed for approval, and any of the five permanent members could cast a veto. The U.S. and Israel insist that a Palestinian state must result from negotiations. » Read more