November 29th

Nearly 100% of all military court cases in West Bank end in conviction, Haaretz learns ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - (Analysis) November 29, 2011 - 1:00am Virtually all - 99.74 percent, to be exact - of cases heard by the military courts in the territories end in a conviction, according to data in the military courts' annual report, which has been obtained by Haaretz. The report also shows that the military appeals courts decidedly favor the prosecution, with appeals court judges accepting 67 percent of appeals filed by the prosecution, as opposed to only 33 percent of appeals filed by the defense. Photo by: Limor Edri » Read more

Israeli FM seeks to prevent airport security from humiliating foreign VIPs ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua (Analysis) November 29, 2011 - 1:00am Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman wants to establish clear guidelines to avert embarrassing incidents between foreign diplomats and airport security personnel, the Ma'ariv daily reported Monday. The newspaper cited a letter Lieberman sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he warned "the humiliating treatment the guests received severely damages Israel's image in the world. All the efforts that are being invested in public diplomacy are going to waste." » Read more

Majority of Palestinians Support Retaining Fayyad as Prime Minister ATFP World Press Roundup Article from AWRAD November 29, 2011 - 1:00am Fieldwork: 22-24-November 2011 Sample size: 1200 Palestinians (West Bank and Gaza) Margin of Error: +3% » Read more

Israel apologizes for treatment of NYT journalist ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press (Analysis) November 28, 2011 - 1:00am Israel's Defense Ministry apologized Monday for the treatment of a pregnant American news photographer who said she was strip searched and humiliated by Israeli soldiers during a security check. Lynsey Addario, who was on assignment for the New York Times, had requested that she not be forced to go through an X-ray machine as she entered Israel from the Gaza Strip because of concerns for her unborn baby. » Read more

Rockets fired across Lebanon, Israel border ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters (Analysis) November 29, 2011 - 1:00am An exchange of rocket fire hit the Lebanese-Israeli border on Tuesday in the first such incident since 2009, coming at a time of heightened regional tensions over Syria and Iran's nuclear programme. UNIFIL, the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, said at least one rocket was fired at northern Israel, prompting the Israeli army to return fire. The Lebanese army said Israel launched four rockets in return. » Read more

Abbas 'hopes' for May 4 elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) (Analysis) November 29, 2011 - 1:00am President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday he hoped elections would be held on May 4 next year, after what he called "important" talks between his Fatah group and Hamas in Cairo. "I hope, God willing, that the elections will be on May 4," Abbas told reporters during a visit to Vienna after talks with Austrian President Heinz Fischer. The comments followed Abbas' reconciliation talks last week in Cairo with Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal aimed at cementing a stalled unity deal signed six months ago. » Read more

Fatah, Hamas to release political prisoners ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Analysis) November 29, 2011 - 1:00am Fatah and Hamas are in talks to release political prisoners in a bid to end all outstanding disagreements, an official said Monday. "(President Mahmoud) Abbas gave instructions to the director of the Palestinian Authority’s general intelligence service, Majid Faraj, to release Hamas-affiliated detainees stated in a list received from Hamas," Fatah affiliated lawmaker Faysal Abu Shahla told Ma'an. There are no political detainees in Ramallah, only suspects held on security-related charges, Abu Shahla added. » Read more

Second Palestinian teenager found guilty in murder of settler family ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - (Blog) November 28, 2011 - 1:00am An Israeli military court on Monday convicted a second Palestinian teenager of murder in the March deaths of five Jewish settlers, including three children, as they slept in their home. Conservative Israeli lawmaker Michael Ben-Ari repeatedly interrupted Monday's hearing, cursing the defendant, Amjad Awad, 19, and urging the judges to impose the death penalty. Prosecutors are recommending five life sentences. In September, Awad's cousin and co-defendant, Hakim Awad, 18, was given five terms in the slayings. » Read more

Israeli Leader Visits Jordan to Discuss Palestinian Issue ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - (Analysis) November 28, 2011 - 1:00am King Abdullah II of Jordan played host on Monday to Shimon Peres, the president of Israel, in an effort to make progress on the stubborn Palestinian question at a time of regional diplomatic uncertainty and fragmentation. Last week, the king made his first visit in a decade to the West Bank to see Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, and is to travel next week to Washington. As postrevolutionary Egypt pulls back from its longstanding role as the bridge between Israel and the Arab world, Jordan sees an opportunity and is using these public visits to make that clear. » Read more

Majority of Palestinians Support Retaining Fayyad as Prime Minister ATFP World Press Roundup Article from AWRAD (Analysis) November 29, 2011 - 1:00am According to the preliminary findings of Arab World for Research and Development‘s [AWRAD] most recent poll in the West Bank and Gaza, conducted November 22-24, a majority of Palestinians (57 percent) believe that Salam Fayyad should be retained as Prime Minister in a unity government. The results were identical in the West Bank and Gaza. The percentage of respondents opposed was higher in Gaza at 40 percent compared to 28 percent in the West Bank. About 11 percent responded "don‘t know"; 4 percent in Gaza and 15 percent in the West Bank. » Read more