Jordan urges Abbas to rethink UN bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roee Nahmias - August 31, 2011 - 12:00am Jordan has appealed to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and asked him to reconsider the PA's nearing bid for UN recognition, Saudi Arabia's al-Madinah newspaper reported on Tuesday. According to the report, Jordan views the move as dangerous and as one that may compromise the Palestinians' assertion of the right of return. » Read more

American Muslims Call for Gilad Shalit's Release ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward August 31, 2011 - 12:00am A group of prominent American Muslims issued a letter urging Hamas to immediately release captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. The Aug. 26 letter’s 11 signatories include the two Muslim members of Congress – Reps. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Andre Carson (D-IN) – as well as Muslim academics and communal figures. “We believe Hamas’ harsh treatment and five-year detention of Shalit is wrong,” the Muslim leaders wrote in their letter, which was addressed to Khaled Mashal, the Syrian-based chairman of Hamas’ political bureau. » Read more

Israeli Amb.: Palestinian statehood vote could end all PA agreements with Israel and the U.S. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Josh Rogin - (Analysis) August 30, 2011 - 12:00am If the Palestinians go forward with their drive to seek recognition as a state at the U.N. General Assembly next month, all agreements governing Israeli-Palestinian and U.S.-Palestinian cooperation could become null and void, according to Israel's ambassador to the United States. » Read more

High-tech worker pleads guilty to spying for Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) August 31, 2011 - 12:00am (JTA) -- A former employee of a Boston-area high-tech company pleaded guilty to handing over trade secrets to an undercover FBI agent posing as an Israeli intelligence officer. Elliot Doxer, 43, who formerly worked for Akamai Technologies Inc., pleaded guilty to one count of foreign economic espionage Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Akamai provides technology for delivering content over the Internet using remote or cloud services. » Read more

Stay the Course on Interfaith Dialogue ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post by Meryl Chertoff, Samah Norquist - (Opinion) August 29, 2011 - 12:00am If all goes according to current reports, some time in September, the Palestinian Authority will submit a resolution declaring statehood to the Security Council of the United Nations. While the United States and possibly other Council members are widely expected to veto the resolution, the PA may take its case to the General Assembly, where the US does not have a veto. A vote in support of the resolution there, while not binding, would pave the way for member nations to recognize a Palestinian state. » Read more

The loneliness of Gaza's long-distance runner ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - August 30, 2011 - 12:00am As the sun sinks slowly behind the stands of the Yarmouk Stadium, it feels a fraction cooler after a day of blistering August heat. Which is just as well, as it is Ramadan and Nader al-Masri, 31, has not eaten or drunk anything since before dawn and will not do so until dusk, still a couple of hours away. Before that, this quiet, slightly built man will have completed 25 circuits of the stadium in around 45 minutes, concealing the arduousness of the task by his straight-backed but graceful, easy running style. » Read more

Israeli weapons cannot prevail on their own ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) August 31, 2011 - 12:00am If Palestinian protesters cross a "red line" around a settlement, the advice is to shoot at their feet. What kind of damage-control policy is that? But those are the instructions that the Israel Defence Forces are giving soldiers preparing for the "mass disorder" expected next month, reported the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. At the same time, the Israeli government is stockpiling anti-riot weapons at settlements, which are already armed to the teeth, in anticipation of trouble. » Read more

The Obama Effect ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Opinion) August 30, 2011 - 12:00am When an Orthodox Jewish, kippa-wearing Democratic candidate might lose a congressional election in the most Jewish (and 75% Democratic) congressional district in America – a seat occupied by Democrats for nearly a century – to a non-Jewish Republican, something significant is going on. And Golda Koppelman knows what that something is. » Read more

Gaza's girl surfer battles pollution and prejudice ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - August 29, 2011 - 12:00am Twelve-year-old Sabah Abu Ghanim drags her board through the water as the sinking sun glints on the eastern Mediterranean. The wind has got up a little, and she is hoping the surf will follow – enough, at least, for her to ride the waves. "I feel the sea belongs to me," says the Gaza surfer. "When I'm in the sea I feel content and happy." » Read more

Rivlin in Itamar: Israel is ours in its entirety ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yair Altman - August 31, 2011 - 12:00am Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin visited the West Bank settlement of Itamar in a show of support for the the community where five family members were slaughtered earlier this year, and said he believes that "the land of Israel is ours in its entirety." Rivlin met with Samaria Council Head Gershon Massika, toured an elementary school and paid a visit to the Fogel family's home, the site of the brutal attack that took place in March. » Read more