Abbas says Palestinian UN bid came after Israel rebuffed int'l treaties ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 1, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinians decided to approach the United Nations for recognition after Israel refused to abide by the international agreements and laws, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday. "Approaching the UN is not an alternative to the peace talks," Abbas was quoted by the Palestinian official news agency Wafa as saying, "it is an opportunity to get out of the current impasse that the peace process is facing due to the Israeli policy of settlement." Abbas made the remarks at a meeting held at his Ramallah headquarters with Rabbi Menahim Fruman, according Wafa. » Read more

Israel arrests Hamas leader in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman September 1, 2011 - 12:00am The Israeli military says a militant Hamas leader whose son collaborated with Israel has been arrested in the West Bank. The military would not say why Hassan Yousef of the Islamic Hamas group was taken into custody or provide any other details. Yousef was released from an Israeli prison a month ago after serving six years. Shortly afterward, he told an Israeli TV station that the Palestinians are planning demonstrations to support their quest for U.N. endorsement of a Palestinian state after the General Assembly convenes in late September. » Read more

Diplomats: EU split on support of Palestinians' UN statehood bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz September 1, 2011 - 12:00am The European Union remains undecided whether to recognize the Palestinian push for recognition at the United Nations, diplomats said Thursday. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Thursday the question remained "hypothetical" because no resolution had been tabled yet. Ashton said the EU's 28 members were united "over the most critical issue, which is to try to get the talks moving," and reiterated the bloc's position that Israeli settlement-building in the occupied territories is illegal under international law. » Read more

Sarkozy wants united EU voice on Palestine ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 31, 2011 - 12:00am French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Wednesday he wanted to see a united European Union voice on the issue of Palestinian statehood at next month's United Nations General Assembly and urged Washington to do more for peace. "The 27 countries of the European Union must express themselves with one voice," Sarkozy said in an opening speech to an annual conference of French ambassadors. "The role of the U.S. is uncontested and irreplaceable, but everybody sees that it is not enough. We have to widen the circle of negotiation, think of the role and pertinence of the quartet." » Read more

Israel braces for Palestinian statehood bid at United Nations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - August 31, 2011 - 12:00am Israel is preparing security forces as well as diplomatic and legal responses for a planned Palestinian bid this month for admission as a state to the United Nations, but officials say they do not expect a major eruption of unrest as a result of the move. Despite intensive Israeli diplomatic efforts to head off U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state, a senior official involved in shaping the Israeli response said the government is resigned to the General Assembly endorsing the move later this month. » Read more

Activists Aim to Revitalize Israeli Protests ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - September 1, 2011 - 12:00am For many Israelis, the size of Saturday night’s protests against the high cost of living and for social justice will serve as a barometer of whether the popular movement that began in this Mediterranean city and swept the country this summer is thriving or fading. After six weeks of tent encampments and rallies featuring popular singers that drew as many as 300,000 people into the streets on the first Saturday in August, the Sept. 3 rally has been described by its promoters as a million-person march. » Read more