Rice: US does not accept legitimacy of settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post October 16, 2012 - 12:00am US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Susan E. Rice said on Monday that the US "does not accept the legitimacy of Israeli settlement activity, and will continue to oppose any efforts to legalize outposts." Speaking at the Security Council Open Debate on the Middle East, Rice emphasized: "The fate of existing settlements must be dealt with by the parties along with other permanent-status issues." » Read more

PA plan would boost trade with Arab countries ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 12, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- The Palestinian Authority economy minister hopes to boost revenues for the occupied territories through increasing trade between Palestine and Arab states. Jawad al-Naji told Ma’an on Friday after participating in talks at the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation that opening Arab markets to Palestinian products would boost the economy. The Organization for Islamic Cooperation-sponsored conference was held in Turkey. » Read more

New iPhones snapped up in Gaza despite high prices, poverty ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters October 15, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Reuters) -- Apple's new iPhone 5 is selling well in the Gaza Strip despite inflated prices, reaching the enclave via smuggling tunnels even before high-tech hub Israel next door. The cutting edge smart phone is being snapped up for almost double what it costs in the United States, its price jacked up by middlemen on its circuitous delivery route from Dubai via tunnels linking the blockaded territory with Egypt. » Read more

In Gaza's smuggling tunnels, Egypt's interests trump Brotherhood ties ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ahmed Aldabba, Kristen Chick - October 15, 2012 - 12:00am As Egypt's closure of some of the smuggling tunnels from Gaza drives up prices in the tiny coastal enclave, it has also spurred anger toward Egypt’s new Islamist president for throttling one of Gaza's main sources of goods. » Read more

Israeli Army Radio ban on protest song raises controversy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Los Angeles Times by Batsheva Sobelman - October 15, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — A leading Israeli radio station's decision to ban for broadcast a protest song is stirring controversy and underscoring the sensitive intersection of art, politics and freedom of speech in the country. » Read more

Abbas secretly meets Israeli minister ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua October 15, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas secretly met Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak in Jordan Thursday, a Palestinian source revealed Monday. King Abdullah II of Jordan also participated in the meeting which was held in Amman, the source added. The meeting focused on efforts to resume peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians and their plans to seek a state recognition through the United Nations. » Read more

Israeli parliament dissolves for early election ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Aron Heller - October 15, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM —Israel officially opened its election season on Monday as parliament dissolved itself and scheduled a vote for January, plunging the country into a vicious, three-month political campaign. » Read more

Olmert Plans Comeback to Challenge Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Jodi Rudoren - October 15, 2012 - 12:00am TEL AVIV — Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister who has spent the last several years battling corruption charges, is plotting a comeback that analysts say offers the best hope of uniting Israel’s fragmented political center, but also shows the opposition’s desperation in trying to block the seemingly inevitable re-election of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. » Read more

Palestinian official reports "diminished hope" in peace process ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua October 16, 2012 - 12:00am UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Palestine said here Monday there were "diminished hopes" in the peace process with Israel to translate the two-state solution into reality, and urged the international community to act to help reach the goal. Riyad Mansour, the permanent Palestinian observer to the United Nations, made the statement as he was taking the floor at an open meeting of the UN Security Council on the current situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. » Read more

U.S. says Palestinian status bid jeopardizes peace process ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters October 15, 2012 - 12:00am UNITED NATIONS, Oct 15 (Reuters) - A Palestinian bid to upgrade its U.N. status to a sovereign country would jeopardize the peace process with Israel and make it difficult to get the two sides to return to talks on a two-state solution, the United States said on Monday. Having failed last year to win recognition of full statehood at the United Nations, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said last month he would seek a less-ambitious status upgrade at the world body to make it a "non-member state" like the Vatican. » Read more