Abbas committee declares largest Palestinian workers union illegal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 31, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A committee set up by President Mahmoud Abbas has found the union of public sector employees has no legal standing, six years after it first started representing government workers. The committee report, of which Ma'an obtained a copy, concludes: "There is no legal body or organized legal framework for the so-called 'public sector workers union'." » Read more

2 American tourists kidnapped in Egyptian Sinai ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 31, 2012 - 12:00am El-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Two American tourists were kidnapped by armed men in the Sinai peninsula early Thursday, Egyptian security sources said. Jonathan Shizarlasky and Carter Brabon were kidnapped in the Red Sea city of Nuweiba. The two US citizens were seized at gunpoint from a car near the Hilton hotel and taken to a mountainous area, security sources said. » Read more

Israeli leaders skeptical of new diplomatic efforts on Iran nuclear program ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - May 31, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — After an inconclusive round of talks this month between world powers and Iran about its nuclear program, Israeli leaders are expressing deep skepticism about the chances for a diplomatic breakthrough and urging tougher international demands. Following months of advocating stricter sanctions against Iran, Israeli officials are now pushing for a halt to all its uranium enrichment activity, warning that further delays could put the Iranian nuclear program beyond the reach of an effective military strike. » Read more

Shin Bet chief reports spike in terror plots against Israeli, Jewish targets ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 31, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Militant groups have stepped up efforts to strike both Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide during the past year, says the director of Israel's Shin Bet security service. "We've seen a significant acceleration in attempts to act against Israeli and Jewish targets in the world," Yoram Cohen said in a briefing to parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Wednesday. » Read more

Syria set to become failed state-Israeli commander ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Douglas Hamilton - May 31, 2012 - 12:00am TEL AVIV, May 31 (Reuters) - Syria is heading for collapse and will become a "warehouse of weapons" for Islamist militants as it descends into chaos, a senior Israeli army commander said. "Syria is in civil war, which will lead to a failed state, and terrorism will blossom in it," said Major-General Yair Golan, making a rare public appearance at a conference at Bar Ilan University on Wednesday. "Syria has a big arsenal." » Read more

Divergent Path on Israel Helps Lobby Group Grow ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Eric Lichtblau - May 30, 2012 - 12:00am WASHINGTON — There was a time not so long ago when political contributions from Americans supportive of Israel inevitably veered toward those Congressional candidates who were the most hawkish and outspoken in defending Israel and its security. » Read more

Defining a Palestinian refugee a US complication ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Donna Cassata - May 31, 2012 - 12:00am WASHINGTON—A simple congressional request for the United States to distinguish between Palestinians displaced by the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict and millions of their descendants poses a high-stakes diplomatic and political challenge for President Barack Obama. » Read more

Violence, poverty besets Palestinians in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Jihan Abdalla - May 30, 2012 - 12:00am LOD, Israel (Reuters) -- "My friend is on the floor, dying, 11 holes in his body, and I only have 10 fingers," raps Tamer Nafar. "Don't close your eyes, blink if you can hear me." Nafar isn't rapping about violence and crime in urban America, but murders, drugs, guns and gang warfare in his own slum inside Israel. » Read more

Poll: Fatah would win national elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 31, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Fatah would win an election if it were held today, according to the results of a poll by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Center released Tuesday. Some 42 percent of Palestinians would vote for Fatah and 19.5 percent would elect Hamas, according to the poll which surveyed 1,188 people selected at random in the West Bank and Gaza. » Read more