Middle East Comments Could Vex a Romney Administration ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by David E. Sanger - (Opinion) September 18, 2012 - 12:00am BOSTON — No one has ever had any illusions about where Mitt Romney stands on the two hottest disputes in the Middle East: the argument over the creation of a Palestinian state, and the debate over what can be done to assure that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon. » Read more

Amending treaty with Israel 'a matter of time,' says presidential adviser ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Egypt Independent by Ashgan Harb - September 19, 2012 - 12:00am An adviser to President Mohamed Morsy has said that amending the 1979 peace treaty signed with Israel is "a matter of time," adding that such a move is necessary to restore full Egyptian control over Sinai. » Read more

Settlements Keep Growing Despite Migron Setback ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Jeffay - September 16, 2012 - 12:00am Jerusalem — Three years after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that he had “no intention of building new settlements,” contractors paid by Israel’s government have constructed a brand-new, exclusively Jewish neighborhood in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. » Read more

Detained Palestinian theatre director resumes hunger strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - September 18, 2012 - 12:00am The Palestinian militant turned theatre director Zakaria Zubeidi has resumed a total hunger strike in protest at his continued detention without charge by Palestinian security forces, and his supporters say he could die within days. » Read more

Abbas says he will go ahead with UN bid speech ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 19, 2012 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- President Abbas reiterated on Wednesday that he will deliver a speech at the General Assembly of the United Nations to ask for recognition of Palestine as a non-member state. The comments, which were posted on the president's Facebook page, added that the speech would most likely take place on September 27. » Read more

PNA criticizes Egypt for receiving Hamas leader ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 18, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Tuesday criticized the official reception of the deposed Premier of Hamas government in Gaza Ismail Haneya by Egyptian Premier Hesham Qandil. » Read more

Israel military holds largest snap drill in years ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Amy Teibel - September 19, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — The Israeli military on Wednesday conducted its largest snap drill in years as tensions with Iran over its nuclear program rise and civil war in neighboring Syria rages. » Read more

News Analysis: Various scenarios await Abbas amid a series of Palestinian crises ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 18, 2012 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is nowadays busy with preparing to go for a second risky trip to the United Nations in New York next week for the bid of recognizing a non-member Palestinian state in the UN General Assembly. » Read more

World Bank: Palestinian fiscal crisis is deepening ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Amy Teibel - September 19, 2012 - 12:00am JERUSALEM — The World Bank warned Wednesday of a deepening fiscal crisis in the Palestinian territories and appealed to donors to act urgently to prop up the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. » Read more