December 18th

Pope tells Abbas of hope for Mideast solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters December 17, 2012 - 1:00am VATICAN CITY, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Pope Benedict told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday the Vatican hoped the recent de facto recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations would spur the international community to find a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Abbas, who is on a tour of Europe to thank countries that supported the Nov. 29 resolution by the U.N. General Assembly recognising Palestine, held private talks with the pope for about 25 minutes in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. » Read more

Israeli Embassy Deletes ‘Christmas Thought’ Attacking Palestinians From Facebook ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Robert Mackey - December 17, 2012 - 1:00am Last Update, 3:10 p.m. A “Christmas thought,” suggesting that if Jesus lived in the modern world he would “probably end up being lynched in Bethlehem by hostile Palestinians,” was deleted from the official Facebook page of Israel’s embassy in Ireland on Monday, just a few hours after it was posted. » Read more

U.S. concerned about deaths in Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua December 18, 2012 - 1:00am WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Obama administration on Monday voiced its "deep concern" about the reported deaths of dozens of civilians following the outbreak of armed conflict a day earlier in a Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital Damascus. » Read more

Syrian rebels take control of Damascus Palestinian camp ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Mariam Karouny - December 17, 2012 - 1:00am BEIRUT, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Syrian rebels took full control of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp on Monday after fighting raged for days in the district on the southern edge of President Bashar al-Assad's Damascus powerbase, rebel and Palestinian sources said. The battle had pitted rebels, backed by some Palestinians, against Palestinian fighters of the pro-Assad Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC). Many PFLP-GC fighters defected to the rebel side and their leader Ahmed Jibril left the camp two days ago, rebel sources said. » Read more

Syria Warns Refugees Not to Aid Rebels ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Rick Gladstone, Hania Mourtada - December 17, 2012 - 1:00am BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syria warned its Palestinian refugee population on Monday not to aid the insurgency that is fighting President Bashar al-Assad, as hundreds of Palestinians fled the Yarmouk neighborhood of Damascus. Many headed for relative safety in Lebanon, a day after Syrian forces attacked that neighborhood with airstrikes for the first time in the civil war. » Read more

Israel pushes on with east Jerusalem building plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Aron Heller - December 17, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM —Israel on Monday said it was pushing forward with plans to build hundreds of homes in a Jewish settlement of east Jerusalem, risking renewed tensions with the Palestinians and its Western allies over the contentious project. » Read more

Palestinian cause redefined as Hamas spins Pyrrhic victories ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) December 18, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

West Bank Land, Empty but Full of Meaning ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Steven Erlanger - December 17, 2012 - 1:00am AL ZAYYEM, West Bank — They buried Rabi al-Essawy 14 months ago on land his family owns not far from this village, between East Jerusalem and the large Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. Mr. Essawy, 65, was a member of an important clan, and thousands attended his funeral. » Read more

Disingenuous Defenses of Netanyahu's Settlement Plans ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast by Lara Friedman - (Opinion) December 17, 2012 - 1:00am   » Read more

Hamas and Fatah No Closer To Settling Their Differences ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Dalia Hatuqa - (Opinion) December 17, 2012 - 1:00am   Amid the unprecedented West Bank celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Hamas’ founding, questions are arising as to whether the Islamist Movement and Fatah are finally one step closer to reconciling their political differences.  » Read more