Israel Ducks on Human Rights ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times (Editorial) January 30, 2013 - 1:00am Israel has increasingly isolated itself from the world with its hard-line policies on West Bank settlements, the Gaza embargo and other issues. This week, it unwisely set itself further apart with a decision to withhold cooperation from a United Nations Human Rights Council review of its human rights practices. » Read more

Israeli PM says only U.S. military strike can halt Iran's nuke program ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua January 31, 2013 - 1:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that while American military action can eliminate Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program, an Israeli strike will only temporarily set it back, local media reported Wednesday. » Read more

Fire burns Gaza family of six to death ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua January 31, 2013 - 1:00am A Palestinian family of six died Thursday when a fire broke out in their home in eastern Gaza City, a hospital official said. Hamas police announced an investigation into the incident, in which the father, mother and all their four children, aged between three to six, were burnt to death. Sources said the fire was likely to have been caused by a candle the family lit in their house after midnight. The Gaza Strip suffers from a shortage in electricity due to frequent disruption in fuel supplies to its only power plant. » Read more

Hamas plans more "enemy language" Hebrew in Gaza schools ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Nidal al-Mughrabi - January 30, 2013 - 1:00am Islamist Hamas authorities plan to expand Hebrew-language classes in the Gaza Strip's high schools to help Palestinians know their enemy in times of conflict with Israel. Far from a sign that peace will soon break out, Hamas's promotion of Hebrew learning in the Israeli-blockaded Mediterranean enclave aims to make linguistic skill a useful new front in the struggle against the Jewish state. » Read more

No Israeli strike on Lebanon soil - Lebanese security source ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Oliver Holmes - January 30, 2013 - 1:00am A Lebanese security source said on Wednesday that a reported attack by Israeli forces on a convoy near the Syrian-Lebanese border overnight had not occurred on Lebanese territory. A western diplomat and regional security sources said earlier that Israeli forces had hit a convoy in the border area, a few days after Israeli Vice Premier Silvan Shalom said that any sign that Syria's grip on its chemical weapons was slipping could trigger Israeli intervention. There were no details of precisely where the action had occurred. » Read more

Syria says Israel attacked military research centre ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by James Webb - January 30, 2013 - 1:00am Israeli warplanes attacked a military research centre in Damascus province at dawn on Wednesday, Syria's military command said, denying reports that the planes had struck a convoy carrying weapons from Syria to Lebanon. Two people were killed and five wounded in the attack on the site in Jamraya, which it described as one of a number of "scientific research centres aimed at raising the level of resistance and self-defence". The building was destroyed, the military command said in a statement carried by state media. » Read more

2 Israeli parties endorse Netanyahu for new term ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Aron Heller - January 31, 2013 - 1:00am Israel's two largest political parties endorsed Benjamin Netanyahu for prime minister Wednesday, all but guaranteeing him a third term at the beginning of the post-election process of forming a new government. » Read more

Some Fear a Soccer Team’s Racist Fans Hold a Mirror Up to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Jodi Rudoren - January 30, 2013 - 1:00am The shouting match began long before kickoff, and many of the slogans had little to do with soccer. “The Temple Mount is in our hands,” chanted the notoriously aggressive fans of the home team, Beitar Jerusalem. » Read more

Hamas denies accepting two-state solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 31, 2013 - 1:00am Hamas on Wednesday said it does not accept the two-state solution, following reports the party had changed its position to accept the state of Israel. The Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq reported Wednesday that Hamas politburo chief Khalid Mashaal asked Jordan's King Abdullah to inform US President Barack Obama that Hamas accepted the two-state solution. Hamas said in a statement that the report was baseless and that Mashaal did not address the two-state solution in his meeting with the Jordanian king in Amman on Monday. » Read more

UN inquiry calls for sanctions against Israel over West Bank settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Barak Ravid - January 31, 2013 - 1:00am A UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission on Thursday released its harshest report over Israeli policy in the West Bank since 1967, urging governments and private corporations across the world to consider economic and political sanctions against Israel over its construction in the settlements. This is the first time such a call has been made from within the United Nations. » Read more