Abbas asks Israel to let in Palestinians fleeing Syria
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Noah Browning - January 25, 2013 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tried to get Israel to let 150,000 Palestinians fleeing war in Syria resettle in the West Bank, but dropped the request after the Jewish state demanded they first give up their right of return, he said. Syria is home to around 500,000 Palestinian refugees, some of whom have been fleeing the country because of civil war between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and fighters seeking to topple his government.

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Ehud Barak at Davos: U.S. Could Strike Iran to Block Nuclear Progress
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
(Interview) January 25, 2013 - 1:00am

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is confident, he says, that the United States has plans for surgical strikes against Iran as a last-ditch measure if Tehran refuses to stop its development of a nuclear weapons capability.

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Hamas Maintains Ties With Iran Despite Difference Over Syria
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Abeer Ayyoub - January 25, 2013 - 1:00am

The positive outcomes of the Arab uprisings far outweighed the negatives for Gaza’s ruling Islamists, Hamas. The revolts led to the rise of fellow Islamists in Egypt and Tunisia, allowing Hamas to open up to the regional environment. But the ongoing uprising in Syria did not fit well for Hamas, which found itself caught between two hard options: siding with President Bashar al-Assad and thus losing popular support in other Arab countries, or showing solidarity with the Syrian people and losing Iran, Hamas' main financial backer.

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The Palestinian Implosion
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Ghaith Al-Omari, Ziad Asali - (Opinion) January 4, 2013 - 1:00am

  Three years ago, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad launched an ambitious plan to build effective, responsive, and clean government institutions. The results were impressive, and Fayyad was hailed as a figure who was making true progress toward a two-state solution even as formal negotiations faltered.

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Israel Needs Diplomatic Iron Dome
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Yaakov Livne - (Opinion) December 10, 2012 - 1:00am

Israel experienced in the past weeks two highly significant events that have far-reaching implications for its future. The first was Operation Pillar of Defense, and the other was the UN General Assembly resolution to grant Palestine the status of an observer state in the international body, which is another step toward recognition of the Palestinian Authority as a full-fledged state.

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Seize the opportunity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ami Ayalon - (Opinion) December 6, 2012 - 1:00am

If there is one conclusion that can be drawn from the UN General Assembly vote on accepting Palestine as a non-member observer state, it is that the direct negotiations paradigm failed and has been replaced by a new concept: Constructive unilateralism.

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Israel prevents Tunisian charge d'affaires in Ramallah from regaining his post
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
December 6, 2012 - 1:00am

TUNIS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Israel prevented the Tunisian charge d'affaires in the West Bank city Ramallah from regaining his post on Wednesday, the official TAP press agency reported.

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Netanyahu says Israel still committed to Palestinians peace deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
December 5, 2012 - 1:00am

PRAGUE, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Israel remains committed to a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, despite worries among the Jewish state's European allies over its plans to build more settlements.

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Merkel to warn Netanyahu: Promote peace process or face world seclusion
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - December 5, 2012 - 1:00am

With Israel and European Union states embroiled in a diplomatic crisis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Wednesday night in Berlin.

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Europe mulls new Mideast peace plan: Palestinian official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
December 4, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- European countries are mulling a new plan to revive the peace talks that have been stalled since 2010 between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), a Palestinian official said Tuesday.

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