Middle East News: World Press Roundup

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is interviewed by Arabic language daily Al-Ayyam (1). Gun fighting breaks out on the Gaza-Israel border, leaving four Palestinian militants dead (2). Jerusalem elects secular candidate Nir Barkat to be their next mayor (3). Israel forces a group of visiting diplomats to cancel a walking tour of the West Bank town of Hebron (4). The United Nations hosts an interfaith dinner with Arab leaders in New York (5). Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas continues discussion about reconciliation with Hamas (6) (7). Israel allows delivery of diesel into Gaza (8). An advisor to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama denies reports that his team has met with Hamas (11).

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PA Prime Minister Fayyad Interviewed on Economy, Debt Payments, Future Projects ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Ayyam by Ja'far Sadaqah - November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm [Sadaqah] In a few hours, the Palestinian Authority [PA] will have finished paying all its debts to the employees and others. What does it mean to get rid of a legacy that has been bothering it for 16 months, and what does this mean to you? » Read more

Deadly fighting on Gazan border ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm Israeli troops have killed four Palestinian militants in a gunbattle on the Gaza border, Palestinians say. Witnesses in Hamas-controlled Gaza said the fighting broke out after Israeli armoured vehicles crossed into the territory near Khan Younis. The Israeli army said its soldiers were trying to stop militants attempting to plant a bomb near the security fence. Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas agreed a truce in Gaza five months ago but fierce fighting resumed last week. » Read more

Secular, but not so liberal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Daphna Baram - November 11, 2008 - 1:00am After five years under an ultra-orthodox mayor, secular Jerusalemites finally got their act together, turned out in number at the polling stations, and elected the secular candidate, young businessmen Nir Barkat. » Read more

Police order diplomats to cancel Hebron walking tour ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm Israeli police on Wednesday forced about 20 foreign diplomats to cut short a walking tour of the Israeli-controlled sector of the tense West Bank city of Hebron, the visitors said. The diplomats were from Europe, Latin America and the Far East, said Jose de la Cruz, a representative of Chile. The group was escorted by Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki. Hebron, the West Bank's largest city, is divided under an Israeli-Palestinian interim deal. Israeli forces control the center where several hundred militant Jewish settlers live. » Read more

Peres attends rare dinner with Arab leaders ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm Arab leaders, including the Saudi king and President Shimon Peres attended the same dinner, a rare encounter that the head of the United Nations hopes will promote understanding and talks. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hosted the dinner Tuesday night for leaders attending a two-day UN conference to promote a global dialogue about religions, cultures and common values that starts Wednesday. "It's quite unique when you expect President Peres of Israel ... and many kings and leaders from the Arab world ... (sitting) down together and having dinner," Ban told reporters. » Read more

Abbas urges vote to heal rift with Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Wafa Amr - November 11, 2008 - 1:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Tuesday for a referendum to resolve a power struggle with Hamas, highlighting bitter divisions on a day of mourning for Yasser Arafat. Tens of thousands gathered at Arafat's gravesite in the West Bank city of Ramallah for the fourth anniversary of the former Palestinian leader's death. Hamas, which seized Gaza last year after routing Abbas's forces, barred Arafat memorials there. » Read more

Abbas accuses Hamas leaders of 'not wanting' reconciliation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas launched a bitter attack Tuesday on the Hamas movement, which controls Gaza, as a divided nation marked the fourth anniversary of historic leader Yasser Arafat's death. Abbas accused Hamas of sabotaging efforts to mend the rift in Palestinian ranks created by its seizure of Gaza last year and of using force to prevent any commemorations for Arafat in the coastal territory. » Read more

Israel allows fuel into Gaza as UN warns food aid in peril ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm Israel Tuesday reopened the terminal that handles all fuel supplies to Gaza to allow delivery of diesel to the Palestinian territory's sole power plant one day after it shuddered to a halt. A UN agency, meanwhile, warned it would have to suspend food distribution on which a majority of Gaza's 1.5 million population depends unless Israel also allows in vital foodstuffs. The Nahal Oz terminal used for oil deliveries "opened at 8:30 a.m. for the transfer of diesel for the power station," said Israeli Army spokesman Peter Lerner. » Read more

Officials deny Bethlehem sweep will target Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm The Palestinian leadership mounted a security operation in Bethlehem on Tuesday similar to those launched in other West Bank towns that have drawn charges of partisanship."The security plan is aimed against those who do not respect the law and is not intended as a basis for carrying out political arrests," Bethlehem security chief Colonel Suleiman Abu Hadid told a news conference. He added that the plan would not involve the deployment of any police reinforcements, unlike in the flashpoint city of Hebron where an additional 600 officers were deployed last month. » Read more

Obama urged to make peace top priority - Ban ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times November 11, 2008 - 1:00am The main players in the Middle East peace process hope Barack Obama will make the issue a top priority when he takes over the US presidency in January, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday. Last weekend the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators - the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States - met in Egypt to keep alive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, even though political uncertainty in Israel has scotched hopes for a deal this year. » Read more

Obama adviser denies Hamas meeting ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm US President-elect Barack Obama's office flatly denied a Hamas official's claim Tuesday that advisers to Obama met with representatives from the terrorist organization while on a visit to the region. "This assertion is just plain false," Obama's senior foreign policy adviser, Denis McDonough, told The Jerusalem Post. Earlier in the day, the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper published an interview with Hamas political adviser Ahmed Yousef in which he said that a secret meeting was held in Gaza ahead of the US election on November 4. » Read more

A powerful legacy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm The assassination of PM Yitzhak Rabin took place 13 years ago. Any attempt to assess its ramifications for the overall course of the peace process ever since is a potentially frustrating exercise in "what if". It also goes directly to the heart of the debate among historians and others regarding the role of individuals in shaping history. » Read more

Olmert: Confrontation with Hamas inevitable ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roni Sofer - November 11, 2008 - 8:00pm Although the shaky ceasefire with Gaza's armed groups has so far not collapsed despite repeated violations by Hamas, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday warned residents of communities in southern Israel to brace for a possible escalation of the hostilities. "The situation between us and Hamas is one of an inevitable clash. It's only a question of 'when,' not 'if.' And if we need to fight Hamas – then that is what we'll do. In any event we must be alert and prepared," Olmert said during a visit to the Gaza Division's headquarters. » Read more

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