'Iran is our friend,' says Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Robert Tait - October 26, 2009 - 12:00am With its stunning vistas and former Ottoman palaces, the banks of the Bosphorus – the strategic waterway that cuts Istanbul in half and divides Europe from Asia – may be the perfect place to distinguish friend from foe and establish where your country's interests lie. And sitting in his grandiose headquarters beside the strait, long the symbol of Turkey's supposed role as bridge between east and west, Recep Tayyip Erdogan had little doubt about who was a friend and who wasn't. » Read more

Prof. Weiss at rightist event: Build third temple immediately ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Efrat Weiss - October 26, 2009 - 12:00am In a move that may heighten tensions in the capital, the Organization for Human Rights on the Temple Mount (OHRTM) called for Jews to visit the east Jerusalem compound, which houses the al-Aqsa Mosque. During a rightist event held in Jerusalem Sunday evening, just hours after Muslims rioted in and around the Temple Mount amid reports that Jewish extremists were planning to visit the site, Professor Hillel Weiss said, "The (third) temple must be built now. The mosques do not have to be destroyed in order for us to do this." » Read more

As occupier, Israel must face up to Goldstone report ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) October 26, 2009 - 12:00am Goldstone was born in June 1967. I am not referring to the judge from South Africa, but to his report, or more precisely, the notion that Israel needs a synonym for the soul-searching it must carry out after 42 years of occupation. In the 575 pages of the report that is loaded with details, names, numbers, a list of weapons, interrogation methods and articles of international law, three paragraphs hide among the conclusions on pages 521 and 522, numbered 1674 to 1676. Here lies the explanation for the tragic results of Operation Cast Lead. » Read more

Israel to set up team to review Gaza war probe ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - October 26, 2009 - 12:00am Following much deliberation and evasion, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have devised a plan to resolve pressure on Israel to independently investigate the war crimes allegations made by the Goldstone commission. The commission, headed by South African jurist Richard Goldstone, investigated the conduct of the Israel Defense Forces during their winter offensive in Gaza. In their report, the commission accused both Israel and Hamas, the Gaza rulers, of committing war crimes. » Read more

Abbas says elections decree irrevocable ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 26, 2009 - 12:00am Facing criticism from the Hamas movement and others, President Mahmoud Abbas vowed on Saturday that elections would be held as scheduled. "The decision is irrevocable," he said, speaking in Ramallah at the opening session of the PLO's central committee. Abbas issued a presidential decree late Thursday night, setting the date for the next round of Palestinian legislative and presidential elections for 24 January 2010. Hamas wants the date moved back six months. » Read more

Unrest after Israeli raid on Al-Aqsa ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency October 26, 2009 - 12:00am At least 30 Palestinians were injured and 20 arrested when clashes between Israeli forces and youth erupted anew in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, Palestinian and Israeli officials said. In violence that followed a reported police raid on the sensitive Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Israeli forces fired stun grenades, tear-gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets at protesters. Palestinian youth hurled stones and set tires and piles of trash ablaze, according to Ma'an's correspondent, who was reporting from the scene. » Read more

No fix soon on Palestinian question ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times by Arnaud De Borchgrave - (Opinion) October 26, 2009 - 12:00am Unless former Sen. George J. Mitchell, President Obama's special Middle Eastern envoy, is prepared to commute by government executive jet for the next five to 10 years, this isn't a bad time to turn in his badge. » Read more

Israel conference to open amid controversy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Dan Eggen - October 26, 2009 - 12:00am A Washington conference hosted this week by a new liberal Jewish advocacy group has sparked a diplomatic row and proxy battle over the Obama administration's stance on Israel at a time of simmering tensions between Washington and Israel's right-leaning government. J Street, an advocacy and lobbying firm created 18 months ago, is holding its first annual conference beginning Sunday, with participation from about 150 Democratic members of Congress, many current and former Israeli politicians and U.S. national security adviser James L. Jones, who will be giving a keynote speech Tuesday. » Read more

'In spite of everything, there will be peace' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Lally Weymouth - (Interview) October 26, 2009 - 12:00am In Israel, the office of the president is meant to be ceremonial. But at 86, President Shimon Peres, the last founder of the Jewish state to remain active in Israeli politics and a frequent counselor to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, hardly stays on the sidelines. Although Israelis are feeling pressured by a recent U.N. » Read more

'Just means against an unjust attack' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Lally Weymouth - (Interview) October 26, 2009 - 12:00am Lally Weymouth of Newsweek and The Post interviewed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Q: What did you think of the Goldstone report? » Read more