All Blog Posts from World Watch

On Monday, Damascus-based Hamas poured cold water on any imminent deal for the release of an Israeli soldier captured more than three years ago, saying it was still premature to trumpet a happy ending.

Talk of a possible deal has moved to center stage with Israeli media saying that a Hamas delegation was heading to Cairo to discuss the latest list of prisoners Israel is prepared to release in a swap for Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit. Israeli President Shimon Peres heightened speculation after his talks with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Sunday, when he spoke of "real progress" in the negotiations.

"The brouhaha in the media talking about being close to reach an agreement on prisoner exchange deal is purely Israeli leaks designed to influence the feelings of our children, prisoners and their families and to try to pressure and influence on the process of indirect negotiations carried out through the German intermediary," a Hamas statement said. "Hamas will continue its efforts through the competent authority to overcome the obstacles set by the Israeli enemy in the way of completion of exchange … Although we hope to reach an honorable deal for our people as soon as possible, would like to emphasize that it is premature to talk about specific results … or close a deal."

Israeli newspapers said Hamas representatives had already crossed into Egypt from Gaza to meet the German mediator to debate a possible deal for the release of Shalit, captured by Hamas in a 2006 raid near the Israel-Gaza border. The militants tunneled into Israel and attacked an Israeli army outpost, killing two other soldiers.

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Islamic militant movement Hamas, and seven other Damascus-based Palestinian factions, slammed Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' decree on Saturday for holding Presidential elections next January as "illegal," accusing the United States of being behind the call which would deepen internal rift.

"The decision of holding elections is neither legal nor legislative and consolidates inter division … it is retraction of the deal reached in previous dialogues", a joint statement by the factions read.

"The U.S. and regional parties are behind this decision that serves neither people's interest nor national unity. Adopting individual decisions comes within the US-Zionist vision that aims to liquidate our people's rights," the statement, obtained by our office in Damascus, said.

Abbas, whose term expired earlier this year, has announced that presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on 24 January across the Palestinian territories, including the rival Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

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Israeli TV newscasters Tuesday night interpreted a photo taken Monday in the Oval Office of President Obama talking on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an "insult" to Israel.

They saw the incident as somewhat akin to an incident last year, when the Iraqi reporter threw a shoe at President Bush in Baghdad.

It is considered an insult in the Arab world to show the sole of your shoe to someone. It is not a Jewish custom necessarily, but Israel feels enough a part of the Middle East after 60 years to be insulted too.

Was there a subliminal message intended from the White House to Netanyahu in Jerusalem, who is publicly resisting attempts by Mr. Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to force Israel to stop any kind of settlement activity in occupied territories once and forever?

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Syria's foreign minister said on Monday his country would not go back to peace talks with Israel unless it spells out it would relinquish the Golan Heights and urged the United States to translate its words into actions on the ground.

“We will not return to unproductive talks. When we decide to do so, this means that we will be going in accordance with internationally-recognized bases and formulas, on the basis of the total liberation of the Golan to the 4th of June 1967 borderline,” Walid al-Mouallem told a news conference at the end of a three-day meeting of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference in the Syrian capital.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday after meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington that he was ready to resume the talks with Syria immediately, but indicated he would not make any commitments on land first.

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While the big annual policy conference of AIPAC – the American Israel Public Affairs Committee – has brought to Washington 6,000 supporters of the Jewish State fully committed to cementing the U.S.-Israel alliance, many at the bustling convention fear that a major clash is coming soon between President Barack Obama and Israel’s new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu seems to be belittling Obama’s contention that a full-court press is needed toward establishing an independent Arab nation of Palestine. Israel’s government wants to put the focus, instead, on dangers posed by Iran.

The prime minister is due to fly to the United States for a White House chat on May 18, and analysts who predict strife make a persuasive case.

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Although Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has not met with two senior U.S. envoys, Damascus and Washington sounded upbeat on Saturday that their first high-level talks in the Syrian capital in four years would result in better ties between the two countries after years of tension.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem sat with Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and Daniel Shapiro, a senior staffer on the National Security Council, for four hours as both sides tested the waters to see what concrete offers will emerge as the countries seek a closer rapprochement.

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Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has released another blog post, using the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay and the current Mideast situation as fodder for criticizing President Barack Obama, who Castro had previously praised.

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The official purpose of former Senator George Mitchell's' trip to the Mideast is fact-finding, and a new fact is about to emerge, one that informed sources in the West Bank call "politically explosive."

A 262-page secret government report first obtained by the respected daily paper Ha'aretz shows that the military has turned a blind eye to the expansion of Israeli settlements on Palestinian-owned land, reports CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey.

Under international law the military is responsible for policing the occupied territories and safeguarding Palestinian rights, including land ownership.

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The Hamas leadership said on Wednesday it still has "certain reservations" over an Egyptian cease-fire plan, which calls for an immediate truce between Israel and the Islamic movement until an agreement is reached.

"We responded positively to the Egyptian initiative but there is still several specified points of differences and certain reservations. We hope that these points will be solved over the next few days to meet with the Palestinian national interests," a Hamas source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told CBS News.

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