1. ITALIAN MINISTER RESIGNS IN CARTOONS CONTROVERSY… An Italian government minister has resigned after riots in Libya over a t-shirt he wore left 10 people dead. Reforms Minister Roberto Calderoli had little choice other than to resign. A protest outside the Italian consulate in Benghazi on Friday turned violent. The demonstrators had assembled following reports that Calderoli had worn a shirt depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad. The incident comes at a bad time for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is trying to present himself as a centrist politician in the run up to the April elections in Italy. Calderoli is a part of the Berlusconi-led coalition but is a member of a far-right party.
2. HAMAS POLITICIANS REJECT ‘ABBAS’ CALL FOR TALKS WITH ISRAEL…Hamas lawmakers have rejected any suggestion of negotiations with Israel. Several of the newly appointed politicians made the remark after the opening session of the new Palestinian Legislative Council. They were responding to a call for talks, issued by Palestinian leader Mahmoud ‘Abbas. The embattled head of the Palestinian Authority also called on Israel to resume peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
3. HAMAS LEADERS OFF TO TEHRAN…A group of leading figures in Hamas are traveling to Iran on Sunday for talks with senior officials in Tehran. It is the latest leg of their international trip aimed at gaining support for their movement and at fundraising. The Media Line analysts say there is currently much in common between Hamas and the Iranian leadership. Both are facing possible sanctions from the West. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad has offered considerable verbal support for Hamas and now its leaders are hoping he will follow up with financial aid.
4. ISRAELI CABINET DISCUSSES NEW STANCE ON PALESTINIANS…Israel’s ministers are today discussing a series of new tough measures against the Palestinians, following the swearing in of a new hard-line Palestinian parliament. Hamas and independents backing Hamas constitute two-thirds of the parliament. As a result, Israeli security officials are calling on Jerusalem to approve a series of moves including no further tax transfers to the Palestinians and an end to economic cooperation. They are, however, suggesting that emergency aid, electricity and water supplies not be cut off.
5. ISRAEL’S LABOR HEAD MEETS MOROCCO’S MONARCH…Israel’s Labor Party has launched what it is describing as a push to improve ties with moderate Muslim states. The notion was effectively unveiled when Labor’s leader Amir Peretz met Morocco’s King Muhammad IV in Fez, reportedly at the monarch’s request. Muhammad leads one of the Arab nations with relatively friendly ties with Israel. The king also chairs the Arab committee that seeks to safeguard the future of Jerusalem.
6. U.K. REJECTS IRAN’S BASRA CLAIM…Senior United Kingdom officials say Iran is simply trying to divert public attention away from the nuclear issue by attacking the British military presence in southern Iraq. On Friday, Tehran accused London of destabilizing security in Basra and its environs. There are some 8,000 UK soldiers in the Basra area, which is close to the Iranian border.
7. U.S.: MUST BE PRESS FREEDOM IN IRAN…Iranian journalists must be allowed to run their own newspapers, and not face imprisonment for reporting on events in their country, according to the United States Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs Karen Hughes. She made the comment during a meeting of American and Muslim leaders in Doha, Qatar on Saturday. Hughes also accused Iran of supporting terrorism overseas, reportsThe Peninsula newspaper.