11-29-14

* Erdogan: West doesn't like Muslims, wants them dead Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is no STRANGER to controversial, even outlandish, comments made on a regular basis, sometimes aimed at ISRAEL, often aimed at the West in general.

* Abbas: Palestinians will never recognize Israel as Jewish state Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday that the Palestinians would never RECOGNIZE Israel as a Jewish state, and accused Israel of establishing an apartheid government.

* Support for IS higher in Europe, US than Syria and Iraq A new study of posts from Arabic-speaking social media users has uncovered that support for the brutal Islamic State terrorist organization is higher in Belgium, France, the United Kingdom and the United States than it is in Iraq and Syria.

* Arab League Refuses to Recognize Israel as Jewish State The Arab League on Saturday backed Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's PLAN to seek UN endorsement for a timetable for declaring an independent state, and rejected RECOGNIZING Israel as a Jewish nation, AFP reports Saturday.

* Islamic State: Fighting intensifies in Syrian town of Kobane Fighting has intensified in the besieged Syrian border town of Kobane, where Kurdish forces have been holding Islamic State at bay since September.

* Pope in "silent adoration" in Istanbul Blue Mosque Pope Francis has stood in "silent adoration" in Istanbul's Blue Mosque alongside the CITY'S top Muslim cleric on the second day of his Turkey visit.

* Hosni Mubarak: Egypt court drops charges over 2011 uprising deaths A court in Egypt has dropped charges against former President Hosni Mubarak over the killing of 239 protesters during the 2011 uprising against him.

* PALESTINIAN TV PRESENTS JIHADI TERRORISTS AS HEROES The Palestinian Authorities' official TV channel has heroized two Palestinian terrorists who are responsible for the brutal murder of five people in a Jerusalem synagogue.

* In troubled Mideast where Christian populations are shrinking, Pope calls for interfaith dialogue Pope Francis called for an end to all forms of fundamentalism on Friday and said fighting hunger and poverty, rather than military intervention alone, were key to STOPPING Islamist militants carrying out "grave persecutions" in Syria and Iraq.

* Analysis: Kicking the can down the road to nowhere The end of the current 10-month round of nuclear negotiations with Iran on Monday left pundits and diplomats alike wondering what to make of the seven-month extension in talks, until June 2015.