Abbas charms hearts & minds while Bibi insults all in Sourpuss Speech

Abbas may have just charmed the world by a strong speech and reasonable logical argument while his opponent (partner in peace) enumerated a series of red-herrings in a sour and sore diatribe attacking all and sundry not least the institution hosting his address; A Lebanese blogger suggests you marry a different sect!; and Yemeni leader is back with a vengeance.

Bibi Netanyahu cuts a sour and surly figure during his UN address-rebuttal to Mahmoud Abbas's charmed delivery.

Mondoweiss [3]

Abbas at the United Nations a game changer? Maybe.

"There was a potential game changer in Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ speech at the General Assembly – but it wasn’t in the words he said: that this marks the end of the 20-year-long U.S.-backed failed peace process, and the potential beginning of a whole new approach to Palestinian-Israeli diplomacy, one based on international law, human rights and equality for all."

Funky Ozzi [4]

Marry someone from another sect!

"Being in a mixed sect family (thank god - will not say which god :P) has given me a tolerance much bigger than anyone else I know. I have heard hateful and sectarian comments towards my other side of the family from more than one party all my life. My name and last name do not reveal what my parents sects are. But, I won't make this long about me. I just want to say that, from my own experience, I personally see that Lebanon has come a long way when it comes to judging others based on their sects. We are not 100% secular, but we definitely have become less judgmental, at least in the workplace and in universities."

Jordan Events [5]

Climb into Amman's artsy heart

"Sitting awkwardly next to grandfather Damascus, beautiful sister Beirut and busy brother Cairo, Amman sometimes looks and feels like the Cinderella of the neighbourhood, little more than a stop-off point for the country's real highlights. But while other Arab cities trade off their history, this newcomer is fast becoming one of the Middle East's creative capitals."

Tareq Thoughts [6]

Facebook: New Facebook

New FB: You would have to be living under a rock- or uninitiated to Facebook yet (God forbid) ; otherwise an ex-user, deserter - the sacrilege, perish the thought!-- maybe a defector to Google Plus- to not have noticed people's responses to the changing 'face' of Facebook, most recently 'evolving' its settings once again leaving users feeling a little insecure or thrown off. This got people ruminating over the changes in time: Remember the old 3rd person status update and the removal of 'is', paving the way for direct communication between 'friends'... Some reactions: "No more privacy When all is exposed to publicity Facebook is not a cover To hide things under cove"

Middle East atemporal [7]

PALESTINE SPRING, BIBI’S WINTER OF DISCONTENT

A face-off between bloom and gloom: "Mahmoud Abbas delivered his UN speech today to rapturous applause from the assembled delegates. Bibi Netanyahu–not so much." "Among Bibi’s many sins of omission and commission are this conflation of the PA and Hamas: President Abbas just said on this podium that the Palestinians are armed only with their hopes and dreams. Yeah, hopes, dreams and 10,000 missiles and Grad rockets supplied by Iran, not to mention the river of lethal weapons now flowing into Gaza from the Sinai, from Libya, and from elsewhere." "Israel’s PM raises the specter of “militant Islam,” that bogeyman so useful to Islamophobes and radical right-wing Israelis everywhere. When the odds are against you you can always pull out the specter of bin Laden to shock and frighten your audience. There is yet another noxious element to the abuse of this trope: it confuses the Palestinian struggle for nationhood with a religious holy war."

Egyptian Chronicles [8]

Unhappy Yemen : Look who is back !!

Fireworks on his arrival: "And Ali Abdullah Saleh has returned back to Yemen after 3 months of treatment in Saudi Arabia. I can’t believe , I seriously can’t believe how much this man is holding to his chair in this !! "