JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he wants to hold early parliamentary elections, a move intended to capitalize on his current strength as Israel builds its case for international action against Iran’s nuclear program. Read full article > >

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Netanyahu signals support for early elections in Israel

A senior commander was dismissed for initiating peace talks with the Pakistani government, provoking anger in the militants’ ranks.

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Pakistani Taliban Face a Leadership Rift

KABUL — After years of advocating peace talks as the only way out of the Afghan war, President Hamid Karzai will soon need to decide whether he is willing to participate in an emerging diplomatic process that his top advisers claim has left him marginalized by both the United States and the Taliban. Read full article > >

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Afghan government feels out of the loop on talks

KABUL — After years of advocating peace talks as the only way out of the Afghan war, President Hamid Karzai will soon need to decide whether he is willing to participate in an emerging diplomatic process that his top advisers claim has left him marginalized by both the United States and the Taliban. Read full article > >

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Afghan government feels out of the loop on talks

KABUL, Afghanistan — Two attacks in southern Afghanistan have left at least 19 dead over the last two days, Afghan officials reported. The attacks come at a critical moment in peace talks between the United States and the Taliban. Read full article > >

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Bomb attacks kill 19 in southern Afghanistan

The Obama administration will resume peace talks with the Taliban as soon as Afghan President Hamid Karzai formally blesses the negotiations, according to senior administration officials who indicated that the process could be underway within weeks. Read full article > >

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U.S. peace talks with Taliban to resume

The Afghan Taliban said they have reached a preliminary deal to open a liaison office in Qatar in what could be the first step toward peace talks in a decade.

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Taliban Strike Deal With Qatar on Office

Afghanistan’s Taliban say they have “an initial understanding” to set up an office overseas, possibly in Qatar – a move some see as key to future peace talks.

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Taliban confirm talks office plan

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are due to meet in Jordan on Tuesday, after more than 15 months of deadlock in peace talks.

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Israelis and Palestinians to meet

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators will meet in Jordan on Tuesday in an effort to revive moribund peace talks, although none of the sides involved suggested any reason to view the meeting as a sign of significant progress.

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Palestinians and Israelis Will Talk This Week

The Pakistan Taliban is involved in peace talks with the government, its deputy commander says – the first named Taliban commander to confirm negotiations.

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Pakistan Taliban ‘in peace talks’

Cain’s campaign denies reports of sexual harassment; the United States taps Pakistan’s spy agency to help broker Afghanistan peace talks; and Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s hometown is left in shambles.

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TIMESCAST: TimesCast | October 31, 2011

KABUL — With prospects for peace talks at a new low, the Afghan government is attempting to resuscitate negotiations with a seemingly contradictory approach: publicly bashing the Pakistanis for supporting the Taliban while at the same time asking for their help. In a series of recent speeches and interviews, President Hamid Karzai has sought to balance inflammatory remarks that Pakistan is fighting a proxy war in Afghanistan with conciliatory appeals for greater cooperation among neighbors. Read full article > >

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Afghan government seeks Pakistan’s help in stalled peace process

To try to lure them into Afghan peace talks.

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U.S. Secretly Met Haqqani Militants

KABUL — As they mourned the slain Afghan leader who had been tasked with reconciling with the Taliban, close friends and associates of Burhanuddin Rabbani expressed anger and hopelessness Wednesday about peace talks they say were doomed from the start. “We cannot continue to have wishful thinking,” former presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah, who was close to Rabbani, said as he drove to the former president’s house to pay his last respects. “We must deal with them forcefully.” Read full article > >

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After Afghan slaying, a sense of helplessness