Date
Type

Bush Optimistic On Mideast Peace Despite Discord
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Steven Lee Myers - October 18, 2007 - 5:16pm


President Bush expressed optimism on Wednesday that the Israelis and Palestinians could negotiate a peace agreement as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ended four days of talks here with a spasm of discord between the sides. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right, ducked to enter the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem during a visit Wednesday.


Rice 'encouraged' By Mideast Trip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Matthew Lee - October 18, 2007 - 5:15pm


Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday she was encouraged by a round of furious Mideast diplomacy to prepare a U.S.-hosted peace conference in the fall despite divisions between Israel and the Palestinians that could derail it. With tensions running high and time running out to plan the meeting, a senior U.S. official said Rice would return to the region at the end of October or early November after National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley goes there next week to press the two sides to launch formal peace talks.


Rice Hears Palestinians' Grievances
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Michael Abramowitz - October 18, 2007 - 5:13pm


Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid an emotional visit Wednesday to the church revered as marking the birthplace of Jesus, before hearing from prominent Palestinians that failure of her new peace initiative could worsen their conflict with Israel.


The Washington Post reports on the visit by Secretary Rice to the occupied Palestinian territories and her listening to the grievances of Palestinians (1.) The Forward looks at skepticism voiced about the current Bush administration push for Israeli-Palestinian peace by all five GOP presidential candidates at an event hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition (4.) AlertNet features an interview with 'The Israel Lobby' authors Walt and Mearshiemer on why they decided to speak out about the special U.S.-Israeli relationship (5.) In his LobeLog blog, journalist Jim Lobe looks at the speech by Secretary of Defense Gates at his Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs award dinner in which he placed a higher priority as a U.S. objective for achieving a two-state solution than containing Iran (7.) A Financial Times (UK) opinion by former Israeli negotiator Moshe Amirav draws lessons for the fall Mideast meeting from the failed Camp David conference in 2001 (10.) A Jordan Times (Jordan) editorial urges the U.S. to use its influence with Israel to freeze Israeli settlement activity in the occupied territories (12.) Haaretz (Israel) reports on Israeli willingness to commit to a joint document at the fall meeting addressing the core issues of Jerusalem, refugees and permanent borders (13.)

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