Date
Type

November 23rd

Needed: A Cease-fire With Hamas, Now
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Yossi Beilin - (Opinion) November 23, 2007 - 6:27pm

Hamas's victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006 and its violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in June were very bad news for those who believe in Israeli-Palestinian peace. But as Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization prepare to launch formal negotiations on final status -- for the first time in seven years -- Israel should seek to reach a cease-fire with Hamas as soon as possible.

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Saudi Arabia To Attend Middle East Peace Meet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Mohamed Abdellah, Will Rasmussen - (Opinion) November 23, 2007 - 6:25pm

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Friday he would attend a conference to relaunch talks on ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a move that the United States and Israel hope will bolster the chances of its success. Saudi participation in the November 27 U.S.-hosted conference in Annapolis, Maryland could improve Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's ability to reach an agreement and help Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sell it to Israelis by holding out the prospect of wider peace with the Arab world.

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Pact Unlikely Before Talks In U.s., Palestinian Insists
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - November 23, 2007 - 6:23pm

A senior Palestinian official said here on Thursday that it would be a “miracle” if the Palestinian and Israeli negotiating teams agreed on a joint document, as they had hoped, to present at the American-sponsored Middle East peace gathering set to start Tuesday in Annapolis, Md. But the official held out the possibility that a last-minute agreement on a short outline of intentions or principles could be reached in Washington, with help from the Bush administration, on the eve of the meeting.

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November 22nd

The Associated Press looks at increasing signs of serious Arab ministerial-level participation at the Annapolis meeting (2.) A Washington Post opinion by former Israeli justice minister and Israeli Knesset member Yossi Beilin lays out the case why Israel should urgently seek a ceasefire with Hamas (3.) A Forward opinion by Leonard Fein argues that a failure at Annapolis would have serious ramifications for Israel (5.) The Independent (UK) reports on statements by a senior UN official that the continuing siege of Gaza is counterproductive and breeding extremism (7.) A Financial Times (UK) opinion by senior New America Foundation fellow Anatol Lieven connects the dots between for American interests between addressing Islamist radicalism and resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (8.) The Guardian (UK) looks at Saudi deliberations leading to their announcement today that their foreign minister will attend the Annapolis meeting (10.) A Haaretz (Israel) opinion by Americans For Peace Now communcations director Noam Shelef exposes the agenda of certain Jewish-American organizations attempting to prevent Israeli government negotiations over Jerusalem (11.) An Arab News (Saudi Arabia) opinion by Walid Awad of the Fatah Central Media Commission identifies the parties attempting to undermine the Annapolis meeting in the face of growing international realization of the importance of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (14.)

Mushroom Soup On The Road To Annapolis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) November 22, 2007 - 10:44pm

There is something unconvincing, even insincere, about the tentative steps and gestures being made by the parties trying to arrange the meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, next week to re-launch Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. It is hard to generate any real anticipation from a process in which the principal Israeli and Palestinian parties are politically weak, the American hosts are imprecise and hesitant, the supporting Arab state actors are playing hard to get, and the agenda is as clear as mushroom soup.

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Proceed Steadily But Firmly
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Miftah
by Caelum Moffatt - November 22, 2007 - 10:41pm

After seven years of stalled negotiations between Israel and Palestine, one could possibly not presume that all problems would be solved by one summit, let alone a summit that had been penciled in just as the two old enemies had reconvened dialogue.

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Reinventing The Mideast Wheel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) November 22, 2007 - 10:40pm

It is infuriating when one spends hours reviewing all the give-and-take about the perfunctory meeting in Annapolis next week to kick-start Palestinian-Israeli negotiations for a final settlement only to realise that one does not need to reinvent the wheel. All that needs to be done is there and has been available for more than 40 years!

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The Measure Of Annapolis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Lorna Fitzsimons - (Commentary) November 22, 2007 - 10:38pm

Jerusalem is buzzing with activity. There is anxious speculation about the status of the joint Israeli-Palestinian declaration intended to be the centrepiece of next week's meeting in Annapolis, Maryland. Israel has announced a settlement freeze, the Palestinians are deploying troops in Nablus. With the invitations now finally issued, eyes are on who will attend - and at what level. Visiting dignitaries are doing the rounds, keen to avoid failure by showing their support. The Israeli-Palestinian peace circus is back in town.

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Analysis: The Possibilities Of Annapolis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News
by Jeremy Bowen - (Opinion) November 22, 2007 - 10:36pm

The other day in Washington a colleague of mine asked the White House press secretary what journalists should call the Middle Eastern event that is about to happen in Annapolis. The press secretary did not offer any advice. An aide suggested "get together". Maybe the aide was being mischievous. But words like summit or peace conference are being discouraged. Expectations for the meeting in Annapolis are being minimised. If you want to be right about the Middle East, it usually pays to be pessimistic.

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Palestinians Spell Out Their Vision Of The Future In Peace Blueprint
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald Macintyre - November 22, 2007 - 10:34pm

Sweeping security, fiscal and political reforms are promised in the most detailed blueprint for the creation of a Palestinian state yet drawn up by the emergency government headed by Prime Minister Salam Fayad.

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