October 22nd

By Attending Peace Talks, Saudi Arabia Will Be Putting Its Credibility On The Line ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star (Editorial) October 22, 2007 - 10:38am Even the most optimistic analysts did not expect to see US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice make major headway this week in prodding the Palestinians and Israelis toward peace negotiations. Everyone knows that Rice's last-minute peace mission comes in the final stretch of the Bush administration's second term in office, when the secretary of state has just 17 months to try to do what a host of world leaders have spent decades trying to achieve. » Read more

Israel Ready To Discuss Creation Of Palestinian State, Says Rice ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by James Hider - October 22, 2007 - 10:36am Israel is willing to discuss “fundamental issues” with the Palestinians about the creation of their future state, Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, said yesterday. With the Palestinian leadership demanding that fresh talks focus on vital issues such as borders, the status of millions of refugees and the status of Jerusalem, Dr Rice held out new hope that talks could go beyond the modest trust-building measures that the Jewish state has so far put on the table. » Read more

Arming Its Friends And Talking Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Economist October 22, 2007 - 10:35am In short, a new sort of cold war stalks the region » Read more

Rice: Israel Ready To Discuss Fundamental Issues With Fatah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Eric Silver - October 22, 2007 - 10:33am Israeli and Palestinian leaders are expected to start to sketch the contours of a Palestinian state next week. Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, ended a 24-hour shuttle between Jerusalem and Ramallah yesterday, convinced that the two sides were ready to discuss fundamental issues in advance of President Bush's Middle East peace conference, now tentatively planned to take place in Washington in November. » Read more

One Last Try? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum by M.J. Rosenberg - (Opinion) October 22, 2007 - 10:32am The Bush administration has unveiled a four-part plan to rescue its overall Middle East policy, from Saudi Arabia to Iran/Iraq and Israel/Palestine. » Read more

Mideast: Bush Revs Up Lemon Of A Peace Policy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Khody Akhavi - October 22, 2007 - 10:29am Political factions Fatah and Hamas must reconcile in order to pursue a sustainable peace in the Palestinian territories, and if and when a power-sharing agreement is brokered, the international community must be willing to accept it, according to a recent report by the International Crisis Group (ICG)."As long as the Palestinian schism endures, progress is on shaky ground. Security and a credible peace process depend on minimal intra-Palestinian consensus," it said. » Read more

Obama, Clinton Battle For Endorsements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Jennifer Siegel - October 22, 2007 - 10:28am In the wake of an unexpected scuffle during last Monday’s CNN/YouTube debate, presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama waged a pitched battle over endorsements from Jewish members of Congress. During the televised forum, the Democratic contenders disagreed sharply over whether the next president should commit, without precondition, to holding talks with leaders of such rogue states as Iran within the first year of taking office, with Obama saying yes and Clinton no. » Read more

The Wrong Way To Contain Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Karim Sadjadpour - (Opinion) October 22, 2007 - 10:27am The announcement this week that the United States plans to sell over $20 billion worth of weaponry to Arab allies in order to counter Iran's ascendance in the Middle East appears to take a page out of Ronald Reagan's Cold War playbook: Simultaneously attempt to contain Iran and force it to spend money on an arms race instead of developing its moribund economy, intimidating it into bankruptcy. » Read more

Us Evangelicals At Odds On Embracing Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Antiwar by Bill Berkowitz - (Opinion) October 22, 2007 - 10:25am It was business as usual during Christians United for Israel's recent "Israel Summit," its highly-publicized second summer sojourn to Washington. There were thousands of supporters in attendance, including an impressive array of Republican Party elected officials and political leaders. There were a series of seminars and workshops aimed at solidifying pro-Israel talking points, and growing the organization's political effectiveness. » Read more

Another Tour Ends Without Solid Plans On Mideast Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Robin Wright - October 22, 2007 - 10:20am After years of setbacks, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice set out this week to make one more push toward Middle East peace on behalf of an administration that has less than 18 months left in office. She got some polite nibbles, but not yet the big bite needed to ensure that President Bush's call last month for an international meeting of the region's major players will yield substance. » Read more