October 22nd

Murdoch, Son Differ Sharply Over Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Sun
by Josh Gerstein - October 22, 2007 - 9:40am

The pro-Israel outlook of the Wall Street Journal and many News Corp. outlets could waver if one of Rupert Murdoch's sons, James Murdoch, takes the helm of the publishing and broadcasting company, a new book suggests.

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Secretary Rice's Mideast Mission: Contain Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Rasheed Abou-alsamh, Dan Murphy - October 22, 2007 - 9:36am

US secretaries of Defense and State are using their high-profile meetings this week with Arab and Israeli leaders, in part to herald a new Bush administration strategy toward Iran: cold war-style containment. The trip comes on the heels of a US proposal to offer $20 billion in military aid to Arab Gulf states (mostly Saudi Arabia) and a $30 billion package for Israel. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not mask the purpose of the deal when she called Iran “the single most important single-country challenge to ... US interests in the Middle East.”

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Rice: Israel Ready For Palestinian Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Anne Gearan - October 22, 2007 - 9:33am

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that Israel is ready to discuss "fundamental issues" with Palestinians who are now governed by leaders accepted by the Jewish state and the West. Still, she left the agenda for any peace talks vague. The top U.S. diplomat, making her first visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank since Palestinian leadership was cleaved into rival governments, also promised that a proposed U.S.-sponsored Mideast conference this fall would be a serious push toward a peace agreement.

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Saudi Arabia Says It May Meet Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by David S. Cloud, Helene Cooper - October 22, 2007 - 9:31am

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said Wednesday that his country would consider attending President Bush’s planned Israeli-Palestinian peace conference in the fall, which would put Saudi officials publicly at the same table as their Israeli counterparts for the first time since 1991.

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October 21st

The Washington Post reports from the occupied West Bank on how Israel's separation barrier has decimated Palestinian businesses and the economy (1.) The Associated Press examines differences in the hardline and pragmatic forces within Hamas concerning the Gaza takeover, that surfaced in a letter from the former Hamas government spokesperson calling the takeover a mistake (3.) In Middle East Progress, ATFP president Asali identifies the measures for success at the fall Annapolis Mideast meeting and the critical role of the United States in pushing all parties to meet these measures (5.) The Guardian (UK) looks at the debate in Israel over the release of a report on the abuse of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers (7.) An Arab News (Saudi Arabia ) editorial offers a critical assessment of the effectiveness of the Middle East Quartet to-date (10.) In BitterLemons (Israel/Palestine), former Palestinian minister of planning Ghassan Khatib argues for the lowering of expectations regarding the fall meeting (11.) A Haaretz (Israel) opinion by Akiva Eldar takes the Israeli Left to task for not insisting that Israeli PM Olmert follow up his statements in favor of peace with actions on the ground (13.)

October 19th

Back To A Corrupt Occupation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - October 19, 2007 - 8:42pm

In one of the alarming news items of the past week, it was reported that Israel has green-lighted the transfer of 1,000 rifles from Jordan to the security forces loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

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Time Does Not Take Orders From Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) October 19, 2007 - 8:40pm

The Palestinian partner was born in Oslo in the summer of 1993, and died seven years later at Camp David. Following seven more years of violence, diplomatic stalemate and renewed settlement - and following the disillusionment from the misconception of unilateral moves - the word "partner" is slowly making a comeback.

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Sadat Is An Enigma In The Us
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Gordon Robinson - (Special Report) October 19, 2007 - 8:39pm

America's political class spent last week consumed with a juvenile sniping match involving Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and a question about who the next US president should talk to. It is a debate that succinctly highlights the hollowness of campaign rhetoric on all sides, and has made the media look even more foolish than usual.

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The Five Percent Solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by John V. Whitbeck - (Opinion) October 19, 2007 - 8:37pm

In an eloquent speech before the US Congress in early March, Jordan’s King Abdallah emphasized the urgent necessity of achieving an Arab-Israeli peace this year. Sadly, there was little sense of urgency evident on July 25, almost five months later, when the Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers visited Jerusalem. The impression conveyed during this rather awkward visit was, rather, one of resignation to further years of drift.

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Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No. 25
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Palestinian Center For Policy And Survey Research
October 19, 2007 - 8:37pm

PRESS RELEASE Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No. (25) While Three Quarters of the Palestinians Reject Hamas’s Military Action in the Gaza Strip and While Fateh and President Mahmud Abbas Gain Popular Support as a Result of Hamas’s Step, and While a Majority Supports the Presidential Decree Regarding Election Law and Supports Early Elections, 40% Want the Government of Ismail Haniyeh to Stay in Power and Half of Gazans Feel They and Their Families are Secure and Safe in Their Homes

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