October 11th

Mideast: November Talks Must Be Inclusive, Urge U.s. Graybeards
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Jim Lobe - October 11, 2007 - 2:25pm

To succeed, next month's Israeli-Palestinian conference here should establish and endorse the contours of a permanent peace accord and secure the participation of Arab states that do not currently recognise Israel, including Syria, according to a letter sent Wednesday to President George W. Bush from a bipartisan group of eight former top U.S. policy-makers.

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October 10th

Inter Press Service examines a letter sent to President Bush by eight top former U.S. policy-makers identifying success at the fall Mideast meeting as being the setting of the contours of a final peace agreement and the participation of Arab states (1.) The Forward analyzes the evolution of Israeli statements regarding occupied East Jerusalem in the lead up to the fall meeting and the role of the U.S. in that evolution (3.) Israel Policy Forum presents the full report of a study group it commissioned to produce a guide for a successful fall meeting (5.) The Associated Press looks at comments by the Palestinian lead negotiator on the issue of land swaps with Israel as part of a final peace settlement (6.) The Guardian (UK) reports on statements made by Palestinian president Abbas regarding the amount of occupied territory Palestinians expect to be returned to them in order to establish a Palestinian state (8.) A Gulf News (UAE) opinion by George Hishmeh highlights the importance of an active U.S. role during and after the fall Mideast meeting in offsetting he weakness of the Israeli, Palestinian and U.S. leaderships (10.) Israel's influential Reut Institute think tank examines recent trends in the international community in favor of a 'one state' solution (13.)

The Test Of Leadership
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) October 10, 2007 - 2:13pm

The public mood regarding the US sponsored peace summit is quite negative. The leaders of Israel and Palestine are devoting time and energy to reducing expectations out of fear that the summit may not produce the agreement necessary to enable a genuine peace process to ensue. As we get closer to the summit it seems that public opinion on both sides is hardening with regard to concessions that are necessary to enable Israeli-Palestinian agreement.

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Islam Is The Enemy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amir Oren - (Opinion) October 10, 2007 - 2:11pm

Lamb, cucumber and tomato salad, yogurt, baklava. That is what President George W. Bush ate in the White House, or at least read on the menu last Friday at the Iftar meal to break the Ramadan fast, in the company of dozens of guests. In recent years continents have shifted from their positions, Europe has sunk and the Middle East has officially become central to American policy.

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The Right Of The Link
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Eliezer Yaari - October 10, 2007 - 2:08pm

In her article "The right and the return" (Haaretz, October 3), Ruth Gavison discusses what is again becoming the watershed in the interrupted dialogue between the Palestinians and Israel. At issue are historical rights, and in this case Israel's unwillingness to recognize the Palestinians' right of return. As in all the previous rounds, this watershed will end the diplomatic discussions aimed at an agreement. Gavison proposes an alternative definition for "the right of return": "the desire to return," which she says Israel would recognize.

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What Israel Wants, Israel Gets
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Miftah
by Joharah Baker - (Opinion) October 10, 2007 - 2:06pm

There is a consistent thread, a pattern, which designs Israel’s policies in the Palestinian territories. Any scrutinizing observer will notice how Israel first pitches an idea to the public – however preposterous – then allows the Palestinians and the international community to absorb it before putting it into action. This way, policies and measures are less shocking and seem more acceptable once the dust has been allowed to settle.

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The Need For Bravery And Frankness Before The Peace Option
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al Hayat
by Raghida Dergham - (Opinion) October 10, 2007 - 2:05pm

Of course, the Syrian government has the right to make the recovery of the Golan Heights a priority, whether through peaceful negotiations with Israel or liberating the area through armed resistance. Certainly, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is right when he said, "I'm the president of Syria and not the president of Palestine, and I have to work for the interest of my country.

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So That Annapolis Will Not Be A Failure
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) October 10, 2007 - 2:04pm

The November Arab-Israeli peace-making meeting that US President George W. Bush has called for replays several similar moments in the past quarter-century, when gatherings were convened but did not achieve their full promise - at Madrid, Camp David, Taba and Oslo, among others. Will this year be any different? I hope so in my heart, but I do not think so, to judge by current political realities.

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Israel Allows 3,500 Palestinians To Stay In Wb
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Deutsche Presse Agentur
October 10, 2007 - 1:57pm

The Israeli government has granted official residency status to 3,500 Palestinians who in the last decade entered the West Bank on Israeli-issued visitors’ visas but never left, Palestinian officials said Wednesday. Israel however did not grant official residency status to another 1,500 Palestinians residing illegally in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

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Mid-east Diary: Summit Prospects
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News
by Jeremy Bowen - October 10, 2007 - 1:53pm

Another Middle East peace summit is coming up in the United States, but there are risks in holding summits on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and one of the main parties to the conflict, Hamas, is being excluded.  At the moment, the summit looks likely to start in Annapolis, Maryland, on 15 November. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are having regular meetings about it. They are trying to produce an agreed document about the future. Mr Abbas wants more detail. Mr Olmert wants something pretty vague.

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