May 13th

Econ Progress In The West Bank Lays Basis For Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal
by John D. Mckinnon - May 13, 2008 - 5:58pm

President Bush departs Tuesday for a Mideast peace mission that on the surface appears unpromising. But administration officials say there is quiet movement on the outlines of a future Palestinian state and that momentum is building on the economic-development front, particularly in the Palestinian West Bank. Even if Mr. Bush's 11th-hour push for a peace deal ultimately fails, growing investment in the area is pointing the way toward possible longer-term progress, officials say.

»

Rice: Mideast Peace 'not Impossible'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI)
May 13, 2008 - 5:57pm

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday peace in the Middle East may be "improbable" but "not impossible." In a taped interview in Washington on CBS's "The Early Show," Rice said she remains convinced her upcoming trip to the Middle East with U.S. President George Bush will push the process forward. The trip begins Tuesday. "Well, if the parties want to do this and will put the energy and the will into it, I think they can do it (reach a peace agreement)," Rice said.

»

Bush: Israeli Peace Independent Of Olmert
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
May 13, 2008 - 5:56pm

U.S. President George W. Bush said in interviews published Tuesday ahead of a visit to Israel that the country's peace process with the Palestinians does not depend on embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Police suspect Olmert illictly took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from an American fundraiser. The Israeli leader has said he would resign if indicted.

»

Bush's Legacy On Israel Debated On Eve Of Visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Michael Abramowitz - May 13, 2008 - 5:52pm

Appearing at an Israeli Embassy reception last Thursday to mark the 60th anniversary of the Jewish state, Vice President Cheney voiced a sentiment that is common among many American Jews, evangelicals and others. "Israel has never had a better friend in the White House than the 43rd president of the United States," he said.

»

May 12th

The Bush Administration leads today’s roundup as President George W. Bush returns to Jerusalem this week (1-3, 10). The Wall Street Journal highlights economic development efforts in Palestine, including the U.S. Palestinian Public Private Partnership (4). ATFP provides a translation of an Al-Ayyam article by Hassan Khader (8). Wilson Center Scholar Aaron David Miller discusses the application of U.S. power in seeking an Israeli-Arab Peace (11). Daniel Kurtzer, an advisor to Democratic candidate Barack Obama, argues that Jerusalem must be included in any peace deal (13).

Bush Should Stay Home
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) May 12, 2008 - 5:44pm

If George Bush were a true friend of Israel, he would seize the investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as an excuse to stay home tomorrow. Unless he has a rabbit in his hat, this will be the third time in the past half year that the U.S. president shows the Palestinians and the entire Arab world that they are wasting their time by trying to end the occupation by peaceful means.

»

Shas Threatens To Quit Gov't Over Future Peace Deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Roni Sofer - May 12, 2008 - 5:42pm

  Shas will quit the government should "a dangerous deal" with the Palestinians materialize, party chairman Eli Yishai stated Monday. "Shas will not be part of a government that will reduce the territory of the Jewish people's state and fill it with refugees," he told Ynet. "The rabbi (Ovadia Yosef) said he would not lend his hand to another disengagement. We will not lend our hand to an attempt to hand over territory to Hamas," Yishai added.

»

Iran And The Fearful Arabs
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) May 12, 2008 - 5:41pm

Amidst the political classification in the region and talk of the moderate and extremist states, other states seem to have been overlooked – and they are the states that deserve to be called the 'fearful Arab' states. Clearly, they have come to the forefront of the events in Lebanon once again and those who attended the exceptional summit in Cairo are aware of that.

»

A Historic Compromise Under Threat
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) May 12, 2008 - 5:40pm

With both Israelis and Palestinians commemorating 60-year anniversaries at this time, it is instructive to look at what the respective sides are remembering. For Israelis, 1948 brought independence and statehood. For Palestinians, 1948 brought only disaster, the forced displacement of between more than half of their number, a majority that was to be shoehorned into refugee camps across the Arab world.

»

Jerusalem Diary: Monday 12 May
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News
by Tim Franks - (Blog) May 12, 2008 - 5:39pm

'AND HERE I AM 60 YEARS LATER' To get to Ali Abu Zour's living quarters, you have to fold yourself into an improbable shape, and stoop-crawl-walk through the square hole in the back of his shop. Once we had reached the bare room next to the kitchen, we decided it would be better to go back to the shop: just as comfortable, and he might not lose any passing business, as we talked.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017