October 14th

Will Israel’s ambassador attend J street parley?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

J Street has lined up plenty of high-profile speakers for its first major conference, but the new and controversial self-described "pro-Israel, pro-peace" lobby is looking to add one more prominent name to the guest list. The organization -- which has backed U.S. pressure on Israel (and the Palestinians), criticized Israel’s invasion of Gaza and criticized more established pro-Israel groups -- wants Michael Oren, the U.S.-born and raised Israeli ambassador to Washington, to attend and address its first major conference at the end of this month. Oren is undecided.

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Palestinians urge Israeli punishment over Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Edith M. Lederer - October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

UNITED NATIONS — The Palestinians called Wednesday for global action to punish Israel for alleged war crimes during its military assault on Gaza last winter, warning that the credibility of the United Nations and international human rights law was at stake. The demand was based on the findings of a commission headed by former South African judge Richard Goldstone.

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Fatah official: Abbas' adviser gave him bad advice over Goldstone
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

Those who advised President Mahmoud Abbas to defer the Goldstone report gave him bad advice, Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha’ath told a Paris panel on Wednesday. Sha’ath spoke at an online panel discussion of the issues raised by the recent Palestinian Authority decision to delay the decision on whether or not to adopt the Goldstone report into UN policy. The discussion was organized by the Paris-based Arab European Studies Center.

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Palestinians rescue 2 Israelis who accidentally enter West Bank village
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

The Palestinian security organizations have removed two Israeli citizens who accidentally entered the village of Dura, west of Hebron. The two were handed over to the Israel Police through the Civil Administration. The Israel Defense Forces stresses that Israelis are not allowed to enter Area A, and should refrain from entering Area B, which is considered dangerous. (Hanan Greenberg)


Draft UN resolution inserts text on Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

A draft resolution submitted by Palestinian diplomats to the United Nations Human Rights Council calls for a full endorsement of the Goldstone report on Gaza and also condemns Israel for its policies in Jerusalem. The draft was made public on Wednesday on the website of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. President Mahmoud Abbas’ government reportedly submitted the draft after it demanded a new debate on the Goldstone war crimes report.

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President Abbas gives a major address pledging to resume efforts to push the Goldstone report in multilateral institutions and reiterating Palestinian conditions for peace talks. Israeli and Palestinian leaders welcome Pres. Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. Special Envoy George Mitchell reiterates that a Palestinian state must be "contiguous."Israeli forces reportedly demolished a Palestinian home in occupied East Jerusalem. News reports differ as to whether or not Palestinian factions are set to sign an Egyptian brokered reconciliation agreement in coming days, and Hamas reiterates its opposition to new elections. Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against Israeli officials around the world, Turkey excludes Israel from planned military joint exercises, and Israel has warned Britain against any show of support for the Goldstone report.

Hopes fade over Palestinian unity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English
October 12, 2009 - 12:00am

A reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas, the rival Palestinian parties, has been delayed, following a bitter dispute over the Palestinian decision not to back a UN report on alleged Israeli war crimes. The deal was to be signed on October 25, clearing the way for Hamas and Fatah to co-operate in rebuilding war-damaged Gaza by preparing for Palestinian elections in the first half of 2010.

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Too early to villainize Obama in Mideast
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Rami Khouri - October 10, 2009 - 12:00am

The Obama administration policy in the Middle East vis-à-vis the Arab-Israeli conflict is starting to become clearer, but remains mostly unclear. It is clearer because of recent moves on such matters as the Richard Goldstone report on the Gaza war or the pressure on Israel to freeze settlements, but it would be a mistake to jump to conclusions and assume that the Obama Middle East policy is quickly reverting to the traditional American default position of being in Israel’s pocket.

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Disappointing state of affairs
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Editorial) October 12, 2009 - 12:00am

George Mitchell, the US Middle East envoy, is dangerously close to going the way of so many others who have tried to mediate between the Palestinians and Israelis. It was hoped that Mitchell would arrive in Ramallah Friday with something to rescue the Palestinian leadership from the doldrums that it has found itself in ever since the PLO accepted the UN to defer a vote on the Goldstone report on alleged war crimes during Israel’s brutal offensive on Gaza earlier this year.

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Postponing Discussion on the Goldstone Report: Many Attackers and Even More Beneficiaries!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Raghida Dergham - October 9, 2009 - 12:00am

A useful comparison can be made between, on the one had, internal US discourse as well as US-international discourse over the issue of the problem of Afghanistan and the extent to which Islamic extremism affects the interests of nations, and, on the other, the way the international community as well as the Arabs – amongst themselves – is addressing the report of the head of the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza War, Judge Richard Goldstone. This report condemned both Israel and Hamas for committing “war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity”.

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