November 20th

Arabs may have to look beyond Obama
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) November 20, 2009 - 1:00am

There is growing frustration, inside and outside the United States, with the Obama administration primarily because of its failure to bring about any measurable change in US policy, especially in the Middle East. Hopes are continuously raised, but have yet to be fulfilled. The spirited American leader has moved crowds with his ideas, both at home and abroad, most recently during his current East Asia tour, but none of his ideas have materialised. This has led some to look for alternative courses, skirting American involvement, as hard as this may seem to be.

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November 19th

The New York Times points out that Pres. Abbas' consideration of resignation constitutes a crisis for potential peace talks. Some Jewish Americans are making a coordinated effort to buy property in the occupied Palestinian territories. David Ignatius says the PA State building plan is the best hope for a better future, and the Christian Science Monitor argues that unilateralism on either side in the Middle East is implausible. Israeli warplanes reportedly attack Gaza. Former PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei adds his voice to those expressing doubt about the future of a two state negotiated peace agreement. Ha'aretz says the prospect of a Palestinian declaration of statehood should rejuvenate the Israeli peace camp, and wonders if PM Netanyahu's intransigence is pushing Washington to embrace Palestinian positions, a concern also voiced in a Ynet editorial. The Jerusalem Post has competing editorials condemning and praising the emerging strategy of Pres. Abbas. Pres. Obama says Israel's ongoing settlement expansion could be "dangerous."

Rattling the Cage: Go for it, Abbas!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Larry Derfner - (Opinion) November 19, 2009 - 1:00am

What we're seeing now in the West Bank is something the democratic world has been awaiting for a very, very long time: a non-violent Palestinian independence movement.

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Comment / Why has the left in Israel vanished?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yitzhak Laor - (Opinion) November 19, 2009 - 1:00am

The threats uttered against a possible Palestinian declaration of independence by our leaders Benjamin Netanyahu, Avigdor Lieberman and Ehud Barak let the Israeli sanctimony (usually tedious and belabored) drop to the floor for a moment, like a woman's slip. It exposed the ugly skeleton of force that gives only us freedom of speech - we're permitted, you're forbidden. We are allowed to reiterate Israel's Declaration of Independence over and over. You are not allowed to do so with yours.

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Expanding 'settlements' in eastern Jerusalem? Part 1
Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Examiner - November 19, 2009 - 1:00am

The government of Israel is in process of approving 900 new houses in the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem, on land acquired in 1967. The U.S. calls this “expanding a settlement.“ The White House press secretary “was ‘dismayed” and asking both parties to avoid unilateral actions that could ‘pre-empt or appear to pre-empt negotiations.’” “Disagreements over settlement building are in large part the reason that the negotiations, which have been stalled for months, have not resumed.”

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Palestinian state-building is the only game left in town
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by David Ignatius - (Opinion) November 19, 2009 - 1:00am

Looking at the city of Ramallah, you can imagine what a Palestinian state could someday be like if folks got serious: The streets are clean, there’s new construction in every direction, and Palestinian soldiers line the roads. A visitor sees new apartment buildings, banks, brokerage firms, luxury car dealerships, and even health clubs.

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A disregard for law, and for peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
(Editorial) November 19, 2009 - 1:00am

The news this week that the Israeli government has approved a further 900 new buildings in an East Jeru­salem settlement deals another hammer blow to the already waning peace process. Not only does the expansion of the Gilo settlement show a complete disregard for international law, it shows once again a preference for expansion over peace on the part of the Israel. In a speech to the Jewish Federation of North America a couple of weeks ago, Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of the achievements of the Jewish people.

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CIA launches TV campaign to recruit Arab-Americans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
November 19, 2009 - 1:00am

There's a swirl of activity in a spacious, modern kitchen as final meal preparations are made. An older man tries to swipe a felafel off an appetizer plate but instead gets a loving hand slap from a woman. The happy, well-dressed guests move to a table full of food in a dining room adorned with Middle Eastern wall-hangings.

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Few options left
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Michael Jansen - (Opinion) November 19, 2009 - 1:00am

The declaration by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he does not wish to run for a second term if and when elections are held has shocked both Israel and the US. His presence at the top of the Palestinian Authority provided them with the cover they needed to pursue their own selfish policies: Israel to continue its colonisation enterprise in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the US to carry on with its longstanding capitulation to the demands of the powerful hardline Zionist lobby, which marches in lockstep with the right-wing Israeli government.

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Moves against peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
November 19, 2009 - 1:00am

It seems Israel is taking full advantage of the crisis in the peace process to push its anti-peace agenda. Razing houses in East Jerusalem and issuing tenders for another 900 settlement units in illegal settlements, these ones in Gilo, a particularly ugly housing estate near Bethlehem, the Israeli government is continuing to send the kind of unmistakable signals that really ought to leave this country exposed as the pariah state it is.

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