April 17th

ATFP Senior Fellow speaks at Towson University
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - April 17, 2009 - 12:00am

ATFP senior fellow Hussein Ibish spoke at Towson University on April 16 on the subject of “a third intifada or peace?” Dr. Ibish told the audience that peace was vital to both the Israeli and Palestinian national interests, and that a “third intifada” might be a predictable outcome of the long-term failure of peace talks, but would likely be a disaster for both sides. “In contrast to the largely nonviolent first intifada, the militarized second intifada was a disaster for the Palestinian national movement” he said.


Mideast envoy George Mitchell continues his meetings with Israeli leadership (1) (2), and is set to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today (7). The Washington Post profiles the first-year accomplishments of new Jewish lobby J Street (3), while the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports on J Street's new campus initiative (5). Rahm Emmanuel is reported to have told a Jewish leader that President Obama is determined to see a Palestinian state created in his first term (4). A Palestinian man is shot dead after allegedly trying to stab residents of a West Bank settlement (6), while The Yesha Council of Settlements blames the attack on Israeli cooperation in the efforts to create a Palestinian state (13). A Palestinian protestor in Bilin is killed by the IDF (14).

Lieberman: Israel still forming its foreign policy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Roni Sofer - April 17, 2009 - 12:00am

Lieberman: Israel still forming its foreign policy Foreign minister meets with Russian deputy minister for Middle Eastern affairs, asks for clarifications on Russian weapons supply to Iran, Syria Roni Sofer Israel's foreign policy has yet to be determined, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said during a meeting Friday with Russian Deputy Foreign minister for Middle Eastern Affairs Alexander Saltanov. The remark was made on the backdrop of Lieberman's firm declarations that the Annapolis peace process is no longer valid.

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Palestinian killed in Bilin protest
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - April 17, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian sources reported Friday that a local demonstrator was killed after being hit in the chest by a tear gas canister during a protest against the separation fence in the West Bank village of Bilin. The man, 30-year-old Bassem Ibrahim Abu-Rahma from Bilin, was evacuated to a Ramallah hospital in serious condition, where he then died of his wounds. The army confirmed the report of Abu-Rahma's death. Representatives of the IDF and the Coordination and Liaison Authority met with Palestinian officials later in the day as part of the joint investigation into the incident.

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Settler council: Peace talks with Palestinians perpetuate terror
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Nadav Shragai - April 17, 2009 - 12:00am

The Yesha Council of Settlements on Friday said that Israeli cooperation in the efforts to create a Palestinian state were to blame for the attempted terrorist attack on the West Bank settlement of Beit Haggai earlier in the day. A knife-wielding Palestinian infiltrated Beit Haggai Friday morning, and was shot dead by local security guards, preventing his apparent plan to carry out a terror attack, according to the Israel Defense Forces. One Israeli civilian was lightly wounded in the incident.

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Netanyahu demands Palestinians recognize 'Jewish state'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - April 17, 2009 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told visiting U.S. envoy George Mitchell on Thursday that his government would condition talks over Palestinian statehood on the Palestinians first recognizing Israel as a Jewish state. "Israel expects the Palestinians to first recognize Israel as a Jewish state before talking about two states for two peoples," a senior official in Netanyahu's office quoted the new prime minister as telling Mitchell, U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy to the Middle East.

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Fair journalism must brave the crossfire
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Common Ground News Service
by Khaled Diab - April 17, 2009 - 12:00am

Although the Israeli-Palestinian media battlefield is bitter and deeply entrenched, journalists have a responsibility to venture into the no-man's-land between the two sides, even if it means getting caught in the crossfire. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most protracted and bitter in the world. The acrimony and polarization associated with the conflict has transformed media themselves into a veritable battlefield.

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Deeper than the Tunnels of Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
April 16, 2009 - 12:00am

There is no more prominent sign to the new chapter in Arab collapses than the Israeli spitefulness at the struggle between a major Arab country, Egypt, and Hezbollah, which considers itself the head of the resistance in the region. This is a prominent chapter in the struggle between the legitimate regimes and the resistance movements. No matter what explanation each side uses to justify its stance, this spitefulness doesn't cost the Israelis anything.

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Calls for a Plan from Obama to Break the Stalemate in the Peace Process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Joyce Karam - April 17, 2009 - 12:00am

The stalemate in the Middle East peace process generated by the deepening divisions among the Palestinians, and most recently the diverging policy agendas of the Israeli government and the White House, is renewing calls by experts to the Obama administration to draft a "new comprehensive peace plan" to salvage the two-state solution.

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Netanyahu 'no partner for peace'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
April 17, 2009 - 12:00am

Saeb Erekat was speaking after US envoy George Mitchell met Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank, a day after talks in Israel. He said Mr Netanyahu's new demand that the Palestinians recognise Israel as a Jewish state was meant to stall talks. Mr Netanyahu has not endorsed the creation of a Palestinian state. Mr Erekat also urged the administration of US President Barack Obama to act as an "even-handed" broker. Mr Mitchell is on his first visit to the region since Mr Netanyahu's right-leaning coalition took office.

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