Mubarak to Israel: Progress before Recognition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press May 13, 2009 - 12:00am Progress in peace negotiations must come before Arab recognition of Israel, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in an interview with Israel TV broadcast late Tuesday. Mubarak also addressed American suggestions that the 2002 Arab initiative, offering Israel normal relations with the Arab world if Israel withdraws from all of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, east Jerusalem and Golan Heights, could be amended. He categorically rejected that idea and said the only road to peace is the creation of a Palestinian state. » Read more

Cool reception for Pope in Holy City ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Heather Sharp - May 13, 2009 - 12:00am "I don't have photos taken with Arabs," jokes Amir Habshush, a Jew, before flinging his arm around his Muslim friend Abouda Gheth and grinning at the lens. Internet footage of the Pope visiting the Jewish holy site, the Western Wall, just a couple of hundred metres away, plays on a computer monitor. But the two young cafe managers are more interested in the business they are losing because of the vast security operation for the pontiff's trip. Road closures and security checks have meant long walks to work, and left Jerusalem's bustling Old City unusually quiet. » Read more

Pope calls for Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News May 13, 2009 - 12:00am Pope Benedict XVI has offered his support for the Palestinians' right to a homeland, as he continues a Middle East tour in the West Bank. Speaking in Bethlehem, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the Pope called for a "just and lasting" peace in the region. He urged Palestinians not to resort to violence and terrorism. He then held a Mass in Bethlehem's Manger Square before visiting a nearby Palestinian refugee camp. One of the aims of the pontiff's visit is to preserve a diminishing Christian presence in the Holy Land. » Read more

Obama to push Israelis, Palestinians on peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters May 12, 2009 - 12:00am U.S. President Barack Obama will urge Palestinian, Israeli and Egyptian leaders to take the steps necessary to achieve peace in the Middle East when they visit Washington this month, the White House said on Tuesday. The White House said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would visit on May 18, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on May 26 and President Mahmoud Abbas on May 28. » Read more

In Bethlehem, Pope Urges Lifting of Gaza Embargo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Alan Cowell, Rachel Donadio - May 13, 2009 - 12:00am Pope Benedict XVI traveled Wednesday to this town that Christians revere as the birthplace of Jesus, telling Palestinians that after decades of suffering, they had a right to a sovereign homeland “in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders.” Confronting the region’s political tripwires, he evoked “the loss, the hardship and the suffering” of Palestinians in war-torn Gaza, saying he prayed for the lifting of the economic embargo that Israel has imposed there since the militant group Hamas took control in 2007. » Read more