May 29th

Israeli police shut Palestinian literature festival in East Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz May 29, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli police shut down a Palestinian theatre in East Jerusalem on Thursday, forcing foreign writers taking part in an international literature festival to move elsewhere for the second time in a week. The police action was the latest in recent weeks against what Israel sees as attempts by the Palestinian Authority to host political activities in the city, where both sides in the conflict have staked claims to have their national capital. » Read more

Obama: ‘time of the essence’ on peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - May 29, 2009 - 12:00am Israel and the Palestinians don't have "a moment to lose" in pursuing peace, President Barack Obama said, while recognizing political obstacles on both sides. Obama spoke Thursday after meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, just over a week after he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. » Read more

AIPAC-backed letter gets 329 House signatures ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) May 28, 2009 - 12:00am More than three-quarters of the House of Representatives signed an AIPAC-backed letter to President Obama on Middle East peace. The document, signed by 329 members of Congress, calls for "every effort" to be made to realize an Arab-Israeli peace while laying out certain "basic principles" to achieve it. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) spearheaded the letter since its introduction earlier this month. A similar letter in the U.S. Senate garnered 76 signatures. » Read more

PA official: Abbas expects US pressure to push out Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post May 29, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will not resume negotiations with Israel unless the Netanyahu government agrees to a complete settlement freeze and publicly accepts a two-state solution, Abbas has told The Washington Post in an interview. And since he does not believe Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will lift his opposition on these issues, Abbas and his leadership expect American pressure to gradually force Netanyahu out of office, the paper reported on Friday. "It will take a couple of years," it quoted one of Abbas's officials as saying. » Read more

Misery Hangs Over Gaza Despite Pledges of Help ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - May 28, 2009 - 12:00am Dozens of families still live in tents amid collapsed buildings and rusting pipes. With construction materials barred, a few are building mud-brick homes. Everything but food and medicine has to be smuggled through desert tunnels from Egypt. Among the items that people seek is an addictive pain reliever used to fight depression. » Read more

Misery Hangs Over Gaza Despite Pledges of Help ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - May 28, 2009 - 12:00am Dozens of families still live in tents amid collapsed buildings and rusting pipes. With construction materials barred, a few are building mud-brick homes. Everything but food and medicine has to be smuggled through desert tunnels from Egypt. Among the items that people seek is an addictive pain reliever used to fight depression. » Read more

Obama Calls for Swift Move Toward Mideast Peace Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Helene Cooper - May 29, 2009 - 12:00am President Obama called on Israelis and Palestinians on Thursday to move swiftly toward peace talks, as his administration embarked on its first public dispute with Israel. Speaking to reporters at the White House after talks with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, Mr. Obama said that the absence of peace between Israelis and Palestinians was clogging up other critical issues in the Middle East. » Read more

Obama Pushes Israel On Settlement Issue ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Glenn Kessler - May 29, 2009 - 12:00am President Obama yesterday continued to press his administration's tough stance on Jewish settlements in the West Bank, telling reporters after a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas that Israel must halt all settlement activity to build momentum for peace. » Read more

U.S.-Israel rift becomes an unusually public one ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Paul Richter - May 29, 2009 - 12:00am Reporting from Jerusalem and Washington Richard Boudreaux -- President Obama and top Israeli officials staked out sharply opposing positions over the explosive issue of Jewish settlements Thursday, propelling a rare dispute between the two close allies into full public view just days before the U.S. leader is due to deliver a long-awaited address in Egypt to the world's Muslims. » Read more

Questions of Legitimacy Loom Over Abbas In Meeting with Obama Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In PBS - May 28, 2009 - 12:00am President Obama met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Thursday to discuss divisions among the Palestinian people and the ongoing controversy over Israeli settlements on the West Bank. Two Mideast analysts mull the outcome of the meeting. » Read more