June 16th

Israel sees deal soon with Obama over settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Adam Entous - June 16, 2009 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is negotiating a deal with Washington under which Israeli building in existing Jewish settlements could go forward in certain cases, Israeli and Western officials said on Tuesday. In talks with U.S. President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy, Netanyahu has asserted that his government does not have the legal authority to stop building in cases in which tenders for new structures have already been awarded or when homes under construction have already been purchased.

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The Ball is in the Air
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq Alhomayed - June 16, 2009 - 12:00am

The American and European response to the speech made on Sunday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he gave his opinion on the peace plan and the Palestinian state project was one of cautious optimism. The American and European statements were concise and cautious, Washington said that "the President welcomes this important step forward" and that "there is a long way to go" towards achieving peace. While the Europeans described the speech as "a step in the right direction" but said that it included "a number of other elements which need to be analyzed."

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Scant movement on Gaza blockade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
June 16, 2009 - 12:00am

Two years since Hamas seized control in Gaza, US President Barack Obama has strengthened his calls for an end to the crippling blockade Israel has imposed on the territory. "If the people of Gaza have no hope, if they can't even get clean water… if the border closures are so tight that it is impossible for reconstruction… then that is not going to be a recipe for Israel's long-term security," he said in his recent speech in Cairo.

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U.S. officials skeptical on a demilitarized Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Paul Richter - June 15, 2009 - 12:00am

U.S. officials reacted skeptically Monday to an Israeli proposal that the United States and other world powers guarantee that a new nation of Palestine remain demilitarized as a condition of its statehood. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said for the first time Sunday that Israel would be prepared to live side by side with a Palestinian state, but only if world powers guaranteed that it would be "demilitarized." The proposal came in a major statement of his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that attracted attention worldwide.

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Obama hails Netanyahu move
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times
by Nicholas Kralev - June 16, 2009 - 12:00am

President Obama on Monday welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's acceptance of a future Palestinian state, saying it boosted prospects for new peace talks. But U.S. officials distanced the administration from conditions outlined by the Israeli leader in a speech Sunday. Mr. Obama said Mr. Netanyahu had demonstrated the "possibility we can restart serious talks." The president made his remarks after a White House meeting Monday afternoon with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

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Obama hails Netanyahu move
Media Mention of Ziad Asali In The Washington Times - June 16, 2009 - 12:00am

President Obama on Monday welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's acceptance of a future Palestinian state, saying it boosted prospects for new peace talks. But U.S. officials distanced the administration from conditions outlined by the Israeli leader in a speech Sunday. Mr. Obama said Mr. Netanyahu had demonstrated the "possibility we can restart serious talks." The president made his remarks after a White House meeting Monday afternoon with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

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June 15th

The Next Founders: Voices of Democracy in the Middle East
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - June 15, 2009 - 12:00am

On Monday, June 15, ATFP President Ziad Asali took part in a panel discussion at the National Endowment for Democracy about the publication of Joshua Muravchik’s new book The Next Founders: Voices of Democracy in the Middle East. The discussion was co-sponsored by the International Forum for Democratic and moderated by Marc F. Plattner, the co-editor of the Journal of Democracy, vice-president for research and studies at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and co-director of the International Forum for Democratic Studies.


Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu delivers a controversial policy speech accepting the possibility of a Palestinian state but rejecting a settlement freeze (1), eliciting strong reactions from all sides (4) (5) (6) (9) (10) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18). The Washington Post examines how President Obama’s stance on an Israeli settlement freeze has been shaped over time (2). Newsweek interviews former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (4). A report released today by three international aid groups finds that Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank is increasing (7). The Independent features an op-ed by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on what Israel and the Palestinians must do to advance peace (8).

Obama’s Iran Policy to Focus on Human Rights, Not Election
Media Mention of ATFP In The Washington Independent - June 15, 2009 - 12:00am

As reports of political violence in Iran intensified after Friday’s fiercely disputed election, the Obama administration insisted that it would not interfere with the struggle for power between regime-backed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the thousands of demonstrators who contend the election was stolen. Administration officials, on and off the record, said that President Obama would offer support for human rights in Iran generally and would not back away from his diplomatic outreach to the longtime U.S. adversary, regardless of the ultimate outcome of the election.

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Mideast Peace Can Start With a Land Swap
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal
by David Makovsky - (Opinion) June 15, 2009 - 12:00am

The White House publicly welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech yesterday giving qualified support to a two-state solution with the Palestinians. Nonetheless, there remains a gap between Mr. Netanyahu and the Obama administration over the expansion of settlements. Fortunately, there is a way to bridge that gap.

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