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Futile Missions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Faisal Al Rfouh - (Opinion) January 20, 2010 - 1:00am The upcoming visit of US Middle East envoy George Mitchell, to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, is unlikely to yield fruitful results because of the differing attitudes of the concerned parties. The Mitchell mission was set up by President Barack Obama just two days after his inauguration in January last year, to facilitate negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The US concern for the Middle East crisis seemingly became serious in the aftermath of September 11, as can be witnessed from the number of “special envoys” appointed since then. |
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Obama's year-one: low marks for all
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) January 20, 2010 - 1:00am The first anniversary of Barack Obama’s presidency is a good time to review his performance in the Middle East, and the Middle East’s performance vis-à-vis the United States. The exercise is depressing, but useful, especially when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict that remains the central destabilizing factor in the wider region. It is unfair only to measure Obama’s performance, and ignore the Israeli and Arab principal players in this prolonged drama of stalemate and stagnation. |
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Encountering Peace: Israel - a leader among the community of nations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) January 18, 2010 - 1:00am Humanitarian disasters around the world bring out the best in Israel and in Israelis. The horrific devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti and the scenes of unbearable human suffering brought about an immediate enlistment of both civilian and public efforts to come to the aid of the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere. |
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The ugly face of israeli politics
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Osama Al-Sharif - (Opinion) January 20, 2010 - 1:00am In the world of Israel’s extreme politics, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman comes out as a true representative of a new breed of politicians, whose ideological bigotry is augmented by their blind faith in brutal military force. Lieberman is the ugly face of Israel; an evil man more often than not acting as thug than a politician, a mobster who threatens “enemies” with destruction and annihilation and continues to underline Israel’s impunity status. |
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Fayyad is attempting to make Fatah weak, movement's officials say
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - January 20, 2010 - 1:00am Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's government has been working to weaken Fatah by drying up its financial resources and isolating it in the political and security fields, Fatah officials said on Tuesday. The latest allegation came as members of the Fatah Revolutionary Council continued their deliberations for the sixth consecutive day in Ramallah to discuss the faction's financial status and the crisis with Hamas. |
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PA pushing for short e. Jerusalem freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - January 20, 2010 - 1:00am The Palestinian Authority is pushing Israel to agree to a total construction freeze, in both the settlements and east Jerusalem, of between three to six months, something senior Israeli officials said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will not agree to, The Jerusalem Post has learned. This is one idea that US Middle East envoy George Mitchell is expected to raise during talks with Netanyahu on Thursday. Mitchell, who has not been to the region since early November, is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday and stay through Saturday. |
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Vatican: Israeli occupation foments Mideast conflicts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press January 20, 2010 - 1:00am A Vatican document released Tuesday blamed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the "occupying" of lands for fomenting most of the conflicts in the Middle East, driving Christians out and making life difficult for those who remain. The document is a guide for discussions for an Oct. 10-24 meeting of Mideast bishops convened by Pope Benedict XVI to discuss the plight of the Christian minority in the overwhelmingly Muslim region. The exodus of Christians from the region and religious discrimination faced by those who remain are main issues on the table. |
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Palestinians stressed over Mitchell visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - January 20, 2010 - 1:00am US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell is on his way to the region, and the Palestinians are feeling the pressure. Palestinian sources on Wednesday said that recent talks with American and international sources have shown that the international community does not want the Palestinians to condition the renewal of peace talks on a settlement construction freeze as has been the case so far. |
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Barak okays university recognition of Ariel College
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yaheli Moran Zelikovich - January 20, 2010 - 1:00am Five years after the Israeli government decided to declare Ariel College, which is located in the West Bank, a recognized university, Ynet learned that the defense minister has agreed to implement the decision that was part of the political clashes within the coalition. |
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Obama's lost senate seat is a victory for Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Aluf Benn - January 20, 2010 - 1:00am The Republican upset in the race for the U.S. Senate seat held for nearly half a century by liberal Edward M. Kennedy reflects a huge victory for opponents of U.S. President Barack Obama - and also for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Scott Brown defeated once-favored Martha Coakley for the Massachusetts seat even after U.S. President Barack Obama rushed to Boston on Sunday to try to save her candidacy. |