December 15th

Report: Dennis Ross in Israel for secret talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
December 15, 2010 - 1:00am

Veteran US diplomat Dennis Ross arrived in Israel Tuesday evening and is scheduled to hold talks with Israeli security officials, Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Wednesday. Ross, a prominent US policy maker, was allegedly sent by US president Barak Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to check out what security coordination would be necessary if a final peace agreement was reached in the region.

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Abbas to Cairo following Mitchell request
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
December 15, 2010 - 1:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak Wednesday to discuss a US request to return to indirect talks given Israel’s refusal to stop settlement construction in the West Bank. Abbas and Mubarak will also tackle the Palestinian national dialogue brokered by Egypt.

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Team Obama enters a new phase in Israel, Palestinian talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
(Editorial) December 15, 2010 - 1:00am

George Mitchell, special US envoy to the Middle East, is back in the region this week just days after the United States had to abandon its attempt at direct talks between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders. If nothing else, the US is dogged in its pursuit of peace.

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Jerusalem Marathon runs into politics
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Batsheva Sobelman - December 15, 2010 - 1:00am

When Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat invited people to participate in the Jerusalem Marathon, he called it a "challenging sporting event." Still 100 days away, the city's first full marathon is already giving the mayor -- a five-time marathoner himself -- a run for his money. After someone pointed out to three city council members that the course ran through parts of East Jerusalem, they sent a letter of protest to Adidas, one of the international event's main sponsors.

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December 14th

Special Envoy Mitchell meets with Pres. Abbas. Robert Wright says the UN can create a Palestinian state. Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon says Palestinians must prove they want peace. Occupation forces demolish two homes under construction in occupied East Jerusalem. The EU pushes for an end to settlement activity and says it will recognize a Palestinian state “when appropriate.” Hamas celebrates its 23rd anniversary, and tries to shore up its popularity. Israel refuses entry to Palestinian firefighters being honored for helping with the Carmel blaze. Carlos Strenger says the Palestinian state has been born in South America. DM Barak says Israel is threatened by the lack of peace. Members of Congress say a unilateral declaration of statehood could end US funding to the PA. Carlo Strenger and Akiva Eldar say Palestinian statehood requires recognition of Israel. George Semaan says the Arabs need a new strategy for dealing with Israel. Hussein Ibish says Sec. Clinton's recent speech gives the Palestinians a real opportunity for progress.

Not walking away from peace just yet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) December 14, 2010 - 1:00am

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s speech at the Brookings Institution on December 10 has again shown that the Obama administration is not willing to walk away from efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in spite of the obstacles and setbacks it is facing. The position Clinton laid out presents an important potential opportunity for Palestinians to make the point that they are ready for and serious about peace, and to test Israel’s willingness.

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In Need of a Strategy and Not Just Tactics!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by George Semaan - (Opinion) December 13, 2010 - 1:00am

It is one thing for the political process to collapse and for the American administration to fail due to its inability to pressure Benjamin Netanyahu, but it is a totally different thing for Washington to leave the region in a state of chaos and vacuum. While a settlement is impossible, or was rendered so by the Israeli right-wing, the United States is not ready to risk seeing the region slide towards the worst, and must at least give the impression that it is still committed to the peace process.

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Palestinians' future is in their hands
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Akiva Eldar, Carlo Strenger - (Editorial) December 14, 2010 - 1:00am

The Israel-Palestine conflict has been endlessly long, tragic, filled with wrong decisions on all sides and there are many ways of telling the story. Saeb Erekat, in his recent article on the Palestinian right of return, chooses to begin his story ("narrative" is the fashionable word) with the assassination of Count Bernadotte, the first UN mediator, by Jewish militants commanded by Yitzchak Shamir, later prime minister, in 1948. The implication is clear: Israelis killed justice from the very outset.

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EU to recognise Palestinian state 'when appropriate'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
December 13, 2010 - 1:00am

The ministers' statement followed a call from Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for the EU to recognise Palestine based on the 1967 borders. The EU ministers emphasised the need for a negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinians. Brazil and Argentina recently joined the growing number of countries to recognise Palestine. More than 100 states around the world recognise Palestine, their mission at the United Nations says. Collapsed talks The Palestinian chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said Mr Abbas spoke to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton earlier on Monday.

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Congress: PA funding could hinge on state declaration
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Hilary Leila Krieger - December 14, 2010 - 1:00am

Members of Congress are warning that American funding of the Palestinian Authority could be threatened by efforts to advance a unilateral declaration of statehood. “Pursuing a non-negotiated path to statehood is a fool’s errand. Palestinians want a state, not a declaration. Their only way to achieve that is through direct negotiations with Israel,” California Democrat Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

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