September 9th

Clinton: Arab momentum building for two-state solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Natasha Mozgovaya - (Analysis) September 8, 2010 - 12:00am

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday dismissed doubts over the success of Middle East peace talks, saying skeptics were "wrong" and that negotiations had gained momentum with backing from Arab states willing to accept a two-state solution. "There's a certain momentum," she said. "You know, we have some challenges in the early going that we have to get over, but I think that we have a real shot here."

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PLO: Don't let Israeli extremists derail peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
(Analysis) September 9, 2010 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- "The USA, the Quartet and the Arab world must exert their utmost efforts to ensure a complete cessation of settlement construction," a statement from the PLO's Executive Committee said Thursday night. The statement asked that parties invested in the talks work to "forbid extremist forces in Israel from derailing peace talks," and reiterated the support of the body for the negotiations.

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September 8th

An American psychiatrist is helping children in Gaza cope with stress and trauma. Tom Friedman says it's time for Saudi Arabia to get involved in the peace process. The Arab press is skeptical about negotiations. The PA seeks to reduce public spending. Pres. Abbas says there can be no peace agreement that excludes Gaza. Israel considers impounding ships trying to break the blockade. A mortar launched from Gaza lands near Israeli schools, but causes no injuries. Hamas threatens the PA over arrests. Ha'aretz says the partial settlement moratorium will continue in practice. Aluf Benn says the most important thing Israel needs from negotiations is a border. The PA says it has arrested six people for last week's drive-by killing of Israeli settlers by Hamas. Pres. Obama and Sec. Clinton call on US Jews and Muslims to support peace. Palestinian politicians are outraged by a TV satire program. Ahmed Moor says Palestinian refugees in Lebanon should be disarmed and integrated. The JTA looks at settlements and other obstacles to peace, and interviews Israeli Amb. Michael Oren. Asharq Al-Awsat interviews Palestinian Spokesman Abu-Rudaynah. The Media Line looks at tensions between Palestinian and Iranian leaders.

Abbas vs. Ahmadinejad
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Benjamin Joffe-Walt - September 5, 2010 - 12:00am

The Mahmouds... For years they’ve appeared publicly to be allies. When resources were low, one rushed to the rescue of the other. When one of their rhetorical wheels would run dry, the other would pipe-in with eloquent axioms. But now, the truth about the Mahmouds has been revealed and these two former buddies have fallen out in a public barrage of invective. In the one corner we have disputed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the self-proclaimed champion of the Palestinian cause and supporter of Palestinian militant movements.

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Palestinian Spokesman Abu-Rudaynah Talks to Asharq Al-Awsat
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Mina Al-Oraibi - (Interview) September 7, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinian Presidency Spokesman Nabil Abu-Rudaynah has affirmed that the negotiations between President Mahmud Abbas (Abu-Mazin) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not deal with the core issues of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Their meeting was "to explore the positions." He added that all the core issues would be raised during the coming two weeks with a view to defining the position of each side before they start the negotiations. This would be a complex and critical process.

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Michael Oren, making the case for Obama
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - September 7, 2010 - 12:00am

Michael Oren outlines what may be his toughest assignment: Making the case to a skeptical public for a leader who's hard to pin down. Pitching Bibi to the Americans? No, that's an easy one. The real problem for the Israeli ambassador to Washington is how to make Israelis understand President Obama. "Obama often doesn’t get the credit he deserves in Israel," Oren said in a pre-Rosh Hashanah interview with the U.S. Jewish media. "I think it’s important at some point that he visits us."

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The peace talks—and their obstacles
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - September 7, 2010 - 12:00am

Direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis have barely begun and already the sides are facing their first major hurdle -- the end of Israel's partial moratorium on settlement building. Several issues might beset the sides as they aim to meet the yearlong deadline suggested by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and endorsed (with considerable enthusiasm) by President Obama and (with less enthusiasm) by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

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Disarming Lebanon's Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Ahmed Moor - (Opinion) September 8, 2010 - 12:00am

Lebanon is regenerating. On balance, the country's collective sloughing off of history has been more successful than not. It is only 20 years since the civil war ended, and the memories of internecine atrocities remain; sporadic sectarian violence is a fact of life here. Fortunately, the Lebanese have avoided descending once more into civil war's morass but, despite all the healing, the Palestinian refugee issue still festers.

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Palestinian TV satire Watan ala Watar unites political rivals – in anger
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - September 7, 2010 - 12:00am

Political rivals Hamas and Fatah are united – in anger. But the bite-sized nightly satirical sketches of Watan ala Watar have become a Ramadan sensation, cheering thousands of Palestinian television viewers through the holy month. The show has distracted families from the iftar meal that breaks their traditional daily fast, causing them to abandon half-eaten plates of chicken, lamb and rice for 10 minutes of intensive mockery of their political leaders.

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Obama, Clinton call on US Jews, Muslims to back talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Hilary Leila Krieger - September 8, 2010 - 12:00am

US President Barack Obama indicated he understood recent Palestinian statements threatening to quit the peace process and rejecting compromise as political posturing, according to rabbis on a White House conference call Tuesday. Obama, who spoke with rabbis of various denominations in a call marking Rosh Hashanah, was asked by a participant about comments from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas perceived in Israel as hostile to the negotiating process he launched with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu just last Thursday.

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