September 3rd

Pressing Netanyahu is the key to success in Mideast peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Ahmad Tibi - (Opinion) September 3, 2010 - 12:00am It is unfortunate that the direct Palestinian-Israeli peace talks that got underway this week are saddled with an Israeli prime minister who has made clear his unwillingness to reach an equitable two-state solution. » Read more

Palestinian strategy towards independence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab - (Analysis) September 3, 2010 - 12:00am There is a chance that the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 will soon end and an independent Palestinian state will emerge. The direct peace talks taking place in Washington are a necessary step towards that goal, but this is not the only option the Palestinians have. » Read more

President Obama flexes muscles ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico by Ben Smith - September 2, 2010 - 12:00am The launch of new direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders Thursday was the result of a rare flexing of U.S. muscle by President Barack Obama, whose extended hand has left him fewer opportunities for foreign policy chest thumping than his predecessor had. The Obama administration was able to force two reluctant adversaries to put tricky domestic politics aside and agree to show up for an unpredictable, unscripted series of meetings every two weeks, the next to be held in Egypt on September 14-15. » Read more

Peace this time? Even a lapsed optimist must hope ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Shlomo Avineri - (Opinion) September 3, 2010 - 12:00am The resumption in Washington of direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks is good news. But whether these talks will lead to an agreement, let alone within one year as US President Barack Obama hopes, is another matter. When Obama, two days into his presidency, appointed former Senator George Mitchell as his special envoy to the Middle East, many hoped that within two years his efforts would lead to an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians – and to a comprehensive peace between Israel and all its Arab neighbors. » Read more

Contested Settlement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Hussein Ibish - September 2, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories has proved to be among the most serious irritants in the U.S.-Israel relationship. It is also one of the most significant obstacles to a negotiated settlement. But with direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations kicking off this week and Israel's partial settlement freeze set to expire in a few weeks, the issue is once again poised to come to the forefront of the Middle East peace process. » Read more

Camp David Redux: A Look Back At Lessons Learned ATFP World Press Roundup Article from National Public Radio (NPR) (Interview) September 2, 2010 - 12:00am MELISSA BLOCK, host: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. Im Melissa Block. ROBERT SIEGEL, host: And Im Robert Siegel. The resumption of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians in Washington this week, reminded us of the last time the parties aimed at settling their differences with an American president as mediator. Ten summers ago, there were two weeks of talks at Camp David. President Bill Clinton hoped to settle the conflict once and for all. » Read more

As Mideast talks begin, Clinton urges Israelis, Palestinians to seek 'future of peace' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Scott Wilson - September 2, 2010 - 12:00am The Obama administration formally innaugurated its foray into Middle East peacemaking on Thursday, bringing together the Israeli and Palestinian leaders for face-to-face talks and securing their pledge to meet every two weeks to pursue an end to the decades-old conflict. » Read more

Mideast peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) September 3, 2010 - 12:00am Direct talks have begun between the Palestinians and Israelis in Washington after a 20-month hiatus and to give the negotiations a good start, President Barack Obama organized a glittering political gathering. Not only were Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there, so were Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdallah of Jordan. » Read more

Experts Fear Mideast Talks Are Too Ambitious ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - September 2, 2010 - 12:00am As the Israeli and Palestinian leaders pledged at the peace summit meeting in Washington this week to try to resolve the core issues that have long divided their people and bloodied the land, a growing number of stakeholders here in Israel worried that the two sides were aiming too high. » Read more

Settlements in West Bank Are Clouding Peace Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Helene Cooper, Mark Landler - September 2, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli and Palestinian negotiators cleared the first hurdle on Thursday in their elusive quest for Middle East peace: they agreed to keep talking, two weeks from now in Egypt. But on a richly choreographed day of diplomacy, filled with solemn promises to tackle the tough issues dividing them, the Israeli and Palestinian leaders did not confront the one issue that could sink these talks in three weeks: whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will extend a moratorium on the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. » Read more