November 5th

Did Rabin assassination mark decline of Israel's peace camp?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - November 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination 15 years ago at the peak of Israel's pro-peace movement now appears to have heralded the beginning of a long, slow decline for an Israeli left that is in danger of fading into irrelevance.

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Key US panel chief candidate is pro-Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Sharmila Devi - November 5, 2010 - 12:00am

EW YORK // Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the likely head of the foreign affairs committee in the House of Representatives, has taken some conservative Republican stances on the Middle East and the Muslim world in the decades since she became the first Cuban-American to be elected as a congresswoman in 1989.

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Saudi prince rules out engagement with Israel until Arab land is returned
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Glenn Kessler - November 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Saudi Arabia will refuse to "directly or indirectly engage Israel" until it leaves all land captured during the 1967 Six-Day War, a leading member of the Saudi royal family said Thursday, dashing any hopes the Obama administration might have had for rapprochement before a final peace deal.

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November 4th

News Analysis: New US Congress affects Obama's Middle East policy
Media Mention of ATFP In Xinhua - November 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Early results of the U.S. midterm elections indicate President Barack Obama's Democrats have lost control of the House of Representatives and the Republican Party has increased its presence in the Senate, which may affect Obama's role as a peace broker in the Middle East. When Obama convinced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year to impose a ten-month freeze on construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank so that the peace process could be resumed, hopes were high that it could lead to a breakthrough.

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Israel kills a leader of an Al Qaeda-inspired organization in Gaza, and hints the US approved the strike. Former Pres. Clinton remembers the late PM Rabin and says peace is still possible. The first settlement goods case comes before a Palestinian court. Pres. Abbas says the US is trying to restart peace talks and denounces Israel's "aggressive policies." A new poll says 56% of Palestinians oppose resuming talks in the face of ongoing settlement activity. Sec. Clinton plans to meet PM Netanyahu and says the US is working nonstop on peace. Israel says it will officially monitor Palestinian “incitement.” Israel cuts off special dialogue with Britain and cooperation with UNESCO. US midterm elections may impact Mideast policy. Israel may introduce civil marriage. Israel is blocking Palestinian officials from crossing the Allenby Bridge. Another poll shows a sharp drop in support for Hamas in Gaza. Britain's FM backs nonviolent Palestinian protests. George Hishmeh looks at tensions between Israel and the Vatican. Daoud Kuttab says education is a key to successful Palestinian statehood.

British FM backs non-violent struggle against security fence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - November 4, 2010 - 12:00am

British Foreign Minister William Hague on Wednesday met with the Palestinian prime minister and Israeli foreign minister, but his visit with Palestinian activists made the most headlines. Hague met with three senior Palestinian activists spearheading the popular struggle against Jewish settlements and the West Bank security fence, and expressed his support in their non-violent struggle. International Judgement Meridor cancels UK visit for fear of arrest / Attila Somfalvi

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News Analysis: New US Congress affects Obama's Middle East policy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Adam Gonn - November 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Early results of the U.S. midterm elections indicate President Barack Obama's Democrats have lost control of the House of Representatives and the Republican Party has increased its presence in the Senate, which may affect Obama's role as a peace broker in the Middle East. When Obama convinced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year to impose a ten-month freeze on construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank so that the peace process could be resumed, hopes were high that it could lead to a breakthrough.

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Israeli media weigh impact of U.S. midterm election on Obama's Mideast policy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Gur Salomon - November 4, 2010 - 12:00am

The Republican party's victory in the U.S. House of Representatives has made Israeli media to think its impacts on President Barack Obama's Middle East policy, U.S.- Israeli relations and the future of the stalled Israeli- Palestinian peace talks. Despite Obama's attention to the foreign policy front, with most efforts channelled to broker a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal, U.S. analysts attribute the Democrats' loss of control over Congress to American voters' dissatisfaction with Obama's economic policies.

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Israel cuts off special dialogue with Britain
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Daniel Estrin - November 3, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel has suspended a special strategic dialogue with London as long as Israeli officials visiting Britain face possible arrest for suspected war crimes against Palestinians, officials said Wednesday. The announcement came as British Foreign Secretary William Hague met with senior Israeli officials in Jerusalem. Officials from both countries said the matter would be high on the meeting's agenda, and the British Foreign Office said it was working to resolve the matter. British officials also said Hague would repeat Britain's criticism of West Bank settlements.

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Israel takes aim at Palestinian 'incitement'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Ian Deitch - November 3, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel announced Wednesday it will officially monitor "incitement" by the Palestinians, taking aim at what it says are widespread provocations against the Jewish state that undermine efforts to reach Mideast peace. The announcement further strained an atmosphere that has grown increasingly tense in recent weeks following the breakdown of U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace talks. Palestinians accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to divert attention away from the impasse in the negotiations and its own failures to live up to obligations, such as a settlement freeze.

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