The people are in trenches while the leaders are in the hotels! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) October 20, 2011 - 12:00am The Israeli Prime Minister, and likewise the Palestinian leaders, took part in a race to secure pictures with the prisoners released on Tuesday; Netanyahu did so with the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, and the Palestinian leaders did so with the released Palestinian prisoners, in what was a clear trade in human commodities, and the future of our region. » Read more

Palestinian Leader Says Time ‘Not Ripe’ for Mideast Peace Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Nicole Gaouette - October 20, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said there is little chance for a prompt renewal of peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis that the Obama administration seeks. “My own assessment” is that “conditions are not ripe at this juncture for a meaningful resumption of talks,” Fayyad told a Washington audience yesterday. He made his remarks as the U.S. and its allies in the so- called Quartet -- the United Nations, the European Union and Russia -- are trying to restart talks between the two sides to head off a Palestinian push for statehood recognition at the UN. » Read more

Conditions not ripe for dialogue with Israel: Fayyad ATFP World Press Roundup Article from FOCUS News Agency October 20, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinians are not ready to resume dialogue with Israel as sought by the Mideast diplomatic Quartet, Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said Wednesday, AFP reported. "Our own assessment is that the conditions are not ripe at this juncture for a meaningful resumption of talks," he said at the annual gala for the American Task Force on Palestine, a pro-Palestinian lobby. » Read more

Why Deal To Free Gilad Shalit Was Smart ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by J.J. Goldberg - (Opinion) October 20, 2011 - 12:00am You didn’t have to be a great lover of Israel to get choked up at the sight of Gilad Shalit walking unsteadily into the sunlight of freedom October 18, after five years of being locked in a hole somewhere in Gaza. At the same time, you couldn’t miss the anguished second-guessing that dominated public discussion of the deal, both in Israel and pro-Israel circles here in America. » Read more

Palestinian PM Fayyad: Time is not right for serious peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya - October 20, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Thursday that Palestinian-American relations are currently strained, and that many Palestinians are very disappointed with the yields of diplomacy, but he stressed that the Palestinians are committed to the peace process. "We want to see an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967. We want the Palestinian people to live with dignity. Fayyad said the Palestinians are committed to resolving the conflict, but that "the conditions are not right to resume talks." » Read more

Christian Backers of Israel Reach Out to Blacks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - (Opinion) October 19, 2011 - 12:00am Once known for their work together on civil rights, African Americans and Jews have experienced decades of contention over a range of issues since the 1960s. But now, some in the pro-Israel community see an opportunity to reconstitute a black-Jewish alliance centered on Israel. With the coming of age of a new generation of black religious and social leaders, pro-Israel advocacy groups are reaching out to enroll African Americans in support of Israel, often in a religious setting. » Read more

Inside the tiny Washington group that is 'mainstreaming Palestine' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Josh Rogin - (Blog) October 19, 2011 - 12:00am Tonight, when Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad comes to Washington to speak at the annual gala of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP), he will be endorsing an organization that is punching well above its weight in the U.S. policy debate over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. » Read more

Is an Israeli life really more important than a Palestinian's? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Deborah Orr - (Opinion) October 19, 2011 - 12:00am It's quite something, the prisoner swap between Hamas and the Israeli government that returns Gilad Shalit to his family, and more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners to theirs. The deal is widely viewed as a victory for Hamas, the radical Islamist group that gained power in Gaza after years of frustration at the intractability of the "peace process". Conversely, it is being seen by some as a sign of weakness in Israel's rightwing prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu. » Read more

Yalla Peace: Getting mad at the wrong people ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Ray Hanania - (Opinion) October 18, 2011 - 12:00am PLO representative Maen Areikat reportedly announced last week that he was “distancing” the PLO office from the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) because the latter group does not support the Palestinian push for statehood at the United Nations.That’s the buzz in the Palestinian world this week. Palestinians rarely make news, but when they do, it is usually about some internal squabble that most of the people who can influence the future of Palestine disregard. It’s typical of the problems Palestinians face and raises questions about issues that often are not openly discussed. » Read more

Shalit deal throws Hamas a lifeline ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - (Analysis) October 19, 2011 - 12:00am Tuesday showed that after nearly four years, Hamas has reared its head in the West Bank. It's doing so with Israel's help: The Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal has in many ways thrown Hamas a life preserver. The organization, whose civilian and military infrastructure has almost completely disappeared from the West Bank in recent years - and support for it has tumbled - has been clever enough to register its first significant achievement since the Hamas government in Gaza was established in January 2006. » Read more