UN: Palestinians ready for statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency July 27, 2011 - 12:00am UNITED NATIONS (AFP) -- The Palestinian Authority is ready to govern a nation but deadlock with Israel has made a two-state solution far from certain, the UN special envoy for the Middle East peace process said Tuesday. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been on hold for 10 months. They broke down shortly after Washington relaunched the first direct negotiations between the two sides for nearly two years. » Read more

Defusing Palestinian Statehood Bid at the UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic by Hussein Ibish - (Editorial) July 27, 2011 - 12:00am For most of 2011, Palestinian leaders have been privately and publicly speculating about potential statehood initiatives at the UN General Assembly meeting in September. The PLO may present some plan in effect asking the UN to recognize Palestine as an independent state, which wouldn't make it so, but it would put Israel and the U.S. in a very awkward position. These ideas have been opposed by both Israel and the United States, which have described them as "unilateral," and met with a mixed response among European states. » Read more

Israel's Foreign Ministry Borrows From the Settlers for Its Propaganda ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Gal Beckerman - (Blog) July 27, 2011 - 12:00am Israel’s deputy foreign minister and Twitter warrior, Danny Ayalon, recently released a video over YouTube that is doing quite well — posted on July 11, it now has nearly 180,000 hits. In it, Ayalon tries to explain why he thinks the West Bank should not be referred to as “occupied” and that settlements are not in effect settlements. » Read more

Palestinian UN Vote No Longer A Certainty ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Week by Stewart Ain - July 26, 2011 - 12:00am As the Palestinians prepare to unveil Thursday a draft of their resolution requesting United Nations’ recognition next month of an independent Palestinian state, many analysts believe such UN action is not inevitable. » Read more

Palestinian UN Vote No Longer A Certainty ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Week by Stewart Ain - July 26, 2011 - 12:00am As the Palestinians prepare to unveil Thursday a draft of their resolution requesting United Nations’ recognition next month of an independent Palestinian state, many analysts believe such UN action is not inevitable. » Read more

Debating an extremist Israeli settler ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) July 26, 2011 - 12:00am Last week I had a fascinating debate with David Ha’ivri, an extremist Israeli settler—an event loosely connected to a conference of the pro-settler Christians United for Israel organization. » Read more

Reading the Conflict - A Quiet Revolution: The First Palestinian Intifada and Nonviolent Resistance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Americans For Peace Now by Emily L. Hauser - (Opinion) July 26, 2011 - 12:00am When the first intifada hit Israel with the shock of a tidal wave, I was living in Tel Aviv. Many of my male friends - including the young man with whom I was in love and living at the time - found themselves called to endless rounds of reserve duty to face off against stone-throwing youth. » Read more

September critical for Mideast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Newsday.com by Joel Brinkley - (Opinion) July 26, 2011 - 12:00am HAIFA, Israel -- Around here, everyone is deeply concerned about September. In fact, that's just about the only thing anyone is talking about. For Israelis and Palestinians, September is the universally understood shorthand for the likely United Nations vote that month on whether to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state. Right now, Israeli and Palestinian officials are traveling to European and other capitals, furiously soliciting votes. But no one on either side of the debate doubts that a majority of the U.N.'s 192 member states will vote with the Palestinians. » Read more

Security Council Debate Offers Preview of Palestinian Bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Neil MacFarquhar - July 26, 2011 - 12:00am UNITED NATIONS — A preview of the expected showdown over whether to admit a Palestinian state as a full member of the United Nations when world leaders gather here in September played out in the Security Council on Tuesday. Supporters evoked the Arab Spring, in which millions of people across the Middle East sought freedom from oppression, as a fitting backdrop for an endorsement of the Palestinian people’s release from 44 years of Israeli occupation. » Read more

Beck and the Jews: Does he get them? Do they get him? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - (Opinion) July 26, 2011 - 12:00am It depends on whom you ask – to a degree – but it also seems to depend on the day of the week. Here he is on the night of July 19: “The Jewish people have been chased out of almost every country on this planet,” he told a crowd of thousands at the annual Christians United for Israel gathering in Washington. "This is why the nation of Israel is vital.” » Read more