Middle East Quartet Statement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from August 16, 2011 - 12:00am The Quartet is greatly concerned by Israel's recent announcements to advance planning for new housing units in Ariel and Easter Jerusalem, and reiterated its position in this regard, in particular its statement of March 12, 2010. The Quartet reaffirms that unilateral action by either party cannot rejudge the outcome of negotiations and will not be recognized by the international community. Jerusalem in particular is one of the core issues that must be resolved through negotiations between the parties, which underscores the urgent need for the parties to resume serious and substantive talks. » Read more

A Palestinian view: progeny of a colonial state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons (Opinion) August 15, 2011 - 12:00am The so-called "price tag" campaign is regarded as a product of the illegal Israeli settlement of Yitzhar, yet the price tag of Israeli occupation and fanatical land grabbing is much more generally aligned with the policies and practices of Israel, the state. The price tag campaign, after all, is the settler pursuit to claim as much indigenous land as possible by terrorizing Palestinians with arson, gunfire, vandalism and other forms of harassment and even death. » Read more

Agenda for Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star (Editorial) August 17, 2011 - 12:00am The visit by Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, is easy enough to explain in “political” terms. Abbas will preside Wednesday over the official opening of a Palestinian embassy in Lebanon, while the visit is also dealing with next month’s meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, and how Beirut can provide support in the run-up to the declaration of a Palestinian state. » Read more

Obama isn’t being treated fairly on Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Marc Stanley - (Opinion) August 15, 2011 - 12:00am I was amused by Adam Serwer's recent blog post titled “Is Bibi anti-Israel?” in which he pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conditionally offered this month to negotiate with the Palestinians using the pre-1967 borders as a framework. Amazingly, there was no outcry by American Jews that Netanyahu was abandoning Israel by suggesting a return to supposedly “indefensible” borders. » Read more

The freedom-seekers America ignores ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Salon.com by Rashid Khalidi - (Opinion) August 17, 2011 - 12:00am With Washington's bipartisan blessing, Israel is sabotaging a Palestinian plea for U.N. recognition Once again Israel is doing its utmost to block Palestinian aspirations for self-determination, unleashing its diplomats in order to obstruct Palestinian efforts to secure some semblance of statehood and freedom at the United Nations this September. Meanwhile, the U.S. and other powers have nothing meaningful to add to this debate except to support Israel's sabotage. Such a predicament is nothing new for the Palestinians. » Read more

A primer on Palestinian statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Uriel Heilman - (Opinion) August 15, 2011 - 12:00am On Sept. 20, when the annual session of the U.N. General Assembly opens, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to ask U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to present a Palestinian request for statehood recognition to the U.N. Security Council. The long-anticipated request will kick off a chain of events that some analysts are warning could result in a new paroxysm of violence in the Middle East. Here is a guide to what might happen, and what it might mean. What do the Palestinians want the United Nations to recognize? » Read more

Understanding is key to a two-state future for Israelis and Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Lorna Fitzsimons - (Opinion) August 17, 2011 - 12:00am Many have become disillusioned with the idea of a negotiated two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. They think that a deal is unachievable and the two peoples are incapable of the necessary compromises. They are calling for an abandonment of the two-state paradigm, or for the international community to impose a solution at the UN. Some even think the conflict can be resolved by boycotting Israel in order to bully it into accepting all of the demands of the Palestinians. » Read more

A non-violent path should precede UN recognition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post (Opinion) August 17, 2011 - 12:00am Nonviolence is a way of life that will guarantee peaceful coexistence in the future and the eventual goal of a demilitarized region. Talkbacks (30) I, along with nearly two dozen of my US congressional colleagues, have just concluded a 10-day fact-finding trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories. We had formal meetings with many leaders, including President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad of the Palestinian Authority, as well as informal talks with average Israelis and Palestinians. » Read more

U.S. impotent in face of Middle East events ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) August 17, 2011 - 12:00am What is the critical mass of people who must be killed for the 'international community' to act? How long will the Syrian protesters wait until the United States and its allies deign to intervene in their slow massacre? What is the critical mass of people who must be killed for the "international community" to act? When there's an earthquake, countries jostle each other to be visibly first in line with rescue forces for the victims; when thousands were killed in Darfur, the "community" went into deep hibernation until roused to assist. » Read more

Sleiman tells Abbas Lebanon will back Palestinian statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star August 17, 2011 - 12:00am President Michel Sleiman promised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday that Lebanon will back their bid for U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state. Abbas, meanwhile, declared that the Palestinians in Lebanon’s 12 refugee camps do not need arms to defend themselves because the Lebanese people and government can protect them. Abbas’ remarks amounted to lifting legitimacy over arms in and outside the Palestinian refugee camps throughout the country. » Read more