Once again, Israel is scapegoated ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post (Editorial) September 13, 2011 - 12:00am Israelis worry that the Arab Spring is turning from a popular movement against dictatorship into another assault on the Jewish state, and their worry is not unfounded. Last week in Cairo a mob attacked the Israeli Embassy, forcing the evacuation of the ambassador and most of his staff; the previous week the Israeli ambassador to Turkey was expelled. Later this month Palestinians are expected to introduce a resolution on statehood at the United Nations, and Israel could be further isolated if, as expected, a large majority of the General Assembly votes in favor of it. » Read more

Salam Fayyad's bid to prepare Palestine for statehood dying after foreign aid dries up ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - September 13, 2011 - 12:00am Two years after launching an ambitious plan to trim bureaucracy and root out corruption, Salam Fayyad's "good government" initiative aimed at preparing Palestinian institutions for statehood is stagnant and dying. As the deadline to meet his goals came and went last month, a moment of pride for the Palestinian Authority prime minister and his attempt to foster Palestinian independence has become a disappointment. » Read more

Hamas: Headquarters to remain in Syria ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 13, 2011 - 12:00am Hamas confirmed on Monday that it would not be moving its headquarters from Syria following unrest in the country, a party statement said. “We confirm that the news reports on some media outlets claiming that the movement considers moving its offices or part of its leadership from Damascus, upon request from Syrian security, are false and not real at all,” the statement said. Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar had previously said that several options were being explored in light of the security situation in Syria which is "dangerous for all Palestinians, not just Hamas." » Read more

Pro-Palestinian activists in U.S. optimistic about UN vote ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya - (Blog) September 13, 2011 - 12:00am Despite the rapid unraveling of Israeli ties with both Turkey and Egypt, September is still seen as the month that would precipitate a “diplomatic tsunami" as a result of the impending UN vote on Palestinian statehood, letting the fact that two Israeli ambassadors were forced to leave neighboring countries take a distant backseat. » Read more

Arabs pledge to lobby for Palestinian UN membership ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 13, 2011 - 12:00am Arab foreign ministers agreed in a meeting attended by President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday to marshal support for a Palestinian bid for UN membership this month despite Israeli and US opposition. Abbas, who backed out of US-sponsored negotiations with Israel because of its settlement construction in occupied Palestinian lands, is expected to make the request when the UN General Assembly opens on September 20. » Read more

For Hamas, Silence on Statehood Is Golden ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Arieh O'Sullivan - September 13, 2011 - 12:00am Hamas is quietly backing the bid by its arch-rival, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, to win recognition of statehood from the United Nations this month because the movement stands to gain no matter how Abbas’ plans turn out, analysts said. Musa Abu Marzuk, Hamas’ deputy political bureau chief criticized Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, for not consulting Hamas. But the Islamic movement, which seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 and opposes the existence of Israel, has officially refrained from taking a position on statehood. » Read more

Palestinians' UN gambit could spur changes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Josef Federman - September 13, 2011 - 12:00am Many Israelis are dismissing the Palestinians' efforts to win international recognition of their independence at the United Nations this month as merely symbolic. But the Palestinians hope the high-profile maneuvering, on a grand global stage, might yield results that have eluded them through decades of peace talks, popular uprisings and violence campaigns. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is set to address the U.N. next week, planning to ask the world to recognize a Palestinian state. » Read more

Israel arrives at a tough diplomatic intersection ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Joshua Mitnick - September 12, 2011 - 12:00am Israel is expected to exercise "maximum restraint" as it faces a trio of regional challenges that threaten to further deepen its isolation, already more acute than the Jewish state has seen in decades. Powered by The sharp deterioration in ties with key partners Egypt and Turkey in recent days could pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to shift its approach to regional challenges – most immediately, the Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations next week. » Read more

In Israel, Cairo attack deepens sense of siege ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - September 11, 2011 - 12:00am After a week in which Israel’s diplomats were forced out of Turkey and Egypt, for years its regional allies, and facing a possible United Nations vote recognizing a Palestinian state, the country is experiencing a deepening sense of siege. Televised scenes of Egyptian protesters storming the Israeli Embassy in Cairo on Friday, and dramatic media accounts of the threat faced by six security men who were trapped for hours inside, summoned up for many Israelis nightmare scenarios of a lynch by an Arab mob. » Read more

Obama: Palestinian statehood vote at UN would be counterproductive ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz September 13, 2011 - 12:00am U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday that if the Palestinians try to achieve statehood in the United Nations Security Council, the U.S. would oppose the proposal. "If this came to the Security Council we would object very strongly, precisely because we think it would be counterproductive. "We don't think that it would actually lead to the outcome that we want, which is a two-state solution," he told Spanish-language media in an interview. » Read more