September 26th

Israel ponders response to Palestinian U.N. statehood bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - September 24, 2011 - 12:00am Reporting from Jerusalem— As Israel considers its reaction to the Palestinian drive for recognition of statehood at the U.N., officials are weighing calls for swift retaliation against fear that tough measures could be counterproductive. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is evaluating Israel's next step. But key members of his right-wing coalition are pushing for a firm response, which they say would discourage Palestinians from pursuing their strategy of gaining United Nations recognition or taking other unilateral steps away from the negotiating table. » Read more

Issue of Israel as Jewish state sank Quartet moves ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Arshad Mohammed - September 26, 2011 - 12:00am WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The issue of whether and how to suggest that Israel should be a Jewish state ultimately sank diplomatic efforts to draft a substantive statement to revive peace talks, sources familiar with the matter said. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel and the Palestinians -- and their effective proxies in the negotiations, the United States and Russia -- remain too far apart on that issue and others. » Read more

Plan for Mideast talks gets mixed reception ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - September 25, 2011 - 12:00am JERUSALEM— With a Palestinian application for UN membership under consideration by the Security Council, a proposal by international mediators to renew peace negotiations has received guarded Israeli approval and a cool reception from the Palestinians. The Israeli government and Palestinian leadership are expected to respond to Friday’s proposal by the Quartet of Middle East mediators — the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia — in the coming days, but early signals suggest different approaches to the initiative. » Read more

Europe must save the two-state solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Carlo Strenger - (Blog) September 24, 2011 - 12:00am The speeches have been given, and each leader pandered to his audiences. Netanyahu scolded the UN for singling out Israel unfairly for decades, quoting the Lubavicher Rebbe calling the UN house of lies. This was obviously not meant to gain him friends in the UN, but to show how connected he was to Jewish tradition. He put the blame on failed negotiations completely on the Palestinians, emphasizing the destructive impact of radical Islam. » Read more

Palestinians Roll Out Hero’s Welcome for Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - September 25, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — Two days after seeking full membership for a State of Palestine in the United Nations, President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, returned to a hero’s welcome here on Sunday, telling supporters that they were part of a “Palestinian Spring” and that he would resume peace talks with Israel only if it stopped building settlements. » Read more

Netanyahu's speech of lies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) September 26, 2011 - 12:00am Bertolt Brecht wrote, in his poem "The Necessity of Propaganda," "Even the hungry must admit that the Minister of Nutrition gives a good speech." (Translation from the German, Jon Swan. ) It must be admitted that Benjamin Netanyahu gave a good speech at the UN General Assembly. His English was polished, his hand gestures precise and his body language perfect. His propaganda was sweet as honey dripping from his lips. It improves from speech to speech. But the prime minister promised that this time he would feed us the truth, not another campaign speech. A test of this promise seems apposite. » Read more

Netanyahu, Abbas Emerge Unscathed at UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Calev Ben-David - September 26, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas emerged from their showdown at the United Nations buttressed domestically though no closer to peace talks. » Read more

Obama veto of Palestinian statehood: What can he do after that? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor (Editorial) September 22, 2011 - 12:00am During his nearly three years in office, President Obama has tried a new type of American leadership in the Middle East, one that is more moral than muscular, less unilaterally assertive and more humbly collaborative. While he’s been mostly successful and consistent, all that may now be viewed in the region as meaningless if the United States effectively vetoes a request by the Palestinians for the United Nations Security Council to recognize their homeland as a state. » Read more

September 23rd

Go-it-Alone Strategy Leaves Palestinians Divided Media Mention of Ziad Asali In The Huffington Post - September 23, 2011 - 12:00am For months Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has traversed the globe, lobbying members of the United Nations to vote in support of a unilaterally declared Palestinian state. This is the week when he will take this long-threatened action, and when the member states will decide to support or oppose the Palestinian bid. » Read more

Could a U.N. Upgrade Help the Palestinians Prosecute Israeli Officials? In Print by Hussein Ibish - Slate (Opinion) - September 23, 2011 - 12:00am Would a Palestinian state recognized by the United Nations have the right to bring legal action against Israel and Israeli officials at the International Criminal Court or the U.N.'s own International Court of Justice? » Read more