February 24th

Washington Watch: The sound of one hand clapping
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Douglas Bloomfield - February 23, 2011 - 1:00am

There were no winners in last week’s UN vote on the Arab resolution to condemn Israeli settlement policy. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas looked like he wanted an excuse to avoid making peace, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s preference for building settlements over negotiating only further deepened Israel’s international isolation and President Barack Obama showed he had little influence with either side, and few clear ideas about how to advance a peace process he insists is an administration priority.

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Washington Watch: The sound of one hand clapping
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Douglas Bloomfield - February 23, 2011 - 1:00am

There were no winners in last week’s UN vote on the Arab resolution to condemn Israeli settlement policy. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas looked like he wanted an excuse to avoid making peace, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s preference for building settlements over negotiating only further deepened Israel’s international isolation and President Barack Obama showed he had little influence with either side, and few clear ideas about how to advance a peace process he insists is an administration priority.

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For the Mideast, a code for rising democracies
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Tzipi Livni - (Editorial) February 24, 2011 - 1:00am

These are days of momentous change in the Middle East. Courageous thousands have flooded the streets demanding their rights as citizens and as human beings. Calls for democracy - as a system of values that seeks to protect these rights - stem not from some foreign dictate but from an inner hunger for freedom. Much has been said in recent years about the "clash of civilizations," about the conflict between extremists and moderates, between coercion and freedom. And yet today, this battle is being waged at least as much within societies as between them.

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Dan Shapiro to be named US envoy to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Hilary Leila Krieger - February 23, 2011 - 1:00am

Senior White House adviser Dan Shapiro is set to be nominated as the next US ambassador to Israel, Washington sources said on Tuesday. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement has been made, though one is expected soon. Shapiro, born in 1969, currently serves as the National Security Council’s senior director for the Middle East and North Africa. He has regularly traveled to Israel and worked closely with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell to try to forge an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

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Israeli Farms and Villages Around Gaza See Tough Times Ahead
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Arieh O'Sullivan - February 23, 2011 - 1:00am

Artist Shosh Segal is busy preparing her art gallery for the expected rush of tourists heading to southern Israel for the annual wild flower blooming in the coming weeks. The hills are already bursting with vibrant colors of anemones and turmoses, but reality has often found a way of spoiling plans, especially since she lives just a mile from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

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Obama's no different
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by George S. Hishmeh - February 24, 2011 - 1:00am

Is Barack Obama, who is marking his mid-term as president, any different from his predecessors, except Dwight Eisenhower, as far as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is concerned? Expectations were high when Obama walked into the White House. After his triumphant trips overseas, especially to Cairo, there was hope that he will usher a new positive era in US relations with the Muslim world and resolve the 63-year-old conflict between Israelis and Arabs.

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A major factor for governments
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Michael Jansen - February 24, 2011 - 1:00am

Palestinians’ and Israelis’ response to the uprisings across the Arab world has been deafening silence at the people’s power level. When I asked Palestinian friends celebrating the dozen or so “revolutions” boiling in this region why Palestinians living under the repressive Israeli occupation are not out in the streets, they shrugged, saying they are “tired”.

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Accountability Beyond Rhetoric
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Ziad Asali - (Blog) February 23, 2011 - 1:00am

The recent uprisings in the Arab world, including some regime changes, call for a meaningful reassessment of current policy. One would expect the usual demands for democracy, human rights, freedom of expression and regularly scheduled elections as well as a heightened commitment to the people of the region, that their rights and aspirations will be reflected in this new vision. Furthermore, it would not be surprising if all these were packaged as part of an initiative to address the Palestine/Israel conflict and a commitment to the establishment of a state of Palestine.

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February 23rd

Accountability beyond rhetoric
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from
by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) February 23, 2011 - 1:00am

The recent uprisings in the Arab world, including some regime changes, call for a meaningful reassessment of current policy. One would expect the usual demands for democracy, human rights, freedom of expression and regularly scheduled elections as well as a heightened commitment to the people of the region, that their rights and aspirations will be reflected in this new vision. Furthermore, it would not be surprising if all these were packaged as part of an initiative to address the Palestine/Israel conflict and a commitment to the establishment of a state of Palestine.

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Pete McCloskey says the US veto of a UN resolution on settlements was “cowardly;” the Jerusalem Post claims the PA is using it to bolster its image; the JTA says it shows the US is not ready to pressure Israel at the UN; Palestinians in Lebanon protest. PM Fayyad uses social media to seek popular input on ministerial appointments. 11 Palestinians are injured by Israeli shelling in Gaza. Israel blocks red cross aid to homeless Bedouins. Palestinian Amb. Areikat says a two-state solution is still possible. A Palestinian home is surround by settlement units. Gazans hope Egypt will end the blockade. Aluf Benn says DM Barak is PM Netanyahu’s best friend and worst enemy. Dan Shapiro will be the next US ambassador to Israel. Israel’s foreign ministry will insist that all new recruits are taken to Hebron. FM Malki says Palestinians hope for statehood by September. Raed Salah is arrested for arson. Kenneth Bandler says plans to push Arabs out of Israel are unacceptable. Pres. Peres says peace talks are urgently needed. The BBC asks if Arab protests will spread to Palestine.

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