December 4th

A Letdown Even To Skeptics ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - December 4, 2007 - 2:23pm Even those who had modest expectations for the Annapolis conference were disappointed by its results: an agreement to start negotiations and a statement that selectively reiterated parts of the roadmap that the parties had anyway failed to implement since it was introduced in 2003. » Read more

Pray For Success, Because Israel Will Pay The Price Of Annapolis Failure ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) December 4, 2007 - 2:22pm The Annapolis process is on its way. This week the permanent status negotiations will formally commence. On December 17 the international community will be convening in Paris to launch the second pillar of the process by committing hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuilding the Palestinian economy and supporting Palestinian institution development. Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayed together with Israeli and Palestinian security officials are already deeply engaged in beginning to implement the Palestinian obligations of the Road Map. » Read more

Bring Them Home, Gradually ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) December 4, 2007 - 2:20pm Since the separation fence was built, thousands of settlers who live east of it find themselves in an unclear situation. Having to wait for a political settlement to determine the permanent border is nerve-racking for those who wish to lead a normal life. Polls show that some 20,000 settlers at least would at this point like to vacate communities east of the fence, if they receive enough compensation to buy a new home. » Read more

Israel Hedges On Annapolis Deadline ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Australian by Martin Chulov - December 4, 2007 - 2:19pm ISRAELI leaders are refusing to commit to December next year as a deadline for squaring off peace with the Palestinians, claiming the time frame agreed to in the Annapolis summit was a guideline only. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni both raised Annapolis during lengthy addresses at a cabinet meeting yesterday. The meeting was the first since the pair returned from Washington with a commitment from US President George W. Bush to drive difficult negotiations towards a resolution late next year. » Read more

Analysis: After Annapolis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News by Jeremy Bowen - (Editorial) December 4, 2007 - 2:17pm The sun was going down over Chesapeake Bay last Tuesday as the Middle East diplomatic circus left the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. The Israeli and Palestinian delegations headed for home, by way of Washington DC, and more meetings with President Bush. Since the summer, just getting to Annapolis and not letting the meeting become a disaster has been the main focus of American policy towards the two sides. » Read more

Peace Talks Back From The Dead ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Speigel International by Ralf Beste, Christoph Schult , Bernhard Zand - December 4, 2007 - 2:16pm Peace in the Middle East has been but a faint glimmer on the horizon since the 2000 Camp David talks failed. But now, both the Israelis and Palestinians say they are once again committed to reaching an agreement. But it might depend on their neighbors. A Palestinian member of the Fatah Movement watches the Annapolis summit on television last week. » Read more

Bush: No Change In Iran Policy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Simon Jeffery, Mark Tran - (Special Report) December 4, 2007 - 2:11pm George Bush today ruled out a change in Washington's Iran policy following the declassification yesterday of a US intelligence report that concluded Tehran had abandoned its nuclear weapons programme in 2003. The US president denied the national intelligence estimate (NIE) - which said Tehran's determination to develop nuclear weapons "is less ... than we have been judging" - had undercut his administration's repeated assertions that Iran was building nuclear weapons. » Read more

Diaspora Groups And Israel Spar At Summit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Marc Perelman - December 4, 2007 - 2:09pm In a rare public spat between Israel and its supporters in the United States, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert bluntly denounced efforts by a coalition of American Jewish groups aimed at maintaining a united Jerusalem. Following statements by several hawkish and Orthodox groups that appeared to question Israel’s right to broach discussion of dividing Jerusalem with the Palestinians, Olmert told reporters on the eve of this week’s peace conference in Annapolis, Md., that Israel has exclusive purview over negotiating the future of its capital. » Read more

Israel To Build Homes In East Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Aron Heller - December 4, 2007 - 2:07pm Israel said Tuesday it is seeking bids to build more than 300 new homes in a disputed east Jerusalem neighborhood, drawing Palestinian condemnations that the move is undermining the newly revived peace talks held last week in Annapolis, Md. A Housing Ministry spokesman said 307 units would be built in Har Homa, a Jewish neighborhood in east Jerusalem. Israel captured the eastern part of the city in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed the area. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. » Read more

Mideast: Olmert Walks Razor's Edge In Peace Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Peter Hirschberg - (Analysis) December 4, 2007 - 2:06pm Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has issued a dire warning to his people. Failure to reach a negotiated two-state settlement with the Palestinians, he has declared, will mean the end of the State of Israel. » Read more