December 2nd

The New York Times interviews a variety of Mideast experts to get a sense of the level of personal involvement by President Bush in upcoming Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty negotiations (2.) A Washington Post opinion by Jackson Diehl cautions against allowing the Gaza situation to simmer and calls for a Hamas-Israel ceasefire (4.) Christianity Today features the text of a letter sent to President Bush by U.S. evangelical leaders reiterating their previous public support for a two-state solution (5.) A Forward opinion by Leonard Fein stresses that the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains the only option despite the many challenges he lists that it faces (7.) Reuters reports on the impact in Gaza of Israeli fuel supply cuts to the strip (9.) The Economist (UK) analyzes the participation in and results of the Annapolis meeting (10.) A Daily Star (Lebanon) opinion by former Israeli education minister Shulamit Aloni, published in collaboration with Common Ground News Service, argues against the definition of Israel as a 'Jewish state' (13.) A Ynet/Yedioth opinion by Michal Radoshitzky urges that the post-Annapolis period leverage declarations and intentions into progress on the ground and in negotiations (16.)

November 30th

No More Time To Waste
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Ami Ayalon - (Opinion) November 30, 2007 - 6:04pm

A motley coalition of cynics and extremists were quick to write off the Annapolis peace conference as a waste of time. The best way for Israel to prove them wrong is to show that it knows there is no more time to waste.

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When All Is Said And Done
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Aluf Benn And Shmuel Rosner - (Analysis) November 30, 2007 - 6:02pm

The genocide in Darfur is more horrifying, global warming is a greater cause for concern, and the danger that nuclear Pakistan will fall into the hands of Al Qaida causes more sleepless nights. And still, only the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can bring 50 leaders and foreign ministers from all over the world to a small American coastal town on a clear late-autumn day, in yet another effort to achieve "a final status agreement within a year."

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A Halt, Not A Suspension
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) November 30, 2007 - 5:57pm

When Ehud Olmert warns that the world could impose a "South African solution" on Israel if two states are not created, side by side, he is tacitly admitting that expansion of the settlements is making Israel look increasingly like an apartheid regime.

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President Bush Is The Only One Capable
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
(Editorial) November 30, 2007 - 5:55pm

Rest assured that Bush, more than any other American President, means what he says. This has been his problem with most countries of the world, including us Arabs. Despite the problems his frankness has caused him, it has been a good trait on occasion.

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Win Some, Lose Some
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Khaleej Times
by Claude Salhani - (Opinion) November 30, 2007 - 5:52pm

HISTORY will remember some days more so than others. Tuesday, November 27, 2007 will be one of those days. However, it may not be remembered in a way some hoped or expected. To be sure, there will be a lot of disappointment by the end of the day, for a variety of reasons, one being that too much expectation has been placed on this one day.

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Without A Process, Aid To Palestinians Will Do Little
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Mohammed Samhouri - (Opinion) November 30, 2007 - 5:51pm

The Palestinian economy has been in an ever-deepening crisis since the outbreak of the second intifada in 2000, a crisis rooted in and perpetuated by an extremely inauspicious political setting.

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Bush's Half-hearted Summit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Der Spiegel
by Ulrike Putz And Gregor Peter Schmitz - November 30, 2007 - 5:45pm

It was an elegant setting for the luncheon hosted by the Israel Project one week ago. Guests at the National Press Club in Washington picked at salmon on a bed of salad, forks clinked gently against plates. The hostess spoke quietly of peace and understanding. But then David Wurmser showed up.

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Much To Be Modest About
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Economist
(Editorial) November 30, 2007 - 5:41pm

BETTER than nothing. For now, that is the most that can be said of the new Arab-Israeli “peace process” George Bush inaugurated in Annapolis on November 27th. After weeks of negotiation, the Israeli and Palestinian delegations did at the last minute approve 437 words for the American president to read out, but this was the sort of declaration that makes the phrase “lowest common denominator” sound generous.

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Israel Risks Apartheid-like Struggle If Two-state Solution Fails, Says Olmert
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rory Mccarthy - November 30, 2007 - 5:38pm

Israel's prime minister issued a rare warning yesterday that his nation risked being compared to apartheid-era South Africa if it failed to agree an independent state for the Palestinians. In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, Ehud Olmert said Israel was "finished" if it forced the Palestinians into a struggle for equal rights.

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