November 6th, 2007

Repeating The Same Mistakes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) November 6, 2007 - 12:56pm The Syrian connection to the current American initiative on the Middle East to convene a political meeting at Annapolis in the autumn is a good illustration of its deteriorating value. » Read more

Annapolis: Behind The Scenes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Le Monde Diplomatique by Dominique Vidal - November 6, 2007 - 12:55pm “It’s time for the establishment of a Palestinian state,” announced US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after a visit to the Middle East on 15 October. She claimed President George Bush had decided to make ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “one of the highest priorities of his administration”. » Read more

Patriarchs, Property, And Politics In Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald Macintyre - November 6, 2007 - 12:54pm His Beatitude, Theophilus III, "Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Palestine, Syria, beyond the Jordan River, Cana of Galilee, and Holy Zion" – to give him his full and ancient title – is nothing if not hospitable. » Read more

Israel’s Economic Growth Defies Experts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times by Tobias Buck - November 6, 2007 - 12:52pm While Israeli and Palestinian negotiators grope their way towards a US-sponsored peace meeting in Annapolis later this year, investors and economists are struggling with a different problem: how to justify the strength of the Israeli economy. Last year’s botched war in Lebanon, the escalating conflict with Islamist militants in the Gaza Strip, the threat of Iran’s nuclear programme and the weakness of an unpopular and fractious government at home – nothing has so far managed to throw the economy off its high-speed track. » Read more

The Art Of The Possible ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National Interest by Lee H. Hamilton - (Opinion) November 6, 2007 - 12:50pm AMERICAN FOREIGN policy confronts a basic paradox. The United States stands alone as the world’s most powerful nation, with the strongest military, the largest economy, the highest level of technological capacity and the most extensive cultural influence around the world. Even after the setbacks of recent years, no other single power or grouping of states comes close to matching the United States. And yet America’s ability to accomplish things abroad has rarely—in recent memory—seemed so limited. Why? » Read more

Rice Sounds Optimistic Tone As She Leaves Mideast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Ashraf Khalil - November 6, 2007 - 12:47pm As U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wrapped up her latest Middle East mission, Palestinian officials acknowledged Monday that a timetable to finish negotiations leading to establishment of a Palestinian state will not be finalized before an upcoming U.S.-sponsored peace conference. But Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, after meeting with Rice in the West Bank city of Ramallah, said negotiations carry their own nonnegotiable deadline: the end of President Bush's term in January 2009. » Read more

Stakes Are High At Annapolis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Leslie Susser - November 6, 2007 - 12:46pm In the final run-up to the Annapolis peace parley, leaders on all sides are emphasizing the burning need for success and the potentially huge price of failure. Although the focus is on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, all the main players see it as only a small part of a much bigger regional drama: the ongoing battle for regional sway between the moderate Middle Eastern camp, led by America, and the radicals, led by Iran. » Read more

Abbas Sees Palestinian State Soon Achievable ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Karen Deyoung - November 6, 2007 - 12:45pm Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that he believes the path to peace with Israel is now clear and that a Palestinian state can be achieved before the end of the Bush administration in January 2009. » Read more

Pm Slams Israel Rightists' Provocation Over Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Joseph Nasr - November 6, 2007 - 12:44pm Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed on Monday to fight violent "incitement" by Israeli groups opposed to his efforts to negotiate with the Palestinians and said he was ready to make "painful concessions" to secure peace. His speech, heavy with memories of violence within Israeli society, was a reaction to displays of hostility that marked Sunday's 12th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was shot by a Jew angry at his peace efforts. » Read more

Israel Puts Jerusalem On The Negotiating Table ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Ilene Prusher - November 6, 2007 - 12:41pm As she visits the Middle East this week, USSecretary of State Condoleezza Rice is pressing Israeli and Palestinian leaders to commit to confidence-building measures and a timetable ahead of an upcoming US-sponsored peace conference in Annapolis, Md. Israel has resisted a timetable, but Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a major speech Sunday night that he is ready to begin accelerated peace talks – even on final-status issues such as Jerusalem. » Read more