October 3rd, 2007

Olmert, Abbas To Talk Of Final Deal After Conference
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Adam Entous - October 3, 2007 - 6:04pm


Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed on Wednesday that formal negotiations on Palestinian statehood would begin after a U.S.-sponsored conference expected next month, officials from both sides said. But Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert balked at Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's call for setting a specific timeframe for resolving final-status issues, including borders and the fate of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees.


Israel’s Chief Diplomat Meets Arab Counterparts In Backroom Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - October 3, 2007 - 6:02pm


While the Iranian president was busy stealing the limelight at this year’s United Nations General Assembly, Israel’s foreign minister was quietly carrying out a new strategy of normalizing relations with Muslim countries in a series of backroom meetings. During her weeklong stay in the United States, Tzipi Livni made her case at the U.N. as well as in a series of meetings with representatives from a host of Middle Eastern and North African countries that currently do not maintain formal ties with Israel.


New Revelations In Attack On American Spy Ship
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Chicago Tribune
by John Crewdson - (Special Report) October 3, 2007 - 6:01pm


Bryce Lockwood, Marine staff sergeant, Russian-language expert, recipient of the Silver Star for heroism, ordained Baptist minister, is shouting into the phone. "I'm angry! I'm seething with anger! Forty years, and I'm seething with anger!"


October 2nd

A detailed special report in the Chicago Tribune examines how new revelations by U.S. Navy veterans and documents suggest that Israel and the U.S. did not tell the full story about the attack on the USS Liberty by Israeli air force and naval forces in 1967 (1.) In the Terrorism.OpenDemocracy blog, Maria Stephan analyzes the significance of the replacement of 'armed resistance' by 'popular struggle' in the Abbas-Fayyad government platform and how such a non-violent struggle might shape up (4.) In Le Monde Diplomatique (France) Mariano Aguirre weighs in on the issue of whether criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic (6.) Miftah (Palestine) editorial addresses the issue of Palestinian prisoner by Israel (9.) A Haaretz (Israel) editorial labels the de facto separation between Israelis and Palestinians more akin to 'political apartheid' than to occupation, allowing Israelis to ignore the situation and its indefinite continuation (10.) Also in Haaretz, Shmuel Rosner identifies the real issue of the fall meeting as being that of a timetable for agreement on final status issues and their implementation (12.)

Realistically Speaking
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Editorial) October 2, 2007 - 7:33pm


It is not too hard to figure out what Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni must have meant when she asked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, during their encounter in New York last Friday, to be realistic in his quest for peace with Israel. For Livni and the rest of the Israeli government, realism in the search for a peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict means one thing only: the status quo. That means that few cosmetic changes might be made to peripheral issues only.


Getting Over The Fear Of Arab Elections
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Michele Dunne - (Opinion) October 2, 2007 - 7:32pm


Concern about chaos in Iraq, Palestine, and Lebanon and fear of Islamist political victories have led many American commentators to identify Middle East democracy promotion as unwise. The Bush administration should not have insisted on elections in Arab countries, according to the new conventional wisdom, but instead should have patiently promoted the growth of institutions, civil society, and the rule of law.


October 1st

The American Prospect features an open letter by Israeli author and journalist Gershom Gorenberg to U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on her recent statements regarding the political future of Jerusalem (1.) The Jewish Telegraphic Agency examines the debate within Israeli policy-making circles of how to deal with Hamas in the lead-up to the Fall Mideast meeting (4.) The Guardian (UK) reports on a letter sent to Secretary of State Rice from former U.S. diplomats warning of the failure of the Fall Mideast meeting if the groundwork for success is not laid and offering policy suggestions (6.) An Independent (UK) editorial suggests two steps Israel could take as bold gestures to demonstrate good faith in getting peace talks restarted (8.) A Haaretz (Israel) opinion by Amira Hass castigates Israelis for not exercising their democratic rights in opposing the many facets of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands (10.) A Daily Star (Lebanon) opinion by the Carnegie Endowment's Michele Dunne identifies three flaws in the new 'anti-elections' thinking about Mideast democracy (11.)

August 28th

Reuters looks at the issue of Israel's cutting financial links with Palestinian banks in the Gaza Strip to prevent money being transferred to organizations affialiated with Hamas (2.) A Daily Star (Lebanon) editorial is critical of Hamas allowing Palestinian rocket fire out of Gaza as undermining the Palestinian cause of liberation (5.) A Middle East Times (Pan Arab) opinion by Sherwood Ross looks at the issue of the influence of the pro-Israel lobby based on the Walt/Mearshiemer book and the James Petras book on that issue (7.)

November 30th, 2006

The Washington Post interviews Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas during his attendance last week at the U.N. General Assembly (2.) In the New Yorker, Seymour Hersh examines how the targets for the Bush administration's plans for a military strike against Iran through aerial bombing have changed (4.) Americans For Peace Now present their weekly translated review of the Israeli press (6.) the Financial Times reports on the urging by UAE minister Al Gergawi of the creation of jobs and economic opportunity for Mideast youth to prevent them falling prey to despair and extremism (7.) The Economist (UK) offers a mixed review of the new Mearshiemer/Walt book on the Israel lobby in the U.S. (8.) An Asharq Alawsat opinion by Amir Taheri argues why neither Israelis nor Palestinians feel it is in their interests to address the current status quo by taking the political risks associated with the Fall Mideast meeting (11.) In Haaretz (Israel), Bradley Burston outlines why it will be the right and not the Israeli left that will be capable of delivering a peace deal with the Palestinians and Arabs (12.)

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