A Prelude Of Niceties ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) October 16, 2007 - 1:04pm Ahead of Annapolis, Olmert and Abbas have agreed to disagree, while Bush is promising 'real results' Israelis and Palestinians who have met with United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in recent days and have spoken with her staff have gained the impression that she does not really know what on earth her boss wants from her. It isn't that Dr. Rice has a hearing problem. Her problem is that United States President George W. Bush has apparently not yet decided what exactly he wants to achieve at the Annapolis peace conference. » Read more

Rice's Visit / In The Shadow Of Mlk ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Aluf Benn - (Opinion) October 16, 2007 - 1:02pm When Condoleezza Rice talks about the establishment of a Palestinian state next to Israel, she sees in her mind's eye the struggle of African Americans for equal rights, which culminated in the period of her Alabama childhood. Rice is very aware of political sensitivity, and avoids making such comparisons in public speeches and interviews, where she keeps to the official list of talking points. But in private, she talks about the » Read more

No High Hopes For Annapolis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Tamar Hermann, Ephraim Yaar - (Special Report) October 16, 2007 - 1:00pm Some two-thirds of the Jewish public think that from Israel's standpoint it is impossible to go on indefinitely with the current state of relations between Israel and the Palestinians. A similar amount of Jewish citizens think that among the most urgent issues on Israel's agenda is the government's attempt to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians. » Read more

U.s. Too Often Follows Israel's Lead In Diplomatic Situations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arabic Media Internet Network by Paul Findley - (Opinion) October 16, 2007 - 12:53pm   There is an open secret in Washington. I learned it well during my 22-year tenure as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. All members swear to serve the interests of the United States, but there is an unwritten and overwhelming exception: The interests of one small foreign country almost always trump U.S. interests. That nation of course is Israel. » Read more

An Extraordinary Opportunity ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Galia Golan - (Opinion) October 16, 2007 - 12:50pm Few are particularly excited by the upcoming Israeli-Palestinian conference; most may believe it will not or should not even take place. Yet this could be the most important and promising opportunity for a genuine peace process since the ill-fated Camp David II conference in July 2000. This optimism derives from both the unique constellation of circumstances in the region and the cumulative effect of developments within the Israeli and Palestinian publics. » Read more

Us 'wants Palestinian State Now' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bbc News October 16, 2007 - 12:48pm The US secretary of state has said it is time for a Palestinian state to be founded, and that the US will put its full weight behind such efforts. Condoleezza Rice said reaching a two-state solution was a priority for her and US President George Bush. Ms Rice was speaking from the West Bank, where she has been trying to get agreement for a peace summit in the US. Meanwhile the Israeli PM has hinted he may consider giving up Palestinian districts in Jerusalem in a peace deal. » Read more

Us Presses Palestinians And Israel To Find Common Ground ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Ian Black - (Special Report) October 16, 2007 - 12:46pm  The US yesterday urged Israel and the Palestinians to work to overcome their differences before an international conference next month even as a top UN expert lambasted the "Quartet" of Middle East peacemakers for failing to promote Palestinian rights. » Read more

Politics: Another Mideast Envoy Fed Up With Quartet ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS) by Haider Rizvi - October 16, 2007 - 12:45pm The United Nations has come under strong criticism from one of its own top human rights officials for failing to take effective action to check the ongoing Israeli abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories. Expressing his anger and frustration at the fast-deteriorating human rights situation in Gaza and the West Bank, John Dugard, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights for the Palestinian territories since 2001, has suggested that the world body quit the Middle East Quartet. » Read more

How About A Peace Lobby? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune by Daniel Levy - (Opinion) October 16, 2007 - 12:42pm After seven lean years, Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are back on the agenda for a planned summit meeting next month in Annapolis, Maryland. Intriguingly, the return of the peace process coincides with an unusual public debate taking place in America regarding the U.S.-Israel relationship following the attention received by a book about the Israel lobby. » Read more

Rice Seeks To Marginalize Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Ashraf Khalil - October 16, 2007 - 12:39pm Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday expressed hope that a successfully negotiated vision of a Palestinian state would marginalize the militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. » Read more