October 15th

Rice Pushes Israelis, Palestinians Toward Middle ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Arshad Mohammed - October 15, 2007 - 2:47pm Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tried on Monday to push Palestinians and Israelis toward a middle ground in drafting a joint document seen as key to the success of a U.S.-hosted peace conference this year. After meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Rice said the document should "seriously and substantively" address the core issues of the conflict -- a sharp contrast with Israeli hopes to keep it as vague as possible. » Read more

Palestinian Census First In Decade ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Dalia Nammari - October 15, 2007 - 2:46pm The Palestinians are preparing to conduct their first census in a decade, with hopes the results will help them in future peace talks with Israel. Demographics play a central role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rapid Palestinian growth would bolster Palestinian territorial demands, while Israelis' fear of being outnumbered in areas they now control might make them more willing to consider a West Bank withdrawal. » Read more

Arabs Skeptical Of U.s. Peace Effort ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Jeffrey Fleishman - October 15, 2007 - 2:41pm The upcoming Israeli-Palestinian peace conference resembles a dinner party with a less-than-inspiring menu and a bunch of well-tailored yet exasperated guests who, if they show up at all, doubt that anyone will go home happy. Posturing and recrimination often characterize such negotiations, but Arab nations, including Washington's closest allies, are criticizing the November conference as a miscalculated photo op by a Bush administration desperate to repair its image in the Middle East. » Read more

Obstacles Stall Rice's Mideast Diplomacy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Matthew Lee - October 15, 2007 - 2:39pm Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice opened an intense round of Mideast shuttle diplomacy Sunday, struggling to bring Israelis and Palestinians close enough to make a planned U.S.-hosted peace conference worthwhile. The two sides are at bitter odds over an outline of a peace agreement that would be presented at next month's conference, and Rice sought to lower expectations her mission would finalize preparations for the gathering. » Read more

October 12th

Peace Virus Is Back ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Gadi Baltiansky - (Opinion) October 12, 2007 - 2:26pm Lately, a new epidemic has been threatening to attack Israel’s public discourse. A peace conference, an agreement with the Palestinians, ceremonies with the US president – diseases from the past we thought we had already overcome. We got used to the comfortable life of no partner, no negotiations, and no hope; and suddenly, the peace virus is approaching again. The cure that was found for it is rather simple: A dismissive hand gesture; let that bothersome mosquito flies away from here. » Read more

A Welcome Right-wing Leverage ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Aluf Benn - October 12, 2007 - 2:19pm To his aides, Ariel Sharon would praise Uzi Landau, the leader of the Likud "rebels," who opposed the disengagement plan. Uzi has a historic role, Sharon explained: If the plan is implemented without encountering any resistance, the world will think such a move is easy and that Israel did not make enough concessions. For this reason internal opponents are important - they strengthen you outwardly. » Read more

The City Of David, Below And Above Ground ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Danny Rubenstein - (Opinion) October 12, 2007 - 2:18pm The uncovering of ancient sites currently taking place on the City of David hill, on the slope south of the wall around Jerusalem's Old City, is almost certainly the most impressive archaeological enterprise in Israel today. During a visit there during the Sukkot holiday, one could see thousands of visitors, tourists from abroad and Israelis. » Read more

Forecast Poor ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) October 12, 2007 - 2:16pm As the Annapolis meeting approaches, Palestinians grow less enthusiastic over its prospects. One can think of a number of good reasons for this pessimism, primary among them the bitter experience Palestinians have had with such summits in the past, especially when sponsored by the US. The last such meeting, lest we forget, was the Camp David summit in 2000. » Read more

Damascus Understands That It Needs Peace With Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Shlomo Ben-ami - (Opinion) October 12, 2007 - 2:12pm An Arab-Israeli peace requires a comprehensive approach, because the problems at stake are intertwined. Not only are key issues such as Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees insoluble without an all-Arab consensus, but any country that is left out of the peace process is bound to persist in its role as a revolutionary power bent on regional destabilization. » Read more

One Reason For The Absence Of Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Economist October 12, 2007 - 2:08pm TWO months ago Heftsiba, an Israeli construction firm, went bust. One reason for its woes was a court order last year to freeze work on a big housing project on an Israeli settlement just inside the West Bank. The land, it turned out, had in effect been stolen from private owners in a neighbouring Palestinian village, Bilin. Yet after the bankruptcy, the same court ruled that the apartment blocks—and their prospective buyers, who had broken in and occupied them at the news of Heftsiba's impending collapse—could stay. » Read more