November 28th

Starting From Annapolis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times (Editorial) November 28, 2007 - 3:31pm The American-led Annapolis peace conference achieved the minimum — a pledge by Israel and the Palestinians to begin immediate negotiations with a goal of reaching a peace treaty by the end of 2008. We are encouraged that President Bush, best known for waging war in Iraq, has finally accepted the challenge of peacemaker. An agreement would give Palestinians their long-promised homeland and help make Israel more secure. It could also diminish the appeal of Islamic extremists and begin to repair America’s battered reputation in the Muslim world. » Read more

November 27th

Gaza's Bleak Reality ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - November 27, 2007 - 2:05pm Tzipi Livni says the world can be divided into two: The good guys, who came to Annapolis, the ones who want to make peace - and the bad guys, who oppose the conference and want to sabotage peace efforts. According to the foreign minister, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and his friends in the Ramallah government belong to the good guys. The Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, belongs to the bad guys. » Read more

Analysis / Four Quick Points On Israel-palestinian Joint Statement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Shmuel Rosner - November 27, 2007 - 2:04pm Timing: Promising to conclude the peace negotiations within a year is the headline of this document. It is a challenge that should not be taken lightly. Both sides remember that deadlines are not sacred in the Middle East, and were rarely met in similar occasions. Nevertheless, they will try to meet this goal, paying Bush for his vision (the Palestinians) and support (Israelis). » Read more

Threat To Israel From Within Not Without ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Linda S. Heard - (Opinion) November 27, 2007 - 2:03pm Israelis are concerned about Iran's nuclear programme, which they believe is an existential threat. Supporting this argument they misquote the Iranian president as saying he wants to wipe Israel off the map. They are right to be worried but their concerns are misplaced. Israel's continued existence as a Jewish state may be in the balance but this has nothing to do with Iran. » Read more

Short On Peace, Long On Process ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al Jazeera English by Marwan Bishara - (Analysis) November 27, 2007 - 2:02pm Hosted by the US president and supported by Arab, European and other foreign ministers, Palestinian and Israeli leaders are expected to re-launch their long stalled negotiations in Annapolis on Tuesday. Judging from its high attendance and low expectations, Annapolis is more likely to help three sitting ducks, Olmert, Abbas and Bush, than advance the cause of peace in the Middle East. » Read more

What The Annapolis Summit Lacks Is Willpower ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Telegraph by Tim Butcher - (Opinion) November 27, 2007 - 2:01pm America puts on a good Middle East peace summit. It must be all the practice, but whether up in the hilly presidential retreat of Camp David, in the Rose Garden outside the White House or, as will take place today, in the grounds of the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, you can be sure of a good show. » Read more

Gaza Fears Israeli Push To Smash Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald Macintyre - November 27, 2007 - 1:40pm Big Israeli armoured bulldozers, guarded by a stationary escort of tanks and armoured personnel carriers half-hidden in the adjacent sandbanks, were operating all along the exposed walk south on the Palestinian side of the hi-tech Erez terminal separating Gaza from Israel yesterday. » Read more

Annapolis And A History Of Abject Failure ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times by Gideon Rachman - (Commentary) November 27, 2007 - 1:39pm Last time I visited Jerusalem, I sat down with a colleague and tried to see how many Middle East peace plans and conferences we could list. Within a couple of minutes we had scribbled down Venice, Madrid, Oslo, Camp David I, Camp David II, Taba, the Rogers plan, the Annan plan, the Reagan plan, the Tenet plan, the Saudi plan, the Mitchell report, the Geneva accord and the road map. I have lost the beer mat on which I was keeping the minutes of our discussions – so I apologise if I have missed some out. But you get the general point. The record is not encouraging. » Read more

Backers, Opponents Of Annapolis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - November 27, 2007 - 1:38pm It's the one major Muslim nation not on the invitation list for the upcoming U.S.-convened peace parley, yet it will haunt every discussion. Iran's importance to the Israeli-Palestinian peace conference in Annapolis, Md., was underscored by how the subject of Iran seeped into two recent Washington think-tank sessions on the talks -- one casting the renewed peace push as a means toward limiting Iran's influence, the other framing it as a gift to the Islamic Republic's plan for regional domination. » Read more

Bush's Big Moment In Annapolis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Zev Chafets - (Opinion) November 27, 2007 - 1:37pm THE MIDDLE EAST peace conference convened by the United States in Annapolis, Md., may or may not move the Israeli-Arab conflict closer to resolution (my money is on "may not"). But, whatever happens, there is already one winner: George W. Bush. This is Bush's bash. His name is on the invitation. The party is at his place. The guests are strictly A-list. Every » Read more