November 27th

Annapolis: The Cost Of Failure ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Review Of Books by Henry Siegman - (Opinion) November 27, 2007 - 1:36pm One of the first on-line responses to the publication of the letter to President George W. » Read more

4 Main Issues That Divide Israel, Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from McClatchy News by Dion Nissenbaum - November 27, 2007 - 1:35pm The clock is winding down on yet another U.S. president who's trying to broker an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has outlasted 10 of his predecessors and will be 60 years old on May 14, Israel's 60th birthday. The Bush administration has left the issue on the back burner for six years to concentrate on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has now invited Arab, Israeli and world leaders for a day of Middle East peace talks in Annapolis, Md., on Tuesday. » Read more

In Annapolis, Conflict By Other Means ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Report by Robert Blecher , Mouin Rabbani - November 27, 2007 - 1:33pm At an intersection in front of Nablus city hall, a pair of women threaded a knot of waiting pedestrians, glanced left, then dashed across the street. “What’s this?” an onlooker chastised them. “Can’t you see the red light?” Not long after, his patience exhausted, the self-appointed traffic cop himself stepped off the curb and made his way to the other side of the boulevard. » Read more

Beyond Cynicism, Reason For Real Hope ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Orlando Sentinel by Rafi Dajani - (Special Report) November 27, 2007 - 1:29pm Few events in Mideast peacemaking history have been subjected to as much cynicism as today's Annapolis meeting. This is due to the perceived lack of planning in the lead-up to the meeting, mismanagement of expectations, and the reported gaps between Israelis and Palestinians over the text of a joint declaration at the meeting's conclusion. » Read more

Bush: 'battle Is Underway For The Future' Of Mideast ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Michael Abramowitz, Glenn Kessler - November 27, 2007 - 1:25pm Opening a Middle East peace conference in Annapolis this morning, President Bush said that peace must be pursued because "a battle is underway for the future" of the region "and we must not cede victory to the extremists." » Read more

Israelis And Palestinians Try To Set Pace For Peace Talks As Bush Plans Speech ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Helene Cooper, Steven Erlanger - November 27, 2007 - 1:24pm Israeli and Palestinian negotiators made progress on Monday toward completing a joint statement for the planned Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Md., and President Bush appeared ready to paper over remaining differences between the two sides with his planned speech on Tuesday. » Read more

November 26th

The Price Of Arab Inclusion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) November 26, 2007 - 1:08pm U.S. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice can chalk up an important achievement with the Annapolis summit that begins tomorrow: The Arab countries acceded to the American request and are taking part in the conference with a high profile, let alone taking part. Foreign ministers and not ambassadors will represent them. This decision's significance goes beyond Arab backing for the Palestinians, or a pat on the back for the American president, whose stature is eroding greatly in the region. » Read more

No Such Thing As A Free Summit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) November 26, 2007 - 1:06pm It is true that, to date, U.S. President George W. Bush has not exhibited a great deal of wisdom in his dealings with the Middle East. But it hard to believe that the leader of the superpower and his aides do not recognize the risk they have taken by holding the Annapolis summit. One doesn't have to be Henry Kissinger to appreciate that the summit cannot end in nothing - zero. The size of the achievement, or the depth of the failure, will be proportional to the delegation level in attendance and the number of hours of TV broadcasts, mostly to the Arab world. » Read more

Bush Might Fail At Annapolis, But Give Him Credit For Trying ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star (Editorial) November 26, 2007 - 1:04pm Many flaws have been identified in the organization of the Middle East peace conference this week at Annapolis, in the US state of Maryland. Arab officials, in particular, harbor deep-seated fears that their participation may be used as cover for a gathering that fails to achieve anything of substance toward settling the dispute at the core of the region's troubles, that between the Palestinians and the Israelis. » Read more

High-stake Meet ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) November 26, 2007 - 1:02pm President Bush probably saved his blushes when announcing that the Arab-Israeli conflict would not be solved in a day and a night at Annapolis, but that a full year would be needed — basically the rest of his term — for the US to try to broker a peace. Washington hopes that the two sides work toward the establishment of an independent Palestinian state before Bush leaves office and that the negotiations will be launched at the conference in Annapolis. » Read more