October 21st

Palestinian president to set Jan. election date ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press October 20, 2009 - 12:00am The Palestinian president said Tuesday he will set Jan. 24 as the date for presidential and legislative elections, despite objections from his rivals in the Hamas militant group. Mahmoud Abbas told journalists in Cairo he will set the date in a presidential decree Sunday. Hamas, which wants the voting delayed, dismissed Abbas' announcement as an attempt to pressure the group into an agreement to end a bitter two-year division between the two sides that has interfered with peace talks with Israel and hampered reconstruction of war damage in Gaza. » Read more

Israel hardens stance on U.N. Gaza report ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post October 21, 2009 - 12:00am Israel hardened its opposition Tuesday to international calls for an independent inquiry into its offensive in the Gaza Strip last winter, saying it would urge the United States to stop the issue from advancing at the United Nations. The decision came at a cabinet meeting called to discuss a U.N. report that has accused both sides of committing war crimes during the three-week operation. The report, which was adopted by the U.N. Human Rights Council last week, recommends war crimes proceedings if Israel and the Palestinians do not conduct credible internal investigations. » Read more

October 20th

Obama committed to two-state solution in ME, says aide ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Barbara Ferguson - October 20, 2009 - 12:00am The Obama administration is committed to creating a Palestinian state and determined to move forward with peace talks, said National Security Adviser Gen. James L. Jones, at the fourth annual gala of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP). "We are clear, unambiguous and consistent. The time has come to relaunch negotiations without preconditions to reach a final status agreement on two states," said Gen. Jones, adding that he was proud to represent President Barack Obama at the ATFP event, held this weekend. » Read more

The conventional route will not bring us peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) October 19, 2009 - 12:00am The most recent public opinion poll conducted in the Palestinian territories by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center has shown a dramatic decline in the Palestinian public's evaluation of the Obama administration's role in promoting peace in the Middle East. » Read more

Obama's Mistakes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) October 19, 2009 - 12:00am There are plenty of reasons why the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has not yet been restarted through American mediation. Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu's manipulations and his coalition are one; the weakness of the Palestinian Authority and PLO under Mahmoud Abbas are another. The moderate Arab states have done precious little to help. But right now US President Barack Obama's mistakes are the most glaring. » Read more

American Jews Rethink Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Nation by Philip Weiss - October 14, 2009 - 12:00am This year has seen a dramatic shift in American Jews' attitudes toward Israel. In January many liberal Jews were shocked by the Gaza war, in which Israel used overwhelming force against a mostly defenseless civilian population unable to flee. Then came the rise to power of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, whose explicitly anti-Arab platform was at odds with an American Jewish electorate that had just voted 4 to 1 for a minority president. » Read more

Tide is turning against Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Linda Heard - (Opinion) October 20, 2009 - 12:00am Now even the United Nations Human Rights Council is “anti-Semitic.” Well, that’s the view of Israel’s Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, who is outraged that the body rubber-stamped the Goldstone Report on war crimes committed in Gaza. Some years ago, that accusation would have had enormous shock-value, whereas, nowadays, the label has been so propagandized the only thing it elicits is a yawn. » Read more

Time and again, US backs Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Linda Heard - October 20, 2009 - 12:00am Imagine that heavily-armed neighbourhood thieves break into your house, steal your property and shoot a family member. Naturally, you would call law enforcement. You know the names of the criminals and expect the police to arrest them. But what if the police hear the murderers' names, look embarrassed, shrug their shoulders, say ‘sorry, can't help you,' and simply walk away? » Read more

Israel’s Fear of the Goldstone Report ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Bilal Hassen - October 20, 2009 - 12:00am The Palestinian and Arab public campaign against the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) withdrawal of the request to discuss Judge Richard Goldstone’s report and to transfer it to the UN Security Council or the International Court of Justice in The Hague had a number of various outcomes. A negative outcome is that it weakened the PA’s reputation and status, and even destabilized its internal status, especially after it was heavily criticised by its own apparatuses and cadres. » Read more

Goldstone Tests Obama ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Husam Itani - October 20, 2009 - 12:00am It may be inferred from the statements given by the spokesman for the U.S State Department that Washington will not allow the Goldstone report to be presented before the UN Security Council, and that in case this report made its way there, the United States will use its veto power to nix any possible resolution endorsing the report’s recommendations. » Read more