November 10th

Mr. President, take Mideast heat or get out of the kitchen ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CNN by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) November 10, 2009 - 1:00am When Barack Obama receives his Nobel Peace Prize next month in Oslo, Norway, one thing seems clear: It won't be in recognition of his skill in advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace. For much of the past year, the administration has wandered around the not-so-Holy Land without clear direction, an accurate understanding of Israelis and Palestinians, or an effective strategy. But all is not lost. The past 10 months could be, to use the president's words, a teachable moment, and with the right lessons learned, maybe, just maybe, the president could get back on track. The lessons: » Read more

The partner who had no partner ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ephraim Sneh - (Opinion) November 9, 2009 - 1:00am In announcing last week that he would not run for reelection as president of the Palestinian Authority, in effect Mahmoud Abbas is also stepping down from his unofficial position as leader of the dialogue with Israel-"our partner" as we say here. » Read more

Credit where it's due ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Joharah Baker - November 9, 2009 - 1:00am With all the talk about Palestinian elections, President Mahmoud Abbas refusing to run and a possible unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, one thing remains constant--the undeterred growth of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Unfortunately, it is these settlements that will render all of the above completely irrelevant if they are not stopped and dismantled in line with what they are: illegal. » Read more

From settlement freeze to baby steps ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - November 9, 2009 - 1:00am The Obama administration tried to jump start the Israel-Arab peace process and inject new energy into additional areas of US activity in the Middle East by instituting a settlement freeze in the West Bank. Regardless of the words Obama's people have chosen to soften the impact, this initiative has failed. The immediate fallout is the apparent resignation of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and an inability to get final status negotiations moving again. » Read more

We should give credit where it's due on Abbas' firm stance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Joharah Baker - (Opinion) November 10, 2009 - 1:00am With all the talk about Palestinian polls, President Mahmoud Abbas refusing to run and a possible unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, one thing remains constant – the undeterred growth of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Unfortunately, it is these settlements that will render all of the above completely irrelevant if they are not stopped and dismantled in line with what they are: illegal. » Read more

Succeeding Abbas? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Hassan Barari - (Opinion) November 10, 2009 - 1:00am The latest visit of Mohammed Dahlan in Amman has triggered much speculation among pundits and politicians over what he is up to. Indeed, he is not an ordinary senior Palestinian official but a very controversial politician, one that many Jordanians and Palestinians accuse of taking a leading role in cracking down on Hamas. » Read more

Abbas isn't finished just yet ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Sami Moubayed - (Opinion) November 10, 2009 - 1:00am The last thing Mahmoud Abbas needed was a pat on the back from his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres, shortly after announcing that he would not seek another term as president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). » Read more

Obama-Netanyahu talks see no result ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English November 10, 2009 - 1:00am The latest attempt by the US president to salvage the Middle East peace talks appears to have come to nothing after his meeting with Israel's prime minister ended with only a brief statement from the White House. Binyamin Netanyahu left the White House on Monday after spending an hour and forty minutes inside with Barack Obama, without making the customary public appearance with his host. A brief White House statement said that the two leaders discussed a number of bilateral issues, including Iran and "how to move forward on Middle East peace". » Read more

Palestinian leaders foresee bleak future ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Omar Karmi - November 10, 2009 - 1:00am It must be assumed that the discussion at the somewhat reluctantly and hastily arranged meeting in Washington last night between Barack Obama, the US president, and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, would have focused almost exclusively on the future of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. » Read more

How Will the Palestinians Survive without Mahmoud Abbas? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed - (Opinion) November 10, 2009 - 1:00am We must not forget that the Palestinian president – no matter who he might be – is an important figure not just for the West Bank, but for the entire Arab world. This is because the Palestinian President is the guardian of the most important cause – the Palestinian Cause – and therefore possesses exceptional [political] legitimacy in the Middle East's political arena. Therefore the issue that we are facing is one that concerns everybody. » Read more