April 10th

Elliott Abrams and the Politics of Fait Accompli ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times by Reema I. Ali - April 10, 2009 - 12:00am In an open editorial in the Washington Post edition of April 8, Elliott Abrams argues that the proposition that expansion of settlements by Israel on lands which are to constitute the future Palestinian state as an impediment to peace is a fallacy. He claims that such a request is designed only to create tension between the ultra-right government of Israel and the U.S. administration since according to him these settlements are already there and are part of the realities on the ground. Israel has created rightly or wrongly a fait accompli on Palestinian lands. » Read more

American Jews Approve of Obama's Handling of Arab-Israeli Conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Voice of America April 9, 2009 - 12:00am A new survey of American Jews shows strong support for a more assertive American role in Middle East peace efforts, even if that means exerting greater pressure on Israel to reach a compromise with its Arab neighbors. The poll released by J Street - a Jewish-American political action group that describes itself as pro-peace - has some good news for President Barack Obama. » Read more

Arab FMs to discuss Mideast peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews April 9, 2009 - 12:00am Jordan will host a "consultative" meeting of six Arab foreign ministers on Saturday to discuss the Middle East peace process, a senior official said on Thursday. The top diplomats of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Syria, the Palestinian Authority and Lebanon in addition to Jordan and the Arab League will hold talks in Amman ahead of a planned visit to Washington by King Abdullah II, a key US ally. "It will be a consultative meeting to coordinate an Arab position towards peace," the official told AFP. » Read more

'Jerusalem should be capital for the Palestinians and Israel' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz April 9, 2009 - 12:00am Jordan's King Abdullah II pressed on Britain the need for "serious negotiations" between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the Palestinians over a two-state solution on Thursday, in a meeting with the British Foreign Secretary. David Miliband, speaking at a joint press conference following the meeting, expressed Britain's concerns at Israeli plans to demolish scores of houses in East Jerusalem, leaving around 1,500 Palestinians homeless. » Read more

Abbas to Quartet: Israel must commit for talks to resume ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat April 10, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has made peace talks with Israel's new government conditional on it committing to previous agreements and freezing Jewish settlement growth, aides said on Friday. Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Abbas conveyed that message directly to the so-called Quartet of Middle East mediators -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations. » Read more

April 9th

Popular Palestinian PM "not running for anything" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Douglas Hamilton - April 7, 2009 - 12:00am West Bank villagers killed a fatted calf Tuesday to welcome Salam Fayyad, the affable, and supposedly outgoing, prime minister who may currently be the most popular leader among the Palestinians. They added boiled mutton from two sheep to dozens of trays piled high with spiced rice and drenched with yoghurt, for the traditional welcoming dish of mansaf. There was also 30 kg of honey-dripping sweets from Nazareth as dessert. » Read more

Israel Cries Wolf ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Roger Cohen - (Opinion) April 8, 2009 - 12:00am “Iran is the center of terrorism, fundamentalism and subversion and is in my view more dangerous than Nazism, because Hitler did not possess a nuclear bomb, whereas the Iranians are trying to perfect a nuclear option.” Benjamin Netanyahu 2009? Try again. These words were in fact uttered by another Israeli prime minister (and now Israeli president), Shimon Peres, in 1996. Four years earlier, in 1992, he’d predicted that Iran would have a nuclear bomb by 1999. » Read more

Mapping the possible Netanyahu-Obama fault lines ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - (Analysis) April 7, 2009 - 12:00am There are no fissures yet between the young Obama and Netanyahu administrations, but political geologists are mapping the fault lines. So far, two major potentials for quakes have emerged, both having to do with timing: One concerns the pace of negotiating Palestinian statehood; the other has to do with projections about when Iran's alleged nuclear program becomes irrevocably dangerous. » Read more

Netanyahu's 2nd Chance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Alon Ben-meir - (Analysis) April 9, 2009 - 12:00am ew Israeli government led by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu has raised many conflicting feelings among those concerned about the fate of the Arab-Israeli peace process. Will Netanyahu scuttle the little progress that was made under his predecessor Olmert, or will he engage the Palestinians anew? » Read more

Hamas Calls on PA to Cut Security Ties with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - April 8, 2009 - 12:00am Hamas urged the Palestinian Authority to halt all security coordination with Israel following Wednesday's clash between settlers and residents of the West Bank village of Khirbat Safa, near the Bat Ayin settlement. The violent riot saw 16 Palestinian suffer various injuries with one of the wounded said to be in critical condition. » Read more