May 13th

Fears of sectarian violence in Nazareth ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Nation by Jonathan Cook - May 10, 2009 - 12:00am Anti-Christian banners and billboards have sprung up along the main route to Nazareth’s Roman Catholic church days before Pope Benedict XVI is due to arrive in Israel’s largest Arab city to conduct an open-air mass. The signs, including one denouncing those who “harm God or his messenger”, have been posted by a radical Islamic group in the city as part of a campaign to stop the Pope’s visit. » Read more

Benedict backs Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press May 13, 2009 - 12:00am Standing in the cradle of Christianity, Pope Benedict XVI told Palestinians on Wednesday he understands their suffering and offered the Vatican’s strongest and most symbolic public backing yet for an independent Palestinian state. To get to Jesus’ traditional birthplace of Bethlehem, Benedict had to cross through towering concrete slabs, part of a separation barrier Israel has erected to wall off the West Bank’s Palestinian areas. » Read more

Land for peace is the only viable option ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News (Editorial) May 12, 2009 - 12:00am It was entirely expected but nonetheless totally outrageous when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to endorse the idea of a two-state solution during his first bilateral meeting as Israel's head of government with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak this week. Netanyahu refused to discuss the previous Israeli government's position that Palestinian statehood should eventually come about, which was linked to Israel's security requirements. » Read more

Arab Initiative Needs International Support ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Hussein Shobokshi - (Opinion) May 13, 2009 - 12:00am The Arab Initiative is on the table anew; it is a source of controversy and the subject of intense debate, amid talk about requests that some of its provisions should be "amended." These requests are made by the Israelis and Americans, but they have been met with a clear Arab rejection. » Read more

Mubarak to Israel: Progress before Recognition ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press May 13, 2009 - 12:00am Progress in peace negotiations must come before Arab recognition of Israel, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in an interview with Israel TV broadcast late Tuesday. Mubarak also addressed American suggestions that the 2002 Arab initiative, offering Israel normal relations with the Arab world if Israel withdraws from all of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, east Jerusalem and Golan Heights, could be amended. He categorically rejected that idea and said the only road to peace is the creation of a Palestinian state. » Read more

Cool reception for Pope in Holy City ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Heather Sharp - May 13, 2009 - 12:00am "I don't have photos taken with Arabs," jokes Amir Habshush, a Jew, before flinging his arm around his Muslim friend Abouda Gheth and grinning at the lens. Internet footage of the Pope visiting the Jewish holy site, the Western Wall, just a couple of hundred metres away, plays on a computer monitor. But the two young cafe managers are more interested in the business they are losing because of the vast security operation for the pontiff's trip. Road closures and security checks have meant long walks to work, and left Jerusalem's bustling Old City unusually quiet. » Read more

Pope calls for Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News May 13, 2009 - 12:00am Pope Benedict XVI has offered his support for the Palestinians' right to a homeland, as he continues a Middle East tour in the West Bank. Speaking in Bethlehem, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the Pope called for a "just and lasting" peace in the region. He urged Palestinians not to resort to violence and terrorism. He then held a Mass in Bethlehem's Manger Square before visiting a nearby Palestinian refugee camp. One of the aims of the pontiff's visit is to preserve a diminishing Christian presence in the Holy Land. » Read more

Obama to push Israelis, Palestinians on peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters May 12, 2009 - 12:00am U.S. President Barack Obama will urge Palestinian, Israeli and Egyptian leaders to take the steps necessary to achieve peace in the Middle East when they visit Washington this month, the White House said on Tuesday. The White House said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would visit on May 18, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on May 26 and President Mahmoud Abbas on May 28. » Read more

In Bethlehem, Pope Urges Lifting of Gaza Embargo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Alan Cowell, Rachel Donadio - May 13, 2009 - 12:00am Pope Benedict XVI traveled Wednesday to this town that Christians revere as the birthplace of Jesus, telling Palestinians that after decades of suffering, they had a right to a sovereign homeland “in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders.” Confronting the region’s political tripwires, he evoked “the loss, the hardship and the suffering” of Palestinians in war-torn Gaza, saying he prayed for the lifting of the economic embargo that Israel has imposed there since the militant group Hamas took control in 2007. » Read more

May 12th

Peres to pope: We may achieve peace this year ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ronen Medzini - May 11, 2009 - 12:00am "This year, the year of your visit here, may reveal an opportunity for us and our neighbors to attain peace," President Shimon Peres said as he welcomed Pope Benedict XVI at his official residence in Jerusalem Monday afternoon. "While many political clouds still darken the horizon, and the voices of incitement obscure the sound of peace, and much violence converged on the crossroads of our lives, most peoples in this region yearn for peace," the president said. » Read more