May 11th

Hamas leader rejects two-state solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) May 9, 2009 - 12:00am Hamas will accept no less than a fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, the group's political leader in exile said Saturday. Khaled Meshal, who lives in Syria, called a two-state solution unacceptable because Hamas cannot envision living with Israel in peace and security. Meshal spoke Saturday at a news conference, following a gathering of several Palestinian factional leaders in exile, reported KUNA, the Kuwait news agency. » Read more

UN to Debate How to Revive Flagging Mideast Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) May 11, 2009 - 12:00am The UN Security Council on Monday is to hold talks on reviving the stalled Middle East peace process and creating an independent Palestinian state living side-by-side with a secure Israel. Although Israeli and Palestinian representatives will not take part in the UN talks, Russia called for the debate saying that "vigorous" diplomacy was needed to resolve the issue of Middle East peace. Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who chairs the 15-member Security Council this month, called the Council meeting to stress the "urgency of reaching comprehensive peace in the Middle East." » Read more

Only 13% of Bethlehem land available for Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times of India May 8, 2009 - 12:00am Continued expansion of Israeli settlements and their outposts, along with other measures, have significantly reduced the availability of land for Palestinians restricting their livelihoods and development, a new report by the UN humanitarian affairs agency has said. Israeli expansionist measures have reduced to 13 per cent the availability of land in Bethlehem for Palestinian use, limited the area's access to resources and restricted its potential for development, said the report by the UN Office for Coordination on Humanitarian Affairs (UCHA). » Read more

Hostage to Israel’s far right ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Le Monde Diplomatique by Joseph Algazy, Dominique Vidal - May 1, 2009 - 12:00am David Rotem’s leitmotif is allegiance to the state, but he never spells it out. So much so that, before leaving, we put it to him: “Imagine yourself in Nazi Germany. Where would your loyalty lie?” “To the state,” he replied, without blinking an eye. That retort, given in the Knesset building in Jerusalem, left us stunned, particularly since he went on to tell us how his father left Germany when Hitler came to power. » Read more

Taboo broken in US Middle East offensive ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times by Harvey Morris - May 10, 2009 - 12:00am A period of high-level diplomacy on the Middle East opens in New York on Monday, promising further insights into an emerging strategy from Barack Obama’s administration that is already raising concerns among Israel’s supporters. On Monday, King Abdullah of Jordan said the US was promoting a “57-state solution” in which the entire Muslim world would recognise Israel. But he also warned that the new US administration had little time, before fresh violence erupted, to promote a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. » Read more

King Abdullah of Jordan's ultimatum: peace now or it’s war next year ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by Richard Beeston, Michael Binyon - May 11, 2009 - 12:00am America is putting the final touches to a hugely ambitious peace plan for the Middle East, aimed at ending more than 60 years of conflict between Israel and the Arabs, according to Jordan’s King Abdullah, who is helping to bring the parties together. » Read more

Israel's Netanyahu: Taking a Turn Toward Pragmatism? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Time by Tim McGirk - May 18, 2009 - 12:00am Israel is a nation of worriers. No matter how pleasant the evening, at a certain point, after the jokes and well into the merlot from the Judaean hills, the worrying starts. No doubt, Israelis have plenty to worry about. They live between wars and must contend with Hamas, Hizballah and--the biggest anxiety of all--Iran, whose President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has said Israel should be "wiped off the map." » Read more

Pope Underlines Support for a Palestinian State ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Rachel Donadio - May 11, 2009 - 12:00am On the fourth day of his first trip to the Middle East as pope, Benedict XVI arrived Monday in Israel and immediately called for a solution to the conflict that would yield a “homeland of their own” for both Palestinians and Israelis. While he did not use the word “state,” he made clear in a brief speech that he was underscoring the Vatican’s previous support for the creation of a Palestinian state, albeit with a stronger resonance imparted by the setting and timing of his remarks within minutes of arriving in Israel. » Read more

Parks Fortify Israel’s Claim to Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner, Isabel Kershner - May 9, 2009 - 12:00am Israel is quietly carrying out a $100 million, multiyear development plan in some of the most significant religious and national heritage sites just outside the walled Old City here as part of an effort to strengthen the status of Jerusalem as its capital. » Read more

Obama's speech in Egypt to reach out to Muslims ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times by Christina Bellantoni, Barbara Slavin - May 9, 2009 - 12:00am President Obama next month will travel to Egypt to address the world's Muslims in a major speech, seeking to strengthen U.S. relations with the Islamic world and fight extremism, the White House said Friday. Mr. Obama chose Egypt as the venue for the long-promised speech, to be delivered June 4, because the country "in many ways represents the heart of the Arab world," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. He said a city had not been chosen yet. » Read more