Artists deny calling for TIFF boycott over Tel Aviv series ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CTV News by Cassandra Szklarski - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Artists angered by a spotlight on Israeli films at the Toronto International Film Festival insisted Monday they are not calling for a boycott as they continued to draw the ire of a growing list of celebrity critics. Filmmakers including Toronto's John Greyson, Elle Flanders and Palestinian-Israeli director Elia Sulieman held a press conference to refute charges they were blacklisting the festival's "City to City" program and its participants. » Read more

Editorial: It’s time for action ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Opinion) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Egypt has been quietly negotiating between Israel and Hamas for the release of Hamas prisoners held by Israel and also for Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured by Hamas in 2006. A deal appears imminent. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Cairo on Sunday for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak; Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal was also in the Egyptian capital a few days earlier and is expected there again this week. Neither of the two men would have turned up there if there were still a mountain of details to climb. » Read more

Jordan an arena for Hamas? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Hassan Barari - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Bickering within Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood has come to the fore as never before. The divisions in the movement and their dubious relationship with Hamas have posed serious questions about the scope, if any, this movement is penetrated by Hamas. » Read more

Assimilation threatens Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Linda S. Heard - (Opinion) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Let's face it, without the financing and the protection of Washington, Israel would be forced to abide by international laws and treaties like every other country on earth, else risk being labelled 'a rogue state'. If the United States pulled the rug from under its favoured ally, Israel would no longer be able to continue its policy of nuclear ambiguity, would be called upon to abide by UN Security Council sanctions, and would face serious censure for launching aggressive strikes and wars. » Read more

Saudi Arabia: "Peace Built on Confidence-Building Measures Will Not Succeed" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat September 15, 2009 - 12:00am In a response to a letter from the United States Congress to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud urging the kingdom to make a dramatic gesture towards Israel as a confidence building measure to promote peace, Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel A. Al-Jubeir reiterated Saudi Arabia's position that an incremental approach to peace, or one built on confidence-building measures, will not succeed. “It has not succeeded over the past three decades and, we believe, will not succeed today.” » Read more

Israeli peace groups target US fundraising ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Jonathan Cook - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli peace activists are planning to ratchet up their campaign against groups in the United States that raise money for settlers by highlighting how tax exemptions are helping to fund the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank. Gush Shalom, a small peace group that advocates Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territories, is preparing to send details to the US tax authorities questioning the charitable status of several organisations. » Read more

Op-Ed: Changing our campuses from polarized to pro-peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Lauren Barr - (Opinion) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Last spring, a pro-Palestinian club at American University in this city built a big tent on the main quad. Inside were posters demanding an immediate end to occupation. Outside the tent, some pro-Israel students protested, distributing pamphlets encouraging more U.S. support for Israel to protect against the Palestinian terrorist threat. It ended in bitter feelings and confusion among the onlookers. Did either side win? » Read more

Peace in the Middle East is possible ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Carlo Strenger - (Opinion) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Benny Morris is one of today's most serious and disturbing pessimists about peace in the Middle East, because he used to be a card-carrying leftist and has been instrumental in uncovering Israel's role in the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem in 1948. He reaffirms his pessimism in a recent article in the Guardian, and says Barack Obama is taking on mission impossible; that his attempt at renewing the peace process is doomed to failure. » Read more

Rightist gets community service for racist remarks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Aviad Glickman - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on Tuesday sentenced extreme right-wing activist Noam Federman to four months of community service, after convicting him of incitement to racism. Federman was put on trial following remarks he made during a TV show in August 2005: "There are delusional people who say we can live with the Arabs in coexistence. There are delusional people who say I can live together with cancer. What is a good Arab? An Arab who has yet to murder Jews? It's hard to find any of those today." » Read more

While Ramallah prospers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ilana Hammerman - (Opinion) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am There is new life in the West Bank, according to reports in the press. Freedom of movement, successful commerce, nightlife. Many Israelis certainly feel pride, especially the humanists among them. » Read more