Fatah to Haaretz: No settlement freeze, no talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) will meet Tuesday afternoon with the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell. The two will discuss the prospect of renewing talks between the PA and Israel and the possibility of Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting next week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Netanyahu was supposed to have met Mitchell Monday, but postponed the meeting to today to take part in the funeral of Capt. Asaf Ramon, son of Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon. » Read more

Mitchell, Netanyahu fail to agree on settlement halt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis, Barak Ravid - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Israel and the United States failed Tuesday to reach a compromise on the contentious issue of West Bank settlement construction. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met for two hours in Jerusalem with U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell. The meeting ended with no results. The prime minister's bureau released a statement to the press describing the sit-down as "good." The two men will resume their discussions in Netanyahu's office Thursday morning. » Read more

PA Cabinet maintains hope for Obama peace efforts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 15, 2009 - 12:00am In their Monday meeting the West Bank cabinet ministers expressed positive sentiments around current US efforts to halt settlement construction and limit Israeli incursions into Palestinian areas. In a statement summing up the proceedings of the meetings, ministers expressed their hope around the visit to the region of US Special Middle East envoy George Mitchell this week. The cabinet said the visit indicates the serious of the US administration around re-launching the peace process. » Read more

Peres met Erekat in Jerusalem over peace talks; PA firm in stance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli President Shimon Peres reportedly met with Chief Negotiator for the PLO Saeb Erekat last week in what Israeli press called an “effort to ease the way toward a tripartite meeting at the UN.” » Read more

Optimism over Mitchell's Middle East peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Irish Times by Michael Jansen - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am PALESTINIAN CABINET ministers in the West Bank yesterday expressed public optimism about United States envoy George Mitchell’s efforts to start peace talks with Israel, despite yawning differences between the two sides. In separate meetings today with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Mr Mitchell will seek to persuade the two men to meet in New York on the fringes of next week’s UN General Assembly. » Read more

Mitchell hopes to wring concessions on settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Amy Teibel - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Washington's special Mideast envoy launched a last-ditch push Tuesday to wring an Israeli promise to curtail settlement construction and persuade the Palestinians to attend a high-profile U.S. meeting meant as a prelude to peacemaking. » Read more

Squandering the Moment ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times (Editorial) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Unless something happens soon, Israelis, Palestinians and other Arabs may squander the best chance for Middle East peace in nearly a decade. President Obama is committed to serious negotiations and, for now, there is a lull in regional violence. But all of the region’s major players are refusing to do what is needed to keep their own people safe and move the peace process forward. Mr. Obama has called on the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to freeze all settlement construction as a way to demonstrate his government’s commitment to trading land for peace. » Read more