Parties bargain ahead of peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico by Laura Rozen - September 16, 2009 - 12:00am Like its predecessors in trying to solve the vexing riddle of Middle East peace, the Obama administration has sought to manage expectations for progress. But despite the best efforts of Washington, parties on all sides of the conflict now anticipate an early moment of truth for the young administration: the possibility that President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will announce an agreement next week, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting, to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. » Read more

US to extend settlement talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News September 16, 2009 - 12:00am He has held an extra unscheduled meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, with another due on Friday. The US is seeking a moratorium on settlement building that would be acceptable to the Palestinian side. It hopes to re-launch peace talks with a Israeli-Palestinian-US summit at the UN General Assembly later this month. Bilateral talks have been suspended since December and Mr Mitchell has spoken of his "sense of urgency" to get them resume them. 'Positive conclusion' » Read more

Geneva Initiative relaunches its grassroots peace recipe ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Tovah Lazaroff - September 16, 2009 - 12:00am Talk about a settlement freeze distracts negotiators from the real issues - such as Jerusalem and refugees - that truly block the path to peace between Israelis and Palestinians, former Meretz Party leader Yossi Beilin told reporters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. He spoke on the same day that US special envoy George Mitchell met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to discuss halting construction in West Bank settlements. » Read more

Israelis who spoke at Goldstone committee: State must wake up ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Daniel Edelson - September 16, 2009 - 12:00am The State of Israel officially condemned on Tuesday the Goldstone Report which accuses the IDF of committing war crimes during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, but the Israelis that testified before the special UN-appointed inquiry commission actually welcomed the harsh report, and urged the government not to ignore its conclusions. "Israel should wake up and take it upon itself to investigate the claims," said Attorney Majd Bader, who testified before the committee on behalf of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel. » Read more

Inquiry Finds Gaza War Crimes From Both Sides ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Neil MacFarquhar - September 16, 2009 - 12:00am A United Nations fact-finding mission investigating the three-week war in Gaza last winter issued a highly critical report on Tuesday detailing what it called extensive evidence that both Israel and Palestinian militant groups took actions amounting to war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity. » Read more

Palestinians: State within 2 years with Obama's support ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - September 16, 2009 - 12:00am US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu twice on Wednesday. Senior Palestinian officials who met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas after his meeting with the American statesman Tuesday told Ynet that the US commitment to reach a peace deal within two years was clarified during the meeting. The Palestinians estimate the Americans are adopting de facto the plan presented by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. » Read more

Aluf Benn / In wake of UN Gaza probe, how can Israel go to war again? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Aluf Benn - September 16, 2009 - 12:00am The United Nations' fact-finding mission into the Gaza offensive describes Israel as perpetrating war crimes - a police state which persecutes minorities - and tars the Palestinian leadership in the Gaza Strip and West Bank with similar accusations. If its findings and recommendations are accepted, the International Criminal Court in The Hague could call a summit meeting between the leaders of Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority on the defendants' stand. » Read more