Blair: Israel thinks its time for talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roni Sofer - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am Mideast Quartet envoy Tony Blair expressed optimism on a settlement freeze agreement in the near future, that will pave the way for renewed regional peace talks. Followings talks with Israeli officials in recent days, Blair told the British Independent: "I hope and believe... we can get a political negotiation launched on satisfactory terms." » Read more

US officials: Netanyahu at pivotal moment ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yitzhak Benhorin - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am WASHINGTON – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's envoys to US talks on the freezing of construction in settlements, Attorney Yitzhak Molcho and Brig. Gen. Mike Herzog, met US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, on Wednesday. The US State Department reported that it was a "good meeting," and that Mitchell will visit the region in the second half of next week. » Read more

Beware Palestinian plot ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Gadi Taub - (Opinion) September 3, 2009 - 12:00am The “two-state vision” is no longer only endorsed by the Left or Center, but rather, it is backed by the Zionist consensus – ranging from Meretz to Likud. » Read more

Israel rekindles its African ties ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Will Ross - September 2, 2009 - 12:00am Avigdor Liberman begins his trip in Ethiopia, where he will be accompanied by 20 business people. Officials say the trip is about building business links with Africa and also countering the influence of Iran on the continent. Israel hopes closer ties with Africa will help at the UN where African countries often vote in blocks. Ethiopia has strong links with Israel. During the 1980s and 90s tens of thousands of Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel to resettle in what they considered to be their homeland. » Read more

Israeli moves give Blair hope of rebuilding political trust ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent by Donald MacIntyre - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am Tony Blair expressed optimism yesterday that Israel and the US would agree on a settlement moratorium sufficient to pave the way for the first political negotiations between Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the moderate Palestinian leadership. The international community's Middle East envoy was speaking after three days of talks with Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Netanyahu. » Read more

Hidden in Olmert Indictment Are Charges That He Swindled U.S. Jews ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - September 2, 2009 - 12:00am Washington — The indictment against former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has riveted Israelis with its allegations that the ex-prime minister took envelopes of cash from supporters for his personal use. But another aspect of the August 30 indictment, one directly relevant to American Jews, has been all but lost amid the fallout: The Israeli leader, prosecutors charge, bilked 17 prominent North American Jewish charities and pro-Israel advocacy groups for his own benefit. » Read more

Israeli Obstacles to the International Conference ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Randa Takieddine - September 2, 2009 - 12:00am The importance of the visit by the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, to France on Thursday and Friday to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner lies in the timing. The visit comes before Sarkozy takes part in the General Assembly of the United Nations on 12 September, and his meeting with the heads of the G-20 in Pittsburgh on the 24th and 25th of the same month. » Read more

At the expense of peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Michael Jansen - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has put the Obama administration in an awkward position by demanding a total halt to Israeli settlement construction and expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. He is simply echoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who initially called for a complete suspension of settlement activity, including completing, to accommodate “natural growth”, the 2,500 units under construction, and housing in East Jerusalem. » Read more

Tell the settlers the truth ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) September 3, 2009 - 12:00am At a time when the Obama administration is seeking a way to impose a construction freeze in the settlements that will be acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians, in order to pave the way for the resumption of the political process, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking common ground with the settlers. According to the minutes distributed by the Prime Minister's Office after Netanyahu's meeting with the heads of the Yesha Council of settlements last month, the prime minister stated that, "We are all interested in the same thing," and then added, "But we must act wisely." » Read more

Israel hints it may retroactively legalize settlement construction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am The state prosecutor's representative twice hinted that construction in West Bank settlements might be retroactively legalized Wednesday, seemingly representing a major policy turnaround. The two responses are a departure from the state's usual response that the structures are illegal and are expected to be demolished. » Read more