September 15th

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

September 14th

Is It a Resolution or Dissolution? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times by Reema I. Ali - September 10, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinians refer to initiatives for a peaceful resolution of their conflict with Israel as “dissolution and not a resolution.” It is referred to as another attempt to dissolve their national identity and pride and not to resolve the conflict. This outcry is not without basis. The path to peace has complicated their lives and their voice is far too often lost in the corridors of politics for the sake of expediency. » Read more

Normalisation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Nermeen Murad - (Opinion) September 14, 2009 - 12:00am I don’t know exactly when and how the word “normalisation” came to signify visiting occupied Palestinian land or dealing with Palestinians. Ever since I can remember I have heard or read statements from professional associations lambasting one party or another for “normalising”. Of course I have yet to hear these professional associations lead a campaign on anything that has to do with their mandate as unions representing the rights of professionals, but that is another story for another day. » Read more

The 9/11 Anniversary: An Opportunity to Reconsider Mistaken Policies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Raghida Dergham - (Opinion) September 14, 2009 - 12:00am As we reach the eighth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 events, pressures increase on US President Barack Obama to take the necessary steps to combat what he calls “violent extremism” – a term that replaces the expression “war on terror” adopted by his predecessor George W. Bush, who had made the Iraq war his first step to taking revenge for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. » Read more

The peace process needs some new facts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Opinion) September 14, 2009 - 12:00am If all goes according to Barack Obama’s plan, there will be a Palestinian state within two years. Relative to the 60 years of Palestinian suffering, that is an extremely short period of time. Despite this, there has been little enthusiasm shown for the plan from either Palestinians, Israelis or the Arab world. This is hardly surprising. » Read more

US envoy has hopes for settlement deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Vita Bekker - September 14, 2009 - 12:00am George Mitchell, the top US envoy to the Middle East, said yesterday that he hoped to conclude an agreement with Israel on a possible freeze of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank this week to help spur the renewal of peace talks. Mr Mitchell, who arrived in Israel on Saturday, said after a meeting with Shimon Peres, the Israeli president: “While we have not yet reached agreement on many outstanding issues, we are working hard to do so, and indeed the purpose of my visit here this week is an attempt to do so.” » Read more

'Urgency' in US Middle East talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News September 14, 2009 - 12:00am The US has launched a new effort to finalise terms for fresh negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Mr Mitchell has been discussing the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank - a key stumbling block. He said: "It is our intention to conclude this phase of our discussions in the very near future." "This will enable us to move on to the next and really the more important phase," he added. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo. » Read more

Mubarak: Stop attempts to judaize Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) September 14, 2009 - 12:00am Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak urged Israel to halt "all settlement activity" and warned of the dangers it posed in Jerusalem, in talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Cairo on Sunday. Mubarak "called on Israel to stop all settlement activity, including 'natural growth' settlements," presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad said. The president "also urged (Israel) to stop attempts to judaize Jerusalem, warning of the dangerous consequences to peace efforts and highlighting the sensitivity of the Jerusalem issue to the Arab and Islamic worlds," Awad said. » Read more