May 12th

Olmert speaks out against proximity talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Atilla Somfalvi - May 11, 2010 - 12:00am While under investigation over his alleged involvement in the Holyland affair, Former Prime Minster Ehud Olmert on Tuesday questioned the effectiveness of proximity talks with the Palestinians and said that "anything less than direct talks – is not as good." During a speech at the Social Economic Forum named after Benny Gaon in Tel Aviv, Olmert said that "there was no need for a referee between us and the Palestinians. » Read more

Israel halts care for dead militant's relative ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman by Karoun Demirjian - May 11, 2010 - 12:00am Israel has barred a cousin of an assassinated Hamas operative from entering from Gaza for medical care, security officials said Tuesday, though the man's doctors warn his life is in danger. Mohammed al-Mabhouh, 56, is the cousin of senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, who was assassinated in Dubai in January in a hit local authorities blamed on Israel's Mossad spy agency. Israel has not commented on the charge. » Read more

Fatah: Israel planning mall in East Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 12, 2010 - 12:00am Israel is planning to build a shopping mall in East Jerusalem on three dunums of land owned by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Endowments, behind the US Consulate, Fatah Jerusalem Affairs official Hatem Abdul Qader said Tuesday. The land's trustee was handed down administrative orders, including eviction notices, from the director of the Israel Lands Administration, claiming the land as government owned rather than residential, Abdul Qader said. » Read more

Abbas, Obama agreed to top proximity talks with borders, security issues ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 12, 2010 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. President Barack Obama have agreed that the U.S.-proposed indirect Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks would focus on the issues of security and borders, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported Tuesday. In a phone conversation, the two leaders have also emphasized that neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis should make any " provocative" action "that could destroy the confidence" during the talks, according to Wafa. » Read more

Jerusalem Old City Initiative Releases New Peace Plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Voice of America by Meredith Buel - May 12, 2010 - 12:00am Israel and the Palestinians have resumed peace talks following a 17-month break in negotiations. Possibly the most difficult issue on the table in the conflict is the future of Jerusalem's Old City - an area sacred to Muslims, Christians and Jews. A group of Israelis, Palestinians, Canadians and Americans has released a new initiative designed to help the parties resolve this thorny problem. » Read more

What Do Israelis Think of Obama? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Review Of Books May 12, 2010 - 12:00am “PRES OBAMA: SAVE ISRAEL FROM ITSELF.” So proclaimed a sign at a demonstration in late March in Sheik Jarrah, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem where activists gather every Friday to protest the eviction of Palestinian residents from their homes. Among the demonstrators was the Israeli novelist David Grossman, with whom I struck up a conversation about Barack Obama, who is not generally regarded as a popular figure in Israel these days, not least because of his public call for a halt to Israeli settlement activity. » Read more

May 11th

Gold stones, glass houses ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Sasha Polakow-Suransky - (Opinion) May 10, 2010 - 12:00am The Israeli government has it in for Richard Goldstone. Ever since Goldstone, a Jewish South African judge, issued a report in September charging Israel (and Hamas) with war crimes during the January 2009 invasion of Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attacked him -- and his report -- as a grave threat to Israel's legitimacy. On Thursday, leading Israeli government officials escalated their campaign against Goldstone, accusing him of sending 28 black South Africans to their deaths while serving as a judge during the apartheid years. » Read more

Main obstacle to peace psychological ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Uri Avnery - May 11, 2010 - 12:00am I admire Professor John Mearsheimer. His rigorous logic. His lucid presentation. His rare moral courage. A few days ago, he delivered an impressive lecture in Washington DC. He presented a profound analysis of the chances of Israel surviving in the long term. Every Israeli who is concerned about the future of his state should grapple with this analysis. The professor himself sums up his conclusions as follows: » Read more

Just plain lucky ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) May 10, 2010 - 12:00am The Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks beginning now will almost certainly end in failure. There is little room for optimism regarding these talks or any other form of peace process that brings together the political camps of PM Binyamin Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas. » Read more

How to bolster a delicate situation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) May 10, 2010 - 12:00am George Mitchell, the US special envoy to the peace process, seems to have succeeded for a second time in getting both Palestinians and Israelis to agree to start proximity talks. The first time around, the talks were sabotaged by an Israeli decision to build 1,600 settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem during a visit by Joe Biden, the US vice-president. This time, the situation remains equally delicate. » Read more