Six Signs for the Forthcoming Washington Negotiations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Mamoun Fandy - (Opinion) August 25, 2010 - 12:00am When the US President, through his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, invites the Israelis and the Palestinians to hold direct negotiations under the auspices of the United States, and the International Quartet (of the EU, Russia, the United States, and the United Nations), then this is something that is worthy of interest and analysis of the hidden meanings and messages, for even if this does not benefit our understanding in this round [of negotiations] it could benefit us in future rounds. » Read more

After the Middle East peace talks fail ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Carlo Strenger - (Opinion) August 25, 2010 - 12:00am Binyamin Netanyahu has scored a diplomatic victory, as many pundits have pointed out, because the US administration has shifted pressure from Israel to the Palestinians and coaxed them into direct talks with Israel. He probably assumes that the talks will fail because the Palestinians will walk out at some point, and then he will have a case for maintaining the status quo. But such a victory would be hollow. » Read more

Lure of the homeland fades for Palestinian refugees ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News by Lina Sinjab - August 24, 2010 - 12:00am The right of return for Palestinian refugees is a major sticking point in the upcoming US-sponsored Middle East peace talks, but some younger Palestinians - having never laid eyes on their ancestral homeland - say they do not actually want to go back. As a third-generation Palestinian growing up in Syria, Bissan al-Sharif says she feels rooted in Damascus. "I don't know if I would leave everything and go and live [in my ancestral village] because I don't know the place," says Ms Sharif. » Read more

Courts grant Palestinians married to Israelis right to stay ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Dan Izenberg - August 25, 2010 - 12:00am Two courts in separate cases rejected the state's refusal to allow Palestinians to continue living in Israel with their spouses and participate in the gradual procedure for obtaining permanent residential status. In the first case, on Tuesday, Deputy Supreme Court President Eliezer Rivlin rejected an appeal by the state to hold another hearing before an expanded court, after a panel of three Supreme Court justices had decided to allow Balal Daka to continue living in the country. » Read more

Discrimination from within and without ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Bassem Eid - (Opinion) August 24, 2010 - 12:00am Nathan Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, wrote a timely report last month entitled “Are the Palestinians Building A State?” His paper discussed the Palestinian Authority under Salam Fayyad and his claims to be building the institutional apparatus necessary for a Palestinian state. The report acknowledged that he is “unmistakably doing so in an authoritarian context.” » Read more

US official: We want full peace deal in 1 year ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roni Sofer - August 24, 2010 - 12:00am A partial peace deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, even if achieved within a year, will not satisfy Washington, a US official said Tuesday. The American official told reporters in Jerusalem that the upcoming peace summit in Washington aims to strike a full peace agreement between the parties. The official rejected the possibility of "only" a partial or interim peace deal within the timeframe set for the peace talks. » Read more

Likud hawks convene against freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Atilla Somfalvi - August 24, 2010 - 12:00am With the Washington peace summit a mere week away, Likud members who are right off the party's political line are gearing for several protests meant to ensure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows his party will not abide the continuous suspension of settlement activity. Members of the Likud's "right wing" have decided to hold a protest rally while Netanyahu is in Washington. Several senior Likud and Knesset members are expected to take part in it. » Read more

U.S. warns Israel, Palestinians: Refrain from harming peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Barak Ravid - August 24, 2010 - 12:00am The Obama administration expects Israel to refrain from making any move that could potentially damage peace talks with the Palestinians once they begin, United States Middle East envoy George Mitchell has told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mitchell conveyed the same message to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. In recent days, Abbas has made clear that if Israel renews building in West Bank settlements, after a 10-month freeze on settlement construction on September 27, the Palestinian Authority will abandon the direct peace talks. » Read more

Iraq pullout makes Israeli-Palestinian peace crucial for U.S. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - August 25, 2010 - 12:00am Despite the fact that they occurred almost simultaneously, any connection between the withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq and Washington's invitation of the leaders of Jordan and Egypt to a summit inaugurating direct Israel-Palestinian talks might appear to be entirely coincidental. » Read more

In response to vague talks, Jewish groups deliver vague message ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - August 23, 2010 - 12:00am Two weeks before their launch, the promised renewal of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks has already engendered a first: a joint statement of welcome by mainstream U.S. Jewish and Palestinian groups. "We congratulate the Obama administration on succeeding in getting direct negotiations back on track," said a statement issued jointly on Friday by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the American Task Force on Palestine. "Both parties must now show courage, flexibility and persistence in order to move towards a negotiated end of conflict agreement." » Read more