Two states and one Holy Land ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by John V. Whitbeck - September 16, 2010 - 12:00am The Declaration of Principles so optimistically signed on the White House lawn in September 1993 proclaimed as its goal a "historic reconciliation" between the two peoples. Today, even optimists seem to hope only for a definitive separation of the two peoples behind high walls and fences. » Read more

Undermining line of argument ATFP World Press Roundup Article from September 16, 2010 - 12:00am George Mitchell, the US special envoy to the Middle East, and Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, were in Sharm El Sheikh to mediate between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators. Unfortunately, and although talks are set to continue in Jerusalem, judging from the public statements made after the meetings, US mediation is spectacularly failing. Settlements, Mitchell told reporters, are a "politically sensitive issue" in Israel, so he urged Mahmoud Abbas, the PLO leader, to "take steps" to "facilitate the process". » Read more

The Cage of “Silent” Negotiations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Zuheir Kseibati - (Opinion) September 16, 2010 - 12:00am In light of the carrot and the stick policy used by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her attendance of the sessions to launch the negotiations on the Palestinian-Israeli track, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas picked up the signal again, seeing how his team is still the sole one concerned about the stick and threatened with “unpredictable consequences” if the negotiations were hindered. At the level of the carrot, Washington believes it allows both sides to come up with “creative” exits for the discontinuation of the settlement freeze predicament at the end of the month. » Read more

Artists fight over Israel: The sequel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ami Eden - September 14, 2010 - 12:00am Big-time Hollywood Jews sent a strong message last year to artists protesting Israel: Don’t mess with Tel Aviv. What’s the buzz these days following the release of a sequel of sorts aimed at the West Bank Israeli settlement of Ariel? It’s complicated. » Read more

Tight lips as Middle East peace talks rumble on ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Jeremy Bowen - September 16, 2010 - 12:00am With talks now well under way, the Americans are working hard to stop information leaking out of the conference rooms. The statements that have been released are bland, positive without minimising the problems ahead. We are told that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are "getting down to business", tackling the tough issues upfront. » Read more

Hamas stuck between peace talks and the IDF ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yaakov Katz - (Analysis) September 16, 2010 - 12:00am Hamas is on the horns of a dilemma. On the one hand it has made a strategic decision to increase its terror attacks against Israel – 10 rockets were fired into Israel on Wednesday – in order to torpedo the peace talks between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. On the other hand, Hamas does not want to go too far with its attacks, to the point that Israel will feel compelled to send two IDF divisions into Gaza and carry out Operation Cast Lead II. » Read more

PM to Abbas: We'll continue building in settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Atilla Somfalvi - September 16, 2010 - 12:00am During their meeting in Jerusalem Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israel plans to resume construction in the West Bank settlements once the moratorium expires on September 26. A senior Palestinian official reported that following the meeting Abbas threatened to quit the direct peace talks if building is resumed in the settlements » Read more

Report: US wants borders set in 3 months ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Roee Nahmias - September 16, 2010 - 12:00am Washington is trying to circumvent the obstacle posed by the settlement freeze in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, and has devised a compromise which will allow the sides to make progress on other issues. The London-based Arabic-language al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Thursday that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has suggested a compromised according to which Israel will prolong the settlement freeze by three months and the time period wil be used by both parties to reach an agreement on the border issues. » Read more

Clinton meets Abbas in Ramallah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 16, 2010 - 12:00am U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah Thursday to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The meeting is part of intensive discussions between Palestinian, Israeli and U.S. officials in the past two days in the region. An official from President Abbas' office, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Abbas and Clinton will dedicate their talks to pushing forward the U.S.-brokered peace negotiations earlier this month. » Read more

Plan B for peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ari Shavit - (Opinion) September 16, 2010 - 12:00am On October 5, 1995, prime minister Yitzhak Rabin presented the Oslo 2 accord to the Knesset. In the speech he made on that momentous occasion, Rabin pledged that in the final-status agreement, Jerusalem would remain united, the settlement blocs would remain part of Israel and the security border would be the Jordan Valley. He also said Israel would not return to the June 4, 1967 lines and that the Palestinians would run their own lives in the framework of an entity that would be less than a state. » Read more