September 15th

Netanyahu's the Key ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars by Aaron David Miller - (Analysis) September 10, 2010 - 12:00am Of all the questions hovering over next week’s Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in Egypt, the most intriguing and consequential are these: who is Benjamin Netanyahu, and is he willing to break his sacred taboos on issues like Jerusalem and borders to reach a historic agreement with the Palestinians? As important as Obama and Abbas are to the negotiations, Netanyahu is the key. Indeed, it is the cruelest of ironies that the man who has been least committed to serious Israeli-Palestinian negotiations now holds the key to their success. » Read more

An Assessment of State-Building Efforts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Progress by Robert Danin - (Interview) September 14, 2010 - 12:00am September 14, 2010 Last time we spoke, you were head of the Office of the Quartet Representative, and you just recently returned from that posting. What are the main things that you learned from that experience? » Read more

U.S. Jewish right muted ahead of possible extension of settlement freeze ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - (Analysis) September 14, 2010 - 12:00am Don't expect a familiar American echo now that West Bank settlers are gearing up to fight the possible extension of Israel’s settlement freeze. Activists on the left and right in Israel usually get their allies in the American Jewish community to fight for the cause of the day with congressional lobbying and protests to Israeli and American officials. » Read more

Why I doubt Binyamin Netanyahu ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Gilead Sher - (Opinion) September 15, 2010 - 12:00am Eleven years ago, on September 4 1999, the government of Israel, under Ehud Barak, and the PLO, under Yasser Arafat, signed an agreement called the Sharm-el-Sheikh Memorandum. It provided that accelerated permanent status negotiations would commence shortly, and that their goal was to reach a framework agreement on permanent status in five months and a comprehensive agreement in one year. » Read more

A new type of talk ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Calev Ben-Dor - (Opinion) September 15, 2010 - 12:00am Much ink has been spilled on the direct talks between the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority and their chances of success. Ironically, agreement between the sides regarding re-starting direct negotiations for the first time in 18 months seems to have been followed by disagreement over almost everything else, including over which subjects the sides will negotiate. While the Palestinians reportedly want to begin by discussing permanent borders, Israel insists on focusing on security arrangements and its recognition as a Jewish state. » Read more

Israel considers prisoner release, ceding territories to PA ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Ali Waked - September 15, 2010 - 12:00am Israel and the Palestinians have yet to reach a compromise on settlement construction, but Jerusalem is nonetheless considering a number of gestures, including releasing prisoners and transferring areas in the West Bank to Palestinian control, western officials familiar with peace talks told Ynet Tuesday night. The second round of direct negotiations began in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on Tuesday and will continue Wednesday when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet in Jerusalem. American Pressure » Read more

PA knows must keep talking even if freeze ends ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - (Analysis) September 15, 2010 - 12:00am Despite the Palestinian Authority’s tough talk on the issue of settlement construction in the past few days, Palestinian sources in Ramallah believe PA leaders will soon have to climb down from their high tree. Even as the direct talks were under way in Sharm e-Sheikh on Tuesday, several PA officials continued to issue threats that failure to extend the moratorium on settlement construction later this month would lead to the “collapse” of the US-sponsored negotiations. » Read more

Where has the hypocrisy gone? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) September 15, 2010 - 12:00am In the late 1970s or early 1980s, Professor Asa Kasher spoke at a conference of some kind about the differences between Labor Party governments and Likud governments. The Labor governments were hypocritical, and there is something positive about hypocrisy, Kasher said. At least the hypocrite knows there is a binding system of values, and that he is not acting according to them. As a result, he disguises his actions. » Read more

The freeze as a test ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) September 15, 2010 - 12:00am Direct negotiations on a final-status agreement opened yesterday at Sharm al-Sheikh, in the shadow of the ongoing dispute over a freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. » Read more

Israel kills Palestinian in strike on Gaza tunnel, after day of rocket and mortar fire ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz September 15, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli aircraft bombed a smuggling tunnel under the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt on Wednesday, killing a Palestinian, witnesses said. The attack came hours after Gaza militants stepped up rocket and mortarfire on southern Israel, in an apparent attempt to scupper Middle East peace talks. Witnesses in the southern Gaza town of Rafah said the Israeli air strike killed a tunnel worker and wounded two other people. The Israeli army confirmed the attack. » Read more