Egyptian government to ease siege on Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 22, 2011 - 12:00am The Egyptian government will apply new procedures at the Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border to ease travel for residents of the besieged coastal enclave, officials said Thursday. During a meeting in Cairo, Baha Ad-Dusuqi, head of Palestinian affairs in the Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informed Gaza government spokesman Taher An-Nunu that new measures would be in place at the terminal soon. An-Nunu appealed to the Egyptian government to open the Rafah crossing swiftly. » Read more

Europe pressures US over Mideast peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) April 22, 2011 - 12:00am France said Thursday that European nations are considering recognizing a Palestinian state, heightening pressure on the United States and Israel to relaunch the Middle East peace process. European ambassadors at the UN Security Council joined the Palestinian envoy in calling for "bold" US leadership to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Recognition of the state of Palestine is one of the options which France is considering, with its European partners" in a bid to relaunch the peace process," French ambassador Gerard Araud told a Security Council debate on the Middle East. » Read more

Europe pressures US over Mideast peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) April 22, 2011 - 12:00am France said Thursday that European nations are considering recognizing a Palestinian state, heightening pressure on the United States and Israel to relaunch the Middle East peace process. European ambassadors at the UN Security Council joined the Palestinian envoy in calling for "bold" US leadership to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Recognition of the state of Palestine is one of the options which France is considering, with its European partners" in a bid to relaunch the peace process," French ambassador Gerard Araud told a Security Council debate on the Middle East. » Read more

When in Doubt, Give a Middle East Speech ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) April 21, 2011 - 12:00am The looming U.S.-Israeli tensions over who says what first about Israeli-Palestinian peace obscures the broader question on which any successful American initiative depends: Are Israelis and Palestinians ready for a conflict-ending agreement? And if not, is there anything Washington can do about it? » Read more

For Arab and Jew, a new beginning ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Sandy Tolan - (Opinion) April 21, 2011 - 12:00am With each child shot down with a stone in his hand, or on her way home from the bakery; with each cafe turned to carnage when a young man explodes himself upon the innocent; with each shot and countershot, crude rocket launch, or barrage of missiles sent in retribution – with each terrible burst of anger and pain, something beautiful is lost. Life, of course; that's what's been sacrificed, more than 100,000 times by some estimates, since the tragedy unfolded six decades ago. » Read more

The Geneva Accord: a breakthrough model ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Yossi Beilin - April 21, 2011 - 12:00am Just over a decade ago, Israelis and Palestinians met at Camp David. The weeks leading to the summit were full of expectation. There was a sense that an agreement was within reach. It was the last summer of the Clinton administration, and everyone thought that the president of the United States would not convene a summit that would lead to anything short of a historic triumph. So determined, it seemed, was everyone to succeed, that success almost seemed predetermined. And indeed, some even believed that an agreement had already been secretly reached – that it was a done deal. » Read more

A holy city's peaceful purpose ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by George Moffett - (Opinion) April 21, 2011 - 12:00am To the Gospel writer John, it was "the great" and "holy" city. To the writer of Hebrews, it was "the city of the living God." To the poet Dante, it was "the city where God dwells and reigns." » Read more

Tel Aviv Protests Show Divide Over Palestinian State ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - April 21, 2011 - 12:00am Dozens of prominent Israeli artists and intellectuals declared their support for a Palestinian state on the streets of Tel Aviv on Thursday and quickly found themselves confronted by rightist opponents calling them “traitors” and, according to one report, “Jewish Nazis.” » Read more

Tel Aviv Protests Show Divide Over Palestinian State ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - April 21, 2011 - 12:00am Dozens of prominent Israeli artists and intellectuals declared their support for a Palestinian state on the streets of Tel Aviv on Thursday and quickly found themselves confronted by rightist opponents calling them “traitors” and, according to one report, “Jewish Nazis.” » Read more