The Palestinian Statehood Gambit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal (Analysis) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am Are Palestinians entitled to a state? Before certain readers erupt at the mere suggestion that Palestinians may not be so entitled, we'd note that the Kurds—one of the oldest ethnic groups in the world—don't have a state. Neither do the Tamils of Sri Lanka, the Uighurs and Tibetans of China, the Basques of Spain, the Chechens of Russia or the Flemish of Belgium. The list of peoples with plausible claims to statehood is as long as the current number of U.N. member states, if not longer. » Read more

Malki: Talks can't resume until Israel accepts PA's terms ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - (Analysis) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki on Tuesday responded to Israeli calls for an immediate resumption of peace talks, saying that Israel must accept the PA's list of terms before negotiations can restart. "[Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu has to accept all terms of reference and stop settlement activity including [in] east Jerusalem, to enter negotiations immediately with [a] timeframe not to exceed six months [and] with international guarantees to make any negotiations serious and credible," Al Jazeera quoted Malki as saying in New York. » Read more

Abbas says willing to meet with Netanyahu during stay in New York ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Analysis) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Fox News on Monday that he was willing to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their mutual stay in New York. Abbas, who is currently in New York holding meetings in preparation for the UN vote on Palestinian statehood told Fox News, "I will meet any Israeli official any time," although he added that “there is no use if there is nothing tangible." Abbas also included a message to U.S. President Barack Obama in the interview. “You promised me a state by September 2011. I hope you will deliver,” he said. » Read more

Is Abbas going for broke? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Walid Awad - (Analysis) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am Soon after his inauguration as president of the United States, Barack Obama embarked on important visits to capitals of Arab and Muslim nations. He made speeches in Cairo and Istanbul to try and persuade Arabs and Muslims to alter their negative views of the US and its policies in the region. To an extent, he succeeded. American flags were raised and even embraced by Libyan demonstrators, and US flags are no longer burned when Arab masses demonstrate to demand freedom and liberty. » Read more

Joe Walsh To Palestinians: Stop Statehood Bid Or Israel Will Annex West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post by Joshua Hersh - (Analysis) September 19, 2011 - 12:00am NEW YORK -- A Republican lawmaker has introduced a resolution warning Palestinian leaders that Israel would be within its rights to annex the West Bank if they do not drop their bid for statehood at the United Nations this week. Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) introduced the resolution as a way of urging Palestinian leaders to pull back from their plans to seek formal recognition for their state at the U.N. General Assembly meetings, which take place this week, according to his spokesman, Justin Roth. » Read more

Anti-Israel speech should be protected, not banned, on American campuses ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Justin D. Martin - (Opinion) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am An Israeli legal group sent more than 100 US college and university presidents a letter this month, warning them to crack down on anti-Semitism and terrorist activities. Seems reasonable enough. But the letter, drafted by the Israel Law Center, contains suggestions that come perilously close to stunting First Amendment protections for unpopular speech. » Read more

Saudi Arabia donates $200 million to the PA ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Analysis) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will pay $200 million to the Palestinian Authority, the official Palestinian news agency said on Monday, funds that will ease a financial crisis faced by the authority as it prepares to apply for full UN membership this week. Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Alassaf called Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to tell him his government would transfer the funds, the WAFA agency reported. » Read more

Face-off at the U.N. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times (Editorial) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am The looming United Nations vote on Palestinian statehood is not a cause for celebration — for Palestinians or anyone else. It is merely further evidence of the utter stalemate of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which once promised to deliver a two-state solution but which during the last few years has deteriorated into a depressing morass. » Read more

Al-Wazir: PA could collapse if US withdraws aid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Daniel Bases - (Analysis) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A formal call for Palestinian statehood at the United Nations this week could bring severe financial strains, even a potential collapse of the Palestinian Authority, the territories' top banker told Reuters on Monday. The United States, a major source of financing and aid for the Palestinian Authority, opposes a unilateral call for statehood. Washington has warned of repercussions if President Mahmoud Abbas calls for statehood on Friday, when he is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly. » Read more

Abbas meets UN chief Ban Ki-moon; Netanyahu calls on PA to renew talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff, Natasha Mozgovaya, Barak Ravid - (Analysis) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday that he was determined to ask the Security Council to accept Palestine as a full UN member. Abbas said he would in fact be seeking full recognition for a Palestinian state and would initiate this on Friday after his speech to the UN General Assembly. The United States and Israel claim this move could lead to a disaster. » Read more