September 19th

Palestinian bid at U.N. distracts from the real crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CNN by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) September 16, 2011 - 12:00am (CNN) -- Rarely has so much time, energy and attention been devoted to an issue less consequential than this month's Palestinian bid for statehood at the U.N.—an episode characterized by hyperbole and muddled thinking on the part of just about everyone. The real crisis -- the one that is really worth worrying about -- is the improbability of a conflict-ending agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. » Read more

Donor Nations: Palestinians Ready for Statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press September 19, 2011 - 12:00am Donor nations on Sunday reaffirmed the Palestinian Authority's readiness for statehood based on new reports from key international financial institutions and the United Nations. The backing from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the U.N. and the donors as world leaders started arriving for high-level meetings at the General Assembly should give a boost to the Palestinians as they press their bid for U.N. membership as an independent state. » Read more

Israel: Adrift at Sea Alone ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Thomas L. Friedman - (Opinion) September 17, 2011 - 12:00am I’VE never been more worried about Israel’s future. The crumbling of key pillars of Israel’s security — the peace with Egypt, the stability of Syria and the friendship of Turkey and Jordan — coupled with the most diplomatically inept and strategically incompetent government in Israel’s history have put Israel in a very dangerous situation. » Read more

Poll: Palestinians support UN bid, fear consequences ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 19, 2011 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A majority of Palestinians support the bid for Palestine's membership of the UN, but expect a negative backlash, according to the results of a survey released Sunday. While 84 percent of Palestinians support the bid, 87 percent believe the US will react negatively, and 90 percent think Israel will respond by worsening the conditions of Palestinians, the September study by Ramallah-based research institute Near East Consulting said. » Read more

September 16th

Moving Middle East Peace Forward After the U.N. General Assembly ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Center for American Progress by Ian Bomberg - (Analysis) September 15, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinians’ bid for statehood at the United Nations will not improve daily life in the West Bank or Gaza. Instead, tensions between Israelis and Palestinians will increase, potentially leading to violence. As a result, the Palestinian state-building program, which is developing sustainable Palestinian institutions, will remain an essential tool for addressing these challenges. All parties involved, including the international community, will need to overcome a desire for punitive actions by working together on the state-building program in order to resolve shared day-to-day problems. » Read more

Cooperation Could Limit Damage After UN Palestinian Vote: View ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg (Editorial) September 15, 2011 - 12:00am The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is like a boat sailing at full speed toward a waterfall, with the whole world watching from the shore and afraid to intervene. Western governments must act now to minimize the damage. Palestinians seem determined to push for a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly that recognizes an independent Palestinian state. In our view, this is a tragic mistake that could end up hurting Palestinian and Israeli interests, set back efforts to restart negotiations and endanger an already unstable region. » Read more

The UN Vote and Palestinian Statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Affairs by Robert Danin - (Opinion) September 14, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinians' effort to attain international statehood recognition at the United Nations in September is aimed at enhancing their leverage in future negotiations with Israel. In a candid May 16 op-ed in the New York Times, Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and chair of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), acknowledged as much. "Palestine would be negotiating from the position of one United Nations member whose territory is militarily occupied by another," he said, "and not as a vanquished people." » Read more

Ten Reasons for a European 'Yes' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Martti Ahtisaari, Javier Solana - (Opinion) September 16, 2011 - 12:00am It is not often that Europe has the chance to play a pivotal role on the world stage. But as the Palestinians push for recognition as a state at the United Nations later this month, the European Union is finding itself courted by each side, and therefore more influential on the Middle East process than at any time since the Oslo Accords. As ever, the biggest challenge facing the E.U.’s 27 member states is presenting a unified front. There are 10 compelling reasons for them to coalesce around a “yes” vote and keep the two-state approach to Middle East peace alive. » Read more

Mousa envisions vigorous and peaceful Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Patrick Seale - (Opinion) September 16, 2011 - 12:00am Amr Mousa, 74, the front-runner in the contest for the presidency of post-revolution Egypt, has called for a renegotiation of the military annexes to the Egyptian-Israel Peace Treaty of 1979. “The Treaty will continue to exist,” he told me in an exclusive interview on September 10, “but Egypt needs forces in Sinai. The security situation requires it. Israel must understand that the restrictions imposed by the Treaty have to be reviewed.” » Read more

Al-Malki, PA Officials Paint US Loser in Palestinian UN Gambit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Felice Friedson - (Opinion) September 16, 2011 - 12:00am Questions of procedure and outcome of the Palestinian UN gambit remain rife with only a week before Mahmoud ‘Abbas stands before the U.N. General Assembly on September 23 and, according to Minister Dr. Riad Al-Malki, “presents the official request for the state of Palestine to be granted full membership” to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Al-Malki said it had been decided to bring the issue of statehood to the Security Council, seemingly daring the US to cast its promised veto and face international isolation. Not certain is whether the U.S. » Read more