A Nathan Guttman opinion in The Forward examines the role of ATFP and the criticisms it faces in advocating for a two-state solution (1). The New York Times reports that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has agreed to resume talks with Israel, although when remains uncertain (2). In the Washington Post, Griff Witte discusses how barriers continue to be build in the West Bank despite promises of relief (4). The Middle East Times comments on a report released by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace concerning Bush’s mideast policies (7). Also in the Middle East Times an editorial analyses the current gaza situation (8).

In the Washington Post, an opinion by Walter Isaacson reemphasizes the need to strengthen the Fatah leadership in the West Bank (1) while a blog response by Glenn Kessler examines claims made in a recently published Vanity Fair article (2). The Media Line reports that Hamas has rejected an Arab-League proposal for truce with Israel (6). An interview with former ambassador Daniel C. Kurtzer in Middle East Progress sheds light on how the US can lead forward from gaza (10). An editorial in the Daily Star examines how effective US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice can be in making peace talks work (12).

A Christian Science Monitor opinion discusses how restraint in defense can help give Israel moral strength (1). A Washington Post editorial opines that the peace process will stall as long as Hamas controls the gaza strip (3). The Agence France Presse reports on attempts by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to salvage the Mideast peace process (6) while BBC News reports on calls by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for a truce in the region (7). An editorial in Haaretz examines the role of Shas in the Israeli political system (10).

An opinion by Yossi Alpher in BitterLemons requests Palestinians be given the opportunity to implement their ‘road map’ obligations (1). In the Baltimore Sun, Richard Boudreaux reports that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has suspended mideast talks with Israel (2). The International Herald Tribune warns that another mideast peace plan is slipping away (3) while the international community rips Israel over Gaza in the Daily Star (7). The Jordan Times asserts that more forceful action is needed by the UN in regards to the situation in Gaza (8).