Adieu President Abbas?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Osama Al-Sharif - November 11, 2009 - 1:00am

It is probably ironic that the only direct, and most likely genuine, plea with Mahmoud Abbas to stay on and rescind his decision not to contest next year’s elections, came not from his close Arab and Western allies, but from Israeli President Shimon Peres.

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Settlement construction contradicts negotiations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) November 11, 2009 - 1:00am

The issues of Israeli settlement activity and the need for a settlement construction freeze are again at the top of the political agenda.

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Palestinian despair for peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) November 11, 2009 - 1:00am

It is almost impossible to adequately convey the present degree of Palestinian despair, but the recent announcement that President Mahmoud Abbas might resign and that the rest of the Palestinian Authority leadership may follow -- in effect dissolving the PA -- should provide some indication.

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Palestinian despair for peace
In Print by Hussein Ibish - The Washington Post (Opinion) - November 11, 2009 - 1:00am

It is almost impossible to adequately convey the present degree of Palestinian despair, but the recent announcement that President Mahmoud Abbas might resign and that the rest of the Palestinian Authority leadership may follow -- in effect dissolving the PA -- should provide some indication.

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Palestinian Authority’s Future Is in Question
Media Mention of Ziad Asali In The New York Times - November 11, 2009 - 1:00am

The collapse of the Palestinian Authority, Israel’s negotiating partner, was raised as a possibility on Monday, as several aides to its president, Mahmoud Abbas, said that he intended to resign and forecast that others would follow.

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Israeli and French Leaders Meet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Steven Erlanger - November 11, 2009 - 1:00am

PARIS — After meeting for 90 minutes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France announced in a joint statement on Wednesday evening that they had agreed to work toward “immediately reviving the peace process” in the Middle East and discussed international efforts to stop Iran from enriching uranium.

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In Paris, Benjamin Netanyahu finds growing European doubt on Middle East peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Robert Marquand - November 11, 2009 - 1:00am

Paris - Europeans, and the French in particular, strong backers of Washington's efforts to broker a Mideast deal, are starting to register frustration with the White House's handling of Israel-Palestinian relations.

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Hamas says never to negotiate with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
November 11, 2009 - 1:00am

Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement said Tuesday it will never negotiate with Israel, slamming Palestinian officials who warned of possible talks between the Islamic movement and the Jewish state. "Hamas will not negotiate with the (Israeli) occupation and will not be the lifeboat for Oslo team," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, referring to the Palestinian National Authority's(PNA) negotiation with Israel under the Oslo accords since 1993.

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Washington disappointed: Netanyahu didn't present concrete steps
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Natasha Mozgovaya - November 11, 2009 - 1:00am

The White House expressed disappointment in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent visit to Washington, with officials saying that they had hoped that the prime minister would present a concrete plan to scale back Israeli construction in West Bank settlements, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

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Comment / Obama's good intentions lead nowhere
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Shlomo Avineri - (Opinion) November 11, 2009 - 1:00am

After nine months of gestation, it's not too early to make a preliminary assessment of the Obama administration's foreign policy. The overall feeling is one of disappointment, especially in light of the almost messianic excitement that accompanied his election. It's clear to everyone that U.S. President Barack Obama is not George W. Bush, and the international mood regarding the United States has certainly changed for the better, even in the absence of any real breakthroughs. This is why he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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