Ministers: Netanyahu, Obama have their wires crossed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Roni Sofer - July 20, 2009 - 12:00am

"(Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama have their wires crossed, and this is detrimental to US-Israel relations," Labor Party ministers told Ynet Sunday night. According to the ministers, the prime minister has no direct channel of communication with the American president, and contact between the two is conducted mainly through Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell.

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The Same old Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
July 20, 2009 - 12:00am

In one of Benjamin Netanyahu’s first television appearances as prime minister in the years 1996-1999, he was interviewed at his office by Ehud Yaari and Dan Scemama from Channel 1. Before the broadcast, Netanyahu asked the production staff to tell him which of the two cameras they brought with them provides a frontal view of him. The purpose of his question became clear during the interview: Netanyahu ignored the interviewers and turned directly to the viewers at home. Ever since then, Channel 1 has made sure to refrain from posting such camera in interviews with the PM.

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Arabs Need to Talk to the Israelis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Shaikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa - (Opinion) July 17, 2009 - 12:00am

We need fresh thinking if the Arab Peace Initiative is to have the impact it deserves on the crisis that needlessly impoverishes Palestinians and endangers Israel's security. This crisis is not a zero-sum game. For one side to win, the other does not have to lose. The peace dividend for the entire Middle East is potentially immense. So why have we not gotten anywhere?

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World may back Iran op as part of deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
July 16, 2009 - 12:00am

A deal taking shape between Israel and Western leaders will facilitate international support for an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities in exchange for concessions in peace negotiations with the Palestinians and Arab neighbors, The Times reported Thursday. According to one British official quoted by the paper, such an understanding could allow an Israeli attack "within the year."

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What About "Evil" Itself?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Hussein Shobokshi - (Opinion) July 15, 2009 - 12:00am

Travel and Leisure magazine, one of the most respected in its field, has dedicated a number of pages promoting tourism in Israel. In this advertising campaign the map of Israel was shown as including the West Bank and Gaza, and of course - the Golan Heights. This was not a misprint or inadvertent; it was deliberate and came amidst talks of pressure being put on Israel and its extremist rightwing government to force it to take part in serious peace negotiations, to which the government is absolutely opposed.

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Obama still worries some Jewish leaders
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Hilary Leila Krieger - July 15, 2009 - 12:00am

Several Jewish officials said Tuesday that US President Barack Obama's efforts to reassure them on US policy towards Israel had not assuaged their concerns. Though they welcomed Monday's intimate face-to-face discussion at the White House and were pleased that Obama acknowledged that some in the community were worried, they said it was insufficient to dispel their doubts about his approach towards Israel.

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New Hopes for Peace: What America Must Do To End the Israel-Palestine Conflict
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - July 15, 2009 - 12:00am

On July 13, the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) hosted an event titled “New Hope for Peace, What America Must Do to End the Israel-Palestine Conflict,” featuring Dr. Ziad Asali, President of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP). The event was divided into three segments, the first being the screening of Landrum Bolling’s new short film in which he discusses the Israel-Palestinian conflict with former US President Jimmy Carter, former Secretary of State James Baker and former National Security Advisors Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brezinski.


Mubarak:Gilad Shalit to be set free soon
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI)
July 10, 2009 - 12:00am

Kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is in good condition and will be set free soon, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said. In an exclusive interview with Yedioth Aharonoth published Friday, Mubarak also discussed the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. A deal for Shalit's return was on the brink four or five months ago but Israel changed its position and the deal collapsed, Mubarak told the Tel Aviv, Israel, newspaper. Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mubarak said meetings are under way between Israeli and Egyptian officials.

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Report: Gilad Shalit talks to resume soon
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
July 10, 2009 - 12:00am

Talks between Israel and Hamas on a prisoner swap involving captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit will resume soon, Egyptian sources told the pan-Arab daily Al Hayyat. Shalit was captured by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid in June 2006, and has not been heard from since. Hamas have demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit's freedom.

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Egypt says captured Israeli soldier well
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
July 7, 2009 - 12:00am

Cairo, July 7 - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Tuesday he believed an Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian militants three years ago was well and that he hoped the issue would not take a long time to resolve. Militants of the Hamas Islamist group and other gunmen launched a raid into Israel in June 2006 from the Gaza Strip, killing two soldiers and capturing Gilad Shalit. Egypt has sought to mediate a deal for his freedom between Hamas and Israel.

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