OutFront exclusive: Erin Burnett interviews Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Erin Burnett - (Interview) April 23, 2012 - 12:00am

In an exclusive interview Tuesday night on CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront, Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat down with Erin Burnett to talk about Israel, the United States and the threat of terror around the world. Netanyahu insisted on Monday that Egypt's decision to cancel a natural gas deal with Israel did not indicate any sort of diplomatic tensions between the two countries, but rather a business disagreement between companies.

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Grilling of Top Palestinian Militant Exposes Arafat’s Link to Terror Attacks on Israelis, papers Show
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - April 20, 2012 - 12:00am

On April 15, 2002, 10 years ago this week, Marwan Barghouti, the secretary general of Fatah's Tanzim militia, was arrested by members of the undercover Duvdevan unit of the Israel Defense Forces in Ramallah. His capture was preceded by two weeks of cat-and-mouse games with the IDF and the Shin Bet security service, during which the Israelis also disseminated threatening hints about an intention to assassinate him.

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Hamas Wouldn’t Honor a Treaty, Top Leader Says
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Larry Cohler-Esses - (Interview) April 19, 2012 - 12:00am

Cairo — Any agreement reached between Israel and the Palestinian Authority will be subject to far-reaching changes if Hamas comes to power in a democratic Palestinian state, a top Hamas leader told the Forward in an exclusive and wide-ranging interview.

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Israeli Official Voices Doubts on Iran Nuke Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Diaa Hadid - April 18, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — Israel's deputy foreign minister says the nuclear talks between Iran and Western powers in Istanbul last week may have been a stalling tactic by Tehran. Danny Ayalon, of the hawkish Israel Beitenu Party, is cautioning against "falling into the trap of a good atmosphere." He says the lapse of nearly a year and a half since a previous summit failed was "wasted" time. Ayalon is urging the international community to tighten sanctions on Tehran immediately, rather than wait until July as planned. He spoke to reporters Wednesday in Jerusalem.

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Foreign policy in shadow of Holocaust
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Jonathan Rosen - (Opinion) April 18, 2012 - 12:00am

Holocaust Remembrance Day presents Israelis with an opportunity to rise above their mundane pursuits and trivial concerns to honor the memory of the victims and survivors of the Nazi death machine. No less importantly, this day is an occasion for Israeli citizens, both as individuals and as members of broader communities, to reflect on the enduring mesh of personal, national and universal lessons that are to be drawn from the Holocaust.

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Abbas Arrives in Japan on First Leg of International Tour
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 13, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Japan on Thursday for the first leg of an international tour. Abbas discussed the latest developments concerning Palestine with several Japanese officials, including Japan's special Middle East peace envoy Yutaka Iimura. Abbas is due to arrive in Sri Lanka on Sunday, before heading to the Maldives for two days on Tuesday.


The Peace Process Stuck in a Rut of Malaise
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In The National - April 13, 2012 - 12:00am

The Quartet of Middle East mediators - the US, the UN, the EU and Russia - met Wednesday on the sidelines of the G8 foreign ministers' meeting in Washington. But the Quartet's first high-level meeting since December passed almost without notice in the US. Neither The Washington Post nor The New York Times had a story about it in yesterday's editions. In part, say observers, the lack of interest is due to other, more pressing issues. The violence in Syria dominates the attention of the foreign-policy circuit in Washington, where Iran's nuclear programme is also a perennial concern.

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Palestinian, Israeli Officials to Meet on Water Issues
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 12, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian and Israeli officials will meet next week to discuss water issues that affect the two sides, a Palestinian official said Thursday. The meeting mainly aims to "overcome Israeli obstacles" on water projects in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, said Shadad Al- Otili of the Palestinian Water Authority. The meeting comprises members of the joint water committee which was formed after Israel and the Palestinians signed Oslo accords in 1993, Al-Otili told Xinhua.

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Abbas Ready to Meet Israeli PM When Peace References Recognized
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 12, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is ready to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when the latter recognizes the basis of the peace process, a spokesperson for Abbas said Thursday. "The Palestinian side has no problem to hold bilateral and direct meetings with the Israeli side if they were based on a clear reference so we know on what basis and mechanisms we are negotiating," Abbas' spokesperson Nabil Abu Rdineh told Voice of Palestine Radio.

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Bethlehem Mayor to Israel: Allow our Friends to Visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 11, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The mayor of Bethlehem on Tuesday urged Israel not to humiliate hundreds of tourists invited to a week-long tour of Palestine. Some 25 Palestinian organizations have invited internationals to visit Palestine from April 15 - 21 and Mayor Victor Batarseh urged Israel to let them enter and not to humiliate them, at a news conference in Bethlehem. "We demand our international friends have access to Bethlehem," the mayor said. "It is our right to welcome visitors."

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