Abbas must choose to seek peace deal with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yoel Marcus - (Opinion) October 28, 2011 - 12:00am

In a manner reminiscent of the popular movie "Free Willy," a new script is being written, tentatively entitled "Free Mahmoud Abbas." As a result of the Hamas "victory," the IDF wants to strengthen Mahmoud Abbas via a series of gestures. Haaretz's editorial page has recommended that Netanyahu listen to the army's recommendation, as though Abbas deserves compensation for the wholesale prisoner release won by Hamas.

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Israeli-Egyptian swap highlights brittle ties
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Tia Goldenberg - (Analysis) October 27, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel said Thursday that it agreed to trade Egyptian prisoners for a U.S.-Israeli citizen imprisoned in Cairo on unsubstantiated suspicions of spying to defuse a potential crisis between the two neighboring countries. Israel's agreement to such a swap highlights how brittle relations have become between the two since the fall of Egypt's longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, and that many on both sides want to preserve them.

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For the U.S., a forced withdrawal from UNESCO
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Timothy E. Wirth - (Opinion) October 24, 2011 - 12:00am

The Palestinian bid for statehood recognition by the United Nations is almost certain to be rejected if it is taken up by the Security Council. But as early as this week, the governing assembly of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization could grant the Palestinians membership in that organization. If this happens, as is widely expected, the United States would have to resign from UNESCO because of a 20-year-old law forbidding the payment of dues by the U.S. to any U.N. body that accepts Palestine as a member.

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Netanyahu must treat Abbas as a genuine peace partner
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) October 24, 2011 - 12:00am

Haaretz's Barak Ravid reported Monday that the Israel Defense Forces' top officers are crafting a proposal to mitigate the damage to the Palestinian Authority's status caused by Hamas' success in freeing over 1,000 prisoners. In addition to the release of Fatah prisoners in the Shalit deal's second stage, the IDF recommends significant gestures that will allow PA President Mahmoud Abbas to present accomplishments to the Palestinian people. One proposal considers handing over empty lands to the PA (lands that remain under Israel's security authority under the Oslo Accords ).

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Short-lived ramifications
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Shlomo Brom - (Opinion) October 24, 2011 - 12:00am

The exchange of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners for one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, after years of campaigning and negotiating is a dramatic event that deeply affects Israeli public opinion and probably also Palestinian public opinion. Naturally, there is a tendency to look for broad and long-term implications of this recent development.

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The people are in trenches while the leaders are in the hotels!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) October 20, 2011 - 12:00am

The Israeli Prime Minister, and likewise the Palestinian leaders, took part in a race to secure pictures with the prisoners released on Tuesday; Netanyahu did so with the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, and the Palestinian leaders did so with the released Palestinian prisoners, in what was a clear trade in human commodities, and the future of our region.

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Hard Feelings Test Hope in Israel-Hamas Deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - October 20, 2011 - 12:00am

Just off the bus in Gaza after six years in an Israeli prison, one of hundreds traded to Hamas for an Israeli soldier, Wafa al-Bass declared her next goal: abduct more Israeli soldiers. Others who returned said they could not feel satisfaction until the thousands of remaining Palestinian prisoners were freed. Sgt. First Class Gilad Shalit, a captive of Hamas since 2006, saluted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at an Israeli air base Tuesday after his exchange for Palestinian prisoners. More Photos »

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Why Deal To Free Gilad Shalit Was Smart
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by J.J. Goldberg - (Opinion) October 20, 2011 - 12:00am

You didn’t have to be a great lover of Israel to get choked up at the sight of Gilad Shalit walking unsteadily into the sunlight of freedom October 18, after five years of being locked in a hole somewhere in Gaza. At the same time, you couldn’t miss the anguished second-guessing that dominated public discussion of the deal, both in Israel and pro-Israel circles here in America.

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Palestinian Leader Says Time ‘Not Ripe’ for Mideast Peace Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg
by Nicole Gaouette - October 20, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said there is little chance for a prompt renewal of peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis that the Obama administration seeks. “My own assessment” is that “conditions are not ripe at this juncture for a meaningful resumption of talks,” Fayyad told a Washington audience yesterday. He made his remarks as the U.S. and its allies in the so- called Quartet -- the United Nations, the European Union and Russia -- are trying to restart talks between the two sides to head off a Palestinian push for statehood recognition at the UN.

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Shalit deal throws Hamas a lifeline
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - (Analysis) October 19, 2011 - 12:00am

Tuesday showed that after nearly four years, Hamas has reared its head in the West Bank. It's doing so with Israel's help: The Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal has in many ways thrown Hamas a life preserver. The organization, whose civilian and military infrastructure has almost completely disappeared from the West Bank in recent years - and support for it has tumbled - has been clever enough to register its first significant achievement since the Hamas government in Gaza was established in January 2006.

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