Between a rock and a hard place
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) November 16, 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 (PA) leadership may follow – in effect dissolving the PA – should provide some indication.This seems to many to be the only real remaining weapon the Palestinian leadership has, albeit something of a doomsday scenario. Abbas and the others clearly feel all their other options have been systematically foreclosed.

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ISRAEL: Specter of Meir Kahane continues to haunt politics
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Batsheva Sobelman - November 16, 2009 - 1:00am

Two decades after his party was banned from running for seats in the parliament, Rabbi Meir Kahane and his ideas are once more on its agenda.

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Under Lieberman, Foreign Ministry drops peace initiatives as goal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - November 13, 2009 - 1:00am

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has set priorities for his ministry that apparently are at odds with those of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While Netanyahu is trying to convince U.S. President Barack Obama that he is sincere about advancing the peace process on the principle of two states for two peoples, the foreign ministry's written goals don't even mention the word "Palestinians." The ministry has also dropped assisting Israelis abroad from its list of goals.

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Israel's dark view of the world
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Charles Grant - (Opinion) November 13, 2009 - 1:00am

The official explained to Bibi Netanyahu that if there was a peace settlement, extra investment would push Israel's long-term growth rate from 5% a year to 7%. The Israeli prime minister responded that if the country had 5% growth, it did not need peace. Netanyahu was joking, according to the official who recounted the story – but the quip highlights a serious point. There is no prospect of a settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, and many Israelis are fairly relaxed about that. During a recent visit to Israel, I met very few people who were optimistic about the peace process.

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Perfect Storm: Wide Gaps, Weak Leaders, Elusive Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Aaron David Miller - (Analysis) November 12, 2009 - 1:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s threat to withdraw from Palestinian Authority politics — an act that could have grave consequences should he make good on it — is only the tip of a large iceberg threatening to sink the very structure of Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.

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Obama must get tough
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) November 12, 2009 - 1:00am

Like most of his predecessors, US President Barack Obama has failed to come up with a logical approach to resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, now in its 62nd year. Many optimists on both sides of the great divide had believed that he would this month take his first, tough step towards bringing the two sides to agree on the outlines of a settlement.

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Abbas’ move signals end of Oslo phase
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) November 12, 2009 - 1:00am

In the midst of discussions regarding possible scenarios following Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ decision not to run for president, few have paid attention to the larger picture. Abbas’ refusal to run for a second term as president of the Palestinian Authority signals a clear end of the Oslo phase in which he, Yitzhak Rabin, Yasser Arafat and Shimon Peres were key players.

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Washington Insider: "Politics always interferes with policy"
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Michael Friedson - (Interview) November 12, 2009 - 1:00am

Dr Ziad J Asali, founder and president of the American Task Force on Palestine, in conversation with Michael Friedson, executive editor of The Media Line News Agency. Dr. Ziad J. Asali is the president and founder of the American Task Force on Palestine, an organization that in a few short years has made a strong presence in Washington and Capitol Hill speaking on behalf of the Palestinian people. Dr. Asali was interviewed at The American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem by The Media Line’s Executive Editor Michael Friedson.

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As Netanyahu meets Obama, Israel ex-general offers Hamas talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - November 9, 2009 - 1:00am

Shaul Mofaz, a leading opposition politician in Israel whose former posts include both army chief of staff and defense minister, said Sunday he has a plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace – and he's willing to talk to Hamas to secure it. "I will also speak with the devil, if it will bring peace to the state of Israel," Mofaz reiterated Monday during a visit to Sderot, which has often been the target of rocket attacks from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. "And if Hamas is chosen in elections to head the Palestinian Authority ... I am ready to speak with them."

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Alone in the world
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yigal Sarna - (Opinion) November 4, 2009 - 1:00am

To Benjamin Netanyahu’s credit, we should first note that there are no wars during his terms in office. This was the case during his first term, and this may be the case in the second one as well. He is a cautious man. Nahum Barnea referred to it as someone on early retirement. A man who does little and finds it difficult to make decisions. In respects to wars, his hesitation should be lauded.

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