US to consult with Quartet over Abbas request
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 12, 2010 - 12:00am

US State Department officials said Wednesday, peace efforts would "press forward in the coming days" despite the latest visit by Middle East envoy George Mitchell characterized as a failure by many media outlets. Mitchell, who left the region on Wednesday evening, met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders during his latest tour, and presented a formula for talks laid out by President Mahmoud Abbas to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which the latter rejected.

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Netanyahu rejects '67 borders as basis for talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 12, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his request that direct peace talks with Palestinians go ahead without preconditions, during a meeting with US envoy to the peace process George Mitchell on Wednesday. President Mahmoud Abbas, following his Tuesday meeting with Mitchell, told the press that he emphasized the need to base talks on a March statement by the Middle East Quartet, which outlined its position that a future Palestinian state should be based on the 1967 borders.

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Netanyahu rejects peace talks based on 1967 borders
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - August 12, 2010 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday rejected a Palestinian demand that direct negotiations be based on a statement by the Quartet confirming its position that the future Palestinian state will be based on the 1967 borders. Meeting in Jerusalem with U.S. envoy George Mitchell, Netanyahu repeated his demand for the renewal of direct talks without preconditions. Mitchell briefed Netanyahu on his meeting on Tuesday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and gave the prime minister the Palestinian proposal.

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Netanyahu: I'm willing to take political risks for peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - July 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the European Union's foreign policy chief that he is ready to take a political risk to reach an agreement with the Palestinians, but only if he does not have to take a security risk, sources say. During talks with Catherine Ashton, Netanyahu reiterated that he seeks to move forward quickly if direct negotiations with the Palestinians begin. He believes it would be possible to reach an agreement with the Palestinians within a year. A deal would then be implemented gradually over a number of years.

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The US Shift in Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Raghida Dergham - July 9, 2010 - 12:00am

It would be appropriate to resume direct negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government within “a few weeks” as long as President Barack Obama has a clear vision of what the role of the US should be in the negotiations, from the strategic perspective as well as from the perspective of the structure of opinions and how to implement them.

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Quartet: Situation in Gaza "unsustainable, unacceptable"
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 22, 2010 - 12:00am

The human rights situation of the civilian population of Gaza is "unsustainable, unacceptable, and not in the interests of any of those concerned," the Quartet said Tuesday. The Quartet, made up of the US, EU, Russia, and the UN, emphasized the need for "a fundamental change in policy in Gaza," demanding the "unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza." The statement came despite a decision from the Israeli security cabinet to change the conditions of the siege on Sunday, a move that was welcomed by Quartet envoy Tony Blair.

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There is work to be done to prepare for a Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) June 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Almost everything about the second Palestine Investment Conference held in Bethlehem earlier this month, which I had the honour of attending as a member of the US president Barack Obama’s official delegation, was encouraging.

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Middle East monitors welcome Israel's shift on Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
June 21, 2010 - 12:00am

The Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators on Monday welcomed Israel's decision to ease its blockade of Gaza but said the situation in the territory remained "unsustainable and unacceptable". In a statement agreed during a conference call, the Quartet -- the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations -- said Israel's change of policy towards Gaza was encouraging but said much more needed to be done to alleviate pressure on the Palestinian territory's population.

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Israel's easing of Gaza blockade doesn't address banking, travel rules
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - June 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel's decision to ease the impact of a three-year blockade on Gaza appears to have relieved diplomatic pressure on the Jewish state following the fatal intercept of a protest flotilla. But critics warn that the partial measure, which does not include lifting the naval blockade, may not be enough to revive Gaza's economy and relieve the distress of the 1.5 million Palestinians living there.

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Israel drafting new list of goods banned from Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Mark Lavie - June 20, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel pledged Sunday it will immediately allow all goods into Gaza except weapons and items deemed to have a military use under its decision to ease its three-year-old blockade of the Palestinian territory. The list of banned goods replaces an old list of allowed items that permitted only basic humanitarian supplies for the 1.5 million Gazans. Under the new system, the government said practically all non-military items can enter Gaza freely.

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