The Diane Rehm Show: Palestinian Push for U.N. Membership
Interview with Ziad Asali - National Public Radio (NPR) - September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Guests: Ziad Asali president and founder of The American Task Force on Palestine. Peter David Washington DC bureau chief, The Economist David Makovsky

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Taking a Stand, and Shedding Arafat’s Shadow
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner, Neil MacFarquhar - September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

At the baronial Morgan Library in Midtown Manhattan the other night, President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, stood quietly along the edge of a diplomatic reception, avoiding the animated gossip and flowing Champagne. Only when the host noted that Mr. Abbas was in the room, and expressed hope that his quest for Palestinian membership in the United Nations would produce real sovereignty, did the crowd take notice.

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Political war between Israel and Palestinians enters critical stage
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - (Blog) September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

The political war between Israel and the Palestinians enters its critical phase today, with the start of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Both sides are hoping that the battle will remain there, in New York, rather than moving to the checkpoints and settlements of the West Bank. Violence in Ramallah and in Psagot, in Nablus and Yitzhar, would cast a shadow over the peace process and call into question the extent of the Palestinian Authority's control of the territory - control that is very important for the PA to demonstrate at this time.

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A UN showdown the Palestinians can't afford to lose
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Claude Salhani - (Opinion) September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

The Middle East is going to war again this week - thankfully this time it's only a public relations war as Israelis and Palestinians take their case and their cause before the UN General Assembly. The outcome of this new escalation in the 62-year conflict, however, could lead to a new round of violence as bloody as any of the military conflicts of Arabs and Israelis in the past.

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With 'all hell' breaking loose, is Abbas looking for an exit?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Tony Karon - (Opinion) September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

When the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas speaks of being under "unbearable pressure" from foreign partners, that can be a prelude to retreat. That was the phrase he used a year ago to explain why he'd joined a new round of talks with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against his own better judgement. Those talks, demanded by the Obama administration, went nowhere.

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The U.S. and Israeli stranglehold ends
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

In the past week in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington my discussions on Mideast issues with a wide range of knowledgeable people confirm the view I have held for some time now: official American attitudes to the Middle East, especially on the Arab-Israeli conflict, are characterized by deep perplexity, contradiction and disarray. No wonder the region is in the midst of a historic transition that has radically shifted the center of gravity of political action and diplomatic control away from American-Israeli dominance, toward a greater role for Arab public opinion.

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Face-off at the U.N.
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
(Editorial) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am

The looming United Nations vote on Palestinian statehood is not a cause for celebration — for Palestinians or anyone else. It is merely further evidence of the utter stalemate of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which once promised to deliver a two-state solution but which during the last few years has deteriorated into a depressing morass.

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Saudi Arabia donates $200 million to the PA
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
(Analysis) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will pay $200 million to the Palestinian Authority, the official Palestinian news agency said on Monday, funds that will ease a financial crisis faced by the authority as it prepares to apply for full UN membership this week. Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Alassaf called Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to tell him his government would transfer the funds, the WAFA agency reported.

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Capitol Letter / Obama is stuck between a veto and a hard place
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Natasha Mozgovaya - (Blog) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am

As President Barack Obama prepares to address the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, many recall what he said to the body last year when he devoted over a quarter of his speech to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. One particular phrase drew much attention: "When we come back here next year, we can have an agreement that will lead to a new member of the United Nations - an independent, sovereign state of Palestine, living in peace with Israel."

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Journey from Oslo to New York after 20 Years
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by George Semaan - (Opinion) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am

All the efforts to prevent the Palestinian authority from heading to the United Nations to ensure the proclamation of the state were expected to fail. The Israeli prime minister who kept knocking on Europe’s doors among others after he knocked on the United States’ doors to thwart this step maintained his position. He wants unconditional negotiations. This is the same position that froze the talks over a year ago, and the one that foiled all the American efforts to activate the settlement and reach the promised Palestinian state.

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