Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict would make the US troops less threatened and remove the arguments of movements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Raghida Dergham - (Interview) June 1, 2009 - 12:00am

The Commander of the US Central Command, General David Petraeus, told Al-Hayat in an interview that resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is “very central” for his work as commander of US forces in 20 countries, mostly of them in the Muslim world, and that dealing with this conflict, just like closing Guantanamo, would be “a positive step forward” towards making the US troops less threatened. He said: “I think a lot of things would be better if this issue is resolved.

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Goldstone's UN inquiry team arrives in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
June 1, 2009 - 12:00am

A UN team investigating possible war crimes in Gaza, led by Richard Goldstone, has arrived in the Strip on a week-long fact finding mission. The four-member team entered from Egypt after Israel failed to grant visas, despite repeated requests by the UN. The UN wants to investigate whether Israel and Hamas committed war crimes during Israel's three-week operation in Gaza in December and January. Israel accuses the UN branch carrying out the mission of bias against it.

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Egypt rejects U.S. plan for Arab-Israel normalization
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Zvi Barel - June 1, 2009 - 12:00am

Egypt has rejected an American proposal for gradual normalization between the Arab world and Israel that would have allowed Israeli planes to fly freely through Arab air space. The idea arose during discussions in Washington last week between Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and senior White House and State Department officials, including National Security Advisor James Jones and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

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Sarkozy says Palestinian state vital to Mideast peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
May 25, 2009 - 12:00am

Creating their own state is a "legitimate right" for Palestinians and necessary for Middle East peace and Israeli security, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has told the UAE state news agency WAM. "No one would think seriously about peace in the Middle East without giving the Palestinians a state they have been persevering for years. It is their legitimate right," he said ahead of a formal visit to the United Arab Emirates. "The best guarantee for security of Israel is setting up an independent, democratic, modern and viable Palestinian state."

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Breakthrough or Breakdown: The Obama Administration and the Arab-Israeli Peace Process
Press Release - Contact Information: Ghaith al-Omari - May 21, 2009 - 12:00am

On May 11th, 2009 ATFP Advocacy Director Ghaith Al-Omari took part in a panel at the Woodrow Wilson Center entitled "Breakthrough or Breakdown: The Obama Administration and the Arab-Israeli Peace Process". Mr. Al-Omari mapped the current Palestinian political scene, focusing on the schism between Hamas and Fatah, the efforts to form a new PA government, and internal Fatah dynamics. He also laid out steps necessary to move the peace process forward.


Arabs willing to give Obama a chance
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Steven Stanek - May 20, 2009 - 12:00am

About half of the Arabs in six countries said in a recent poll they have a favourable view of Barack Obama and were hopeful about US foreign policy. Analysts emphasised, however, that the mood could quickly change based on how the US president deals with a number of upcoming foreign policy challenges in the region, from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to withdrawing troops from Iraq.

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Spiritual journey cannot help but have political overtones
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Jonathan Cook - May 13, 2009 - 12:00am

Pope Benedict XVI upset the schedule on his first day in Israel by leaving an interfaith meeting in Jerusalem early on Monday night after a leading Muslim cleric called on him to condemn the “slaughter” of women and children in the recent assault on Gaza. The pontiff walked out, a spokesman noted, because Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi’s speech was a “direct negation” of dialogue and damaged the Pope’s efforts at “promoting peace”.

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AIPAC delegates lobby for two-state solution
Media Mention of Ziad Asali In Arab News - May 5, 2009 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON: To thunderous applause, former Republican House leader Newt Gingrich attacked President Barack Obama’s policies in the Middle East, promoted military action against Iran, and assailed diplomatic engagement as weakness at the American Israel Political Action Committee’s (AIPAC) annual conference in Washington. Just before he went on stage late yesterday, Gingrich told The Jerusalem Post that the president’s policy with Israel and Iran was a “fantasy” and that Obama was “endangering Israel” by trying to work toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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UN meeting to give impetus to Mideast peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Edith M. Lederer - May 5, 2009 - 12:00am

Russia has invited Security Council ministers to a meeting next week to give "new impetus" to the Middle East peace process. Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who holds the council presidency this month, said Monday that "the meeting will reaffirm the council's involvement in the search for a Middle East settlement." Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will preside at the May 11 meeting, and Churkin said some ministers already have accepted. The only speakers will be representatives of the 15 council nations and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, he said.

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PM Netanyahu’s tank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Eitan Haber - (Opinion) May 4, 2009 - 12:00am

There is no doubt that someone at the White House’s protocol department suffered a stroke recently, or at the very least was overcome by consternation: Shimon Peres, the State of Israel’s president, is the first one to arrive for a meeting with President Obama?

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