The Balkans have arrived
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - October 4, 2008 - 8:00pm

It is difficult to imagine that a veteran political hack and smart lawyer like Ehud Olmert did not understand that once Israel's prime minister loudly set the bar for an agreement with the Palestinians at the 1967 borders, no Palestinian leader will settle for less. Like the heiress apparent, Tzipi Livni, Olmert knows that there is no point in continuing to bargain. Both have concluded that the old game of the endless peace process that leads nowhere has reached its end.

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Abbas to Haaretz: We will compromise on refugees
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - September 14, 2008 - 8:00pm

Perhaps it was the daytime fast and abstention from smoking during the holy month of Ramadan, and perhaps it was the conversation about the exhausting negotiations with Israel that caused Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) to press the white button at least three times in the course of last Wednesday's interview. Sa'id, his personal assistant, enters without a word, pulls out the packet and lights a cigarette for the president. Abu Mazen's relaxed mood does not hint at all the troubles bombarding him from inside and out.

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As Rice Arrives In Region, Israel And Pa Far From Peace Accord
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Aluf Benn - (Analysis) August 25, 2008 - 12:00am

The visit of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will seek to determine whether it will be possible to present an Israeli-Palestinian accord to the world, or even a partial document of agreement, before the end of the current year. Nine months have passed since the Annapolis conference, which was held at the behest of Rice and where the participants promised to "make every effort" to reach a settlement by the end of 2008. Any attempt to redeem that promise will take place in the shadow of a political crisis in Israel.

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ANALYSIS / On verge of Rice visit, Israel and PA far from peace accord
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Aluf Benn - August 24, 2008 - 8:00pm

The visit of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will seek to determine whether it will be possible to present an Israeli-Palestinian accord to the world, or even a partial document of agreement, before the end of the current year. Nine months have passed since the Annapolis conference, which was held at the behest of Rice and where the participants promised to "make every effort" to reach a settlement by the end of 2008. Any attempt to redeem that promise will take place in the shadow of a political crisis in Israel.

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In The Business Of Peace - U.s. Billionaire Pursues His Dream Of Mideast Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - August 22, 2008 - 12:00am

Between meeting in the Knesset with Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon and visiting his friend, President Shimon Peres, S. Daniel Abraham felt like pouring his heart out. The 84-year-old billionaire, who visited Israel earlier this month, says that for the last seven years, since meeting Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Saud - who has since been crowned king - he has not known peace. Abrams' eyes become dewy as he talks about the meeting in Riyadh.

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Boundaries For Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
August 15, 2008 - 12:00am

Early this week Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly handed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Israel's detailed proposal for a "shelf agreement." Olmert offered an Israeli pullback from 93 percent of Judea and Samaria, "compensating" the Palestinians with territory from the Negev. A 40-km. link would provide unfettered passage between Gaza and the West Bank. The Palestinian state would be demilitarized and "right of return" for refugees would be exercised almost entirely within "Palestine." The Jerusalem issue would be put off by mutual consent.

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Settlement Freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
(Editorial) April 4, 2008 - 6:21pm

A rash of reports coming out of Israel indicates that a spurt of new construction is under way in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The development should be alarming to anyone who cares about Israel’s welfare. It’s a violation of Israel’s public commitments, most of all to the Bush administration. It’s damaging to Israel’s international standing and harmful to its security, both short and long term.

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Danger: Weak State Ahead
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yehezkel Dror - (Opinion) March 25, 2008 - 6:08pm

One of the most serious challenges facing the country is a deterioration of statehood. In some crucial ways, Israel can be seen as a weak state that has a difficult time making decisions about controversial issues and implementing them, especially when it faces zealous opposition from Jewish minority groups. It's a dangerous situation to be in, as the enormous achievements of the first 60 years of the state do not in and of themselves guarantee its continued growth, or even its very existence, in the future.

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Olmert Defiant On Settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al Jazeera English
March 18, 2008 - 6:53pm

Ehud Olmert has said that Israel will not stop building on occupied land in and around Jerusalem, defying US criticism and sparking protests from Palestinians during renewed negotiations.   The Israeli prime minister said his government would continue to build hundreds of new apartments in Har Homa in east Jerusalem

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Israel's 'religious Right' Gains Clout, Complicating Peace With Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - (Opinion) March 18, 2008 - 6:48pm

On a hilltop far enough from the existing Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev that one needs directions to get here stands the framework of a settlement meant to house up to 750 families. Eli Yishai stood on an unfinished balcony of one of the new development's shell homes. He's a key coalition partner of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the leader of the religious party Shas, which is feted by some and decried by others for having broken Israel's "settlement freeze."

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