Olmert Pours Cold Water On Peace Process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
March 27, 2008 - 6:47pm

  Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Wednesday that he expected that only a framework of a peace deal could be reached with Palestinians by the end of the year, not an actual agreement. The Israeli premier also announced that Israel would continue construction in large settlement blocs in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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Let A 'peace Contract' Precede An Actual Treaty
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Avshalom Vilan - (Opinion) March 27, 2008 - 1:29pm

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced two weeks ago in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel would continue to negotiate with PA President Mahmoud Abbas for peace in the West Bank on the one hand; while on the other hand, it would fight Hamas in Gaza as if there were no peace negotiations.

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Chasm In Arab World: Half Of Its Leaders Skipping Damascus Meet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yoav Stern - (Opinion) March 25, 2008 - 6:10pm

"The strength of the Arabs is in their solidarity" is the slogan of the Arab League Summit in Damascus, but it seems the Arab world has not been this fragmented for a very long time. The leaders of at least 12 Arab countries will not attend the summit that opens, according to remarks by Arab sources to Haaretz on Monday. They also said no significant decisions will be made at the summit.

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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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Cheney Meets Israelis And Palestinians To Promote Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - March 24, 2008 - 5:49pm

Vice President Dick Cheney met Sunday with Israeli and Palestinian leaders here and in the West Bank city of Ramallah in what American officials described as an effort to promote the peace process. But Israeli officials seemed more interested in seeking Mr. Cheney’s help with broader regional issues, chief among them the perceived threat from Iran, while Palestinian officials expressed deep pessimism about the peace process and prospects of success.

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Wait For A New Us Administration Before Panicking
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Yossi Beilin - (Opinion) March 18, 2008 - 7:00pm

Before everyone starts considering closing down the Palestinian Authority (PA), ending peace talks, unilaterally declaring a Palestinian state or deciding to opt for a one-state solution, we should all calm down and wait another 10 months until January 2009, when a new administration takes office in the United States.

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Us Presidential Hopeful Backs Israel's Claim To Occupied Jerusalem As Capital
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
March 18, 2008 - 6:50pm

US Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Tuesday that he supported Israel's claim to Occupied Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state, flying in the face of the international community's stance. "I support Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," McCain said in Jordan on the latest leg of a visit to the region.

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American Intervention Now
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) March 17, 2008 - 6:52pm

A senior American official quoted yesterday in Haaretz predicted that despite the upcoming presidential elections, and in advance of his visit to Israel in May, President George W. Bush will increase the pressure on both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to achieve significant diplomatic progress. The American intervention will be evident already at the end of the week, with the arrival of Vice President Dick Cheney for talks in the region. Immediately after him, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to arrive here. Recently, Rice has not concealed the U.S.

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Talking Like Meretz, Behaving Like The Likud
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) March 17, 2008 - 6:50pm

Judging by his declarations, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could have run tomorrow for the Meretz party's leadership. Judging by the behavior of his government in the territories, he could return to Likud.

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Leading Article: Stop Talking, And The Militants Have Won
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
(Editorial) March 10, 2008 - 5:38pm

It will be no consolation to Israelis to observe that atrocities such as that which killed eight young people at a religious college in Jerusalem have become rarer since the spate of suicide attacks in 2005. They will cite the controversial barrier as one reason for the improvement and note that this attack, like the last two – at Dimona last month and in Eilat almost a year ago – occurred in places that were vulnerable. The divided city of Jerusalem remains one such place, despite much overt security.  

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