More Palestinian-israeli 'normalization' Is Needed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Walid Salem - (Commentary) November 23, 2007 - 6:43pm

In the Arab and Islamic world, normalization is looked upon as the process of building open and reciprocal relations with Israel in all fields, including the political, economic, social, cultural, educational, legal and security fields. Those who reject such "normalization" are divided into two groups: one thinks that Israel was established on Islamic and Palestinian land and at the expense of the Palestinian people, the legitimate owners of the land, who consequently suffered a fate as refugees outside their country.

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Don't Knock Annapolis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) November 23, 2007 - 6:42pm

Lucky for Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill that the disparaging phrase "photo-op" had not been coined during their time. Otherwise, the wise guys of their generation would have torn into the Tehran Conference (1943) even before it could convene, causing the war to last even longer.

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The Jerusalem Fig Leaf
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Noam Shelef - (Opinion) November 23, 2007 - 6:41pm

The latest assault on Israeli sovereignty comes from an unexpected direction. The Orthodox Union, together with a coalition of less-reputable Jewish American organizations, has launched a campaign arguing that the Israeli government lacks the authority to negotiate over Jerusalem.

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America Holds The Key To Mideast Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times
by Anatol Lieven - (Commentary) November 23, 2007 - 6:37pm

The absurd and tragic thing about the inability of the Israelis and Palestinians to work out a final peace settlement is that, compared with many conflicts, the terms of a settlement are not difficult to delineate and most impartial experts are agreed on them. They are as set out in a public letter jointly issued by the New America Foundation and other bodies. Key points are a territorial settlement on the basis of the 1967 borders and that Palestinian refugees give up the demand of return to Israel in return for massive compensation.

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Time Does Not Favor The Jewish State
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Leonard Fein - November 23, 2007 - 6:34pm

Habonim Camp Moshava, which I attended as a camper many years ago, was then located on Maryland’s Severn River. The landmark (or watermark, I suppose) was significant, since the Severn was frequently infested with antisemitic jellyfish. (“Jellyfish” are actually not fish at all, since they are not vertebrates. They have no brain, either, but oh do they have tentacles, which they use to sting and even kill.)

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Reinventing The Mideast Wheel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) November 22, 2007 - 10:40pm

It is infuriating when one spends hours reviewing all the give-and-take about the perfunctory meeting in Annapolis next week to kick-start Palestinian-Israeli negotiations for a final settlement only to realise that one does not need to reinvent the wheel. All that needs to be done is there and has been available for more than 40 years!

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Likudnik Hawks Work To Undermine Annapolis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Jim Lobe - November 22, 2007 - 10:32pm

Despite near-universal scepticism about the prospects for launching a serious, new Middle East peace process at next week's Israeli-Palestinian summit in Annapolis, a familiar clutch of neo-conservative hawks close to the Likud Party leader, former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, isn't taking any chances.

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Doubts Cloud U.s. Talks Set On Mideast
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Paul Richter - November 22, 2007 - 10:13pm

The Bush administration announced Tuesday that it would hold a stripped-down international conference next week to begin negotiating the core issues that divide the Israelis and Palestinians, the first formal attempt to revive peace talks in seven years.

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Sidetracked By The Roadmap
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) November 20, 2007 - 1:53pm

The sudden reference by Palestinian and Israeli negotiators to the roadmap, drafted years ago in an attempt to rescue the parties from the quicksand of violence and recriminations, was a bit confusing for analysts on both sides. The shift seemed inconsistent with the major political issues that require sorting out through negotiations, particularly the final status issues. In addition, Palestinians and Israelis have already tried the roadmap--and failed to navigate it.

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Where Is Jewish Support For Annapolis?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ori Nir - (Opinion) November 20, 2007 - 1:47pm

The call for American Jewish organizations to support the current peace efforts came from an unexpected direction: Israel’s Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger. For years closely associated with the right-wing National Religious Party, Metzger recently asked representatives of American Jewish groups in Washington to “influence the American administration” to do their utmost for the success of the Annapolis peace conference.

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