Mubarak: Stop attempts to judaize Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
September 14, 2009 - 12:00am

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak urged Israel to halt "all settlement activity" and warned of the dangers it posed in Jerusalem, in talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Cairo on Sunday. Mubarak "called on Israel to stop all settlement activity, including 'natural growth' settlements," presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad said. The president "also urged (Israel) to stop attempts to judaize Jerusalem, warning of the dangerous consequences to peace efforts and highlighting the sensitivity of the Jerusalem issue to the Arab and Islamic worlds," Awad said.

»

'Urgency' in US Middle East talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
September 14, 2009 - 12:00am

The US has launched a new effort to finalise terms for fresh negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Mr Mitchell has been discussing the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank - a key stumbling block. He said: "It is our intention to conclude this phase of our discussions in the very near future." "This will enable us to move on to the next and really the more important phase," he added. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.

»

The peace process needs some new facts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Opinion) September 14, 2009 - 12:00am

If all goes according to Barack Obama’s plan, there will be a Palestinian state within two years. Relative to the 60 years of Palestinian suffering, that is an extremely short period of time. Despite this, there has been little enthusiasm shown for the plan from either Palestinians, Israelis or the Arab world. This is hardly surprising.

»

Obama's impossible ambition
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Benny Morris - (Opinion) September 11, 2009 - 12:00am

President Obama's efforts to revive the Middle East peace process are bound to fail because of the unbridgeable divide separating Israel's and Palestine's political goals. The minor problems are Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu's unwillingness to partition Jerusalem and enable the Palestinians to constitute the eastern half of the city as their capital, and his reluctance to freeze the settlement enterprise in the West Bank.

»

Israel PM, Egypt president to talk peace in Cairo
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
by Patrick Moser - September 11, 2009 - 12:00am

Israel's hawkish premier heads to Cairo on Sunday for talks focused on a US-led push to revive the Middle East peace process amid charges that his settlement policies are harming the efforts. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will "discuss the peace process and issues of mutual concern," a spokesman for the premier said. Netanyahu "is looking forward to a good meeting with the Egyptian president," the spokesman said without giving further details.

»

What Is Peace?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) September 10, 2009 - 12:00am

Israelis want peace but don’t believe it’s possible. That is the cumulative finding of a host of opinion polls, and it is critical to any effort by President Barack Obama to create a new momentum toward peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. For many Israelis, the peace with Egypt and Jordan has not appeared sufficiently beneficial, despite the added security it has brought, to pursue peace with the Palestinians or Syrians.

»

Barak to Left: Tone down criticism
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Atilla Somfalvi - September 10, 2009 - 12:00am

Defense Minister Ehud Barak urged Israel's leftist camp to tone down its criticism of his recent decision to approve the construction of hundreds of housing units in the West Bank so as not to hurt the efforts to jumpstart the negotiations with the Palestinians. Ynet learned Thursday that one of Barak's senior advisors told Peace Now Secretary-General Yariv Oppenheimer that the approval of building permits for projects beyond the Green Line was actually meant to advance the peace process.

»

Pitfalls in US timetable for Middle East peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Sharmila Devi - September 10, 2009 - 12:00am

A rough timetable in the US push for Middle East peace is likely to emerge in the next few weeks after several months in which the administration has gone against some sceptical expectations and pressured Israel for a settlement freeze. Numerous pitfalls lie ahead, as always in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, but US resolve remains firm, said officials and analysts.

»

The New Israel Lobby
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by James Traub - September 10, 2009 - 12:00am

In July, President Obama met for 45 minutes with leaders of American Jewish organizations. All presidents meet with Israel’s advocates. Obama, however, had taken his time, and powerhouse figures of the Jewish community were grumbling; Obama’s coolness seemed to be of a piece with his willingness to publicly pressure Israel to freeze the growth of its settlements and with what was deemed his excessive solicitude toward the plight of the Palestinians.

»

Fayyad's Statehood Plan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) September 10, 2009 - 12:00am

PALESTINIAN Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s blueprint for what he has called “de facto Palestinian statehood” offers a new and important element to the quest for peace in the Middle East.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017