U.S. officials: Two states for two peoples is not an empty slogan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - May 15, 2009 - 12:00am

Israel's commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state will be a major focus of the upcoming talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama, senior American officials have said in internal discussions over the past few days. The officials stressed that the two-state principle was "not an empty slogan."

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Poll: 58% of Israeli Jews Back Two-State Solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
May 14, 2009 - 12:00am

Some 58% of Israel's Jewish public backs the "two states for two peoples" solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a Smith Institute poll commissioned by Ynet revealed. The results are based on a representative sample of 500 respondents from the adult Israeli population. According to the poll, which was conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled trip to Washington, 37% of Israeli Jews are opposed to the two-state solution, while five percent of those surveyed had no opinion on the matter.

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Pope Criticizes Israel On Palestinian Policy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Howard Schneider - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am

Pope Benedict XVI criticized Israel's construction of a security barrier through the West Bank and urged a loosening of restrictions on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, a day of speeches and symbolic appearances that amounted to a running critique of Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. From a morning address alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to a late-afternoon visit to a refugee camp, the pontiff used a full day in the occupied West Bank to highlight some of the main issues on the Palestinian agenda.

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In Bethlehem, Pope Benedict XVI makes strongest call yet for a Palestinian homeland
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rory McCarthy - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am

Pope Benedict XVI held his hands out wide to greet a crowd of applauding Palestinian refugees in the afternoon sun. Behind him stood the most striking symbol of Israel's occupation: a paint-spattered military watchtower rising above the tall, concrete wall that presses on Bethlehem.

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Jordan Tells Israel to Accept Two-State Solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am

The prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, met on Thursday with King Abdullah II of Jordan, who urged the Israeli leader to commit to a two-state solution with the Palestinians, according to news reports. Mr. Netanyahu made the unannounced trip to Jordan hours before he was to meet in Nazareth with Pope Benedict XVI, and days ahead of a pivotal meeting with President Obama, scheduled to take place in Washington on Monday. It will be the first meeting between the Israeli and American leaders since the conservative-leaning Mr. Netanyahu took office six weeks ago.

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A letter to Obama from former Mideast ambassadors
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Eric Fingerhut - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am

Four former U.S. ambassadors to the Middle East, including three former envoys to Israel, have signed a letter to President Obama urging an "active U.S. role" in pushing for a two-state solution. The letter was put together under the auspices of the Israel Policy Forum and,was signed by Samuel Lewis, a former ambassador to Israel; Robert Pelletreau, a former ambassador to Egypt; Thomas Pickering, a former ambassador to Israel and Jordan; and Edward Walker, a former ambassador to Israel and Egypt.

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It's not up to Israelis to determine the status of Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) May 14, 2009 - 12:00am

As the summit between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approaches, most of the discussion has focused on whether or not the newly elected Israeli leader will finally say that he backs a two-state solution. This is the wrong approach. Israelis should not determine the status of the Palestinian entity, nor should Palestinians have a say in what Israelis call their own state.

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Pope preaches against prejudice in Nazareth
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
May 14, 2009 - 12:00am

Tens of thousands of Christians, among them many Arabs, attended the service in the north Israeli town of Nazareth, where Jesus is said to have grown up. Benedict later met Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, a day after vocally backing the idea a Palestinian homeland. Mr Netanyahu does not support the idea of an independent Palestinian state. The German-born Pope's visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories has sparked criticism from Jewish groups who say he did not condemn Nazi crimes strongly enough.

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Obama To Offer Broader Regional Thaw for Israeli Nod to Statehood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - May 13, 2009 - 12:00am

President Obama will seek to revive the moribund Middle East peace process in his first official meeting with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, offering a new regional initiative that aims to bridge increasing differences between the new governments in Washington and Jerusalem. The new approach takes the 2002 Arab peace initiative another step forward by making clear that normal ties between Israel and the wider Arab world need not await the end of negotiations on the Palestinian issue.

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Land for peace is the only viable option
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
(Editorial) May 12, 2009 - 12:00am

It was entirely expected but nonetheless totally outrageous when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to endorse the idea of a two-state solution during his first bilateral meeting as Israel's head of government with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak this week. Netanyahu refused to discuss the previous Israeli government's position that Palestinian statehood should eventually come about, which was linked to Israel's security requirements.

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