Pope Underlines Support for a Palestinian State
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Rachel Donadio - May 11, 2009 - 12:00am

On the fourth day of his first trip to the Middle East as pope, Benedict XVI arrived Monday in Israel and immediately called for a solution to the conflict that would yield a “homeland of their own” for both Palestinians and Israelis. While he did not use the word “state,” he made clear in a brief speech that he was underscoring the Vatican’s previous support for the creation of a Palestinian state, albeit with a stronger resonance imparted by the setting and timing of his remarks within minutes of arriving in Israel.

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Hamas leader rejects two-state solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI)
May 9, 2009 - 12:00am

Hamas will accept no less than a fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, the group's political leader in exile said Saturday. Khaled Meshal, who lives in Syria, called a two-state solution unacceptable because Hamas cannot envision living with Israel in peace and security. Meshal spoke Saturday at a news conference, following a gathering of several Palestinian factional leaders in exile, reported KUNA, the Kuwait news agency.

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Biden urges Israel to work for a Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Paul Richter - May 6, 2009 - 12:00am

Vice President Joe Biden called on Israeli officials Tuesday to work harder for creation of a Palestinian state and to halt growth of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Biden, speaking at a conference sponsored by an influential pro-Israel lobby, said the Obama administration was committed to a new direction in Middle East peace efforts because "the status quo of the last decade has not served the interests of the United States, or Israel, very well."

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Merkel: No 2-state solution substitute
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
May 6, 2009 - 12:00am

There is no an alternative to a two-state peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday. Merkel, speaking a day before Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman visits Berlin, also echoed comments made recently by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and White House Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel, saying that progress in the stalled Middle East peace process would make it easier to resolve the long-running standoff over Iran's nuclear program. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has yet to formally commit to a two-state solution.

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AIPAC delegates lobby for two-state solution
Media Mention of Ziad Asali In Arab News - May 5, 2009 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON: To thunderous applause, former Republican House leader Newt Gingrich attacked President Barack Obama’s policies in the Middle East, promoted military action against Iran, and assailed diplomatic engagement as weakness at the American Israel Political Action Committee’s (AIPAC) annual conference in Washington. Just before he went on stage late yesterday, Gingrich told The Jerusalem Post that the president’s policy with Israel and Iran was a “fantasy” and that Obama was “endangering Israel” by trying to work toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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AIPAC delegates lobby for two-state solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Barbara Ferguson - May 5, 2009 - 12:00am

To thunderous applause, former Republican House leader Newt Gingrich attacked President Barack Obama’s policies in the Middle East, promoted military action against Iran, and assailed diplomatic engagement as weakness at the American Israel Political Action Committee’s (AIPAC) annual conference in Washington. Just before he went on stage late yesterday, Gingrich told The Jerusalem Post that the president’s policy with Israel and Iran was a “fantasy” and that Obama was “endangering Israel” by trying to work toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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On the right path
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Editorial) May 5, 2009 - 12:00am

His Majesty King Abdullah said during recent talks in Washington with US President Barack Obama and other high-ranking US officials that the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem is the only workable answer on the table. There are simply no other options that are viable or operational. Also recently, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that his country would be willing to support the two-state solution if Palestinians themselves agreed to this basis for a settlement.

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Obama gets tougher with Israel on Palestinians, Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Natasha Mozgovaya, Barak Ravid - May 5, 2009 - 12:00am

As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington May 17 approaches, the United States is sending strong messages on the establishment of a Palestinian state and Israeli settlement activity. Gen. James Jones, national security adviser to President Barack Obama, told a European foreign minister a week ago that unlike the Bush administration, Obama will be "forceful" with Israel. Meanwhile, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told an AIPAC conference last night that two states for two peoples is the only solution the United States is committed to.

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Biden: Israel must back two states
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Hilary Leila Krieger - May 5, 2009 - 12:00am

US Vice President Joseph Biden said Tuesday that Israel must accept a two-state solution with the Palestinians, urging Jerusalem to stop settlement growth. "Israel has to work toward a two-state solution," Biden told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee annual conference. "You're not going to like my saying this, but not build more settlements, dismantle existing outposts and allow the Palestinians freedom of movement."

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Israel Will Accept Palestinian State, Rejects Syria Peace Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg
by Gwen Ackerman, Jonathan Ferziger - May 4, 2009 - 12:00am

The new Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu gave the strongest signal yet that it would accept a Palestinian state, while rejecting peace negotiations with Syria. “We do want to see peace and do understand that long-term peace and stability will entail a two-state solution,” Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon said in an interview.

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