U.s. Wants Progress Ahead Of Annapolis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - October 24, 2007 - 2:25pm

It's an insistent counterpoint audible beneath the U.S. march toward confrontation with Iran: While pledging to stop the Islamic Republic from going nuclear, the Bush administration is determined to walk Israel toward peace with the Palestinians. A battery of Israeli officials, in Israel and visiting the United States, heard the same message from an array of Bush administration officials: The United States stands with Israel on Iran, but expects some progress on Israel-Palestinian talks.

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Internal Divisions Make It A Bad Time For Israeli-palestinian Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Baltimore Sun
by Suheir Abu Oksa Daoud - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 2:20pm

While Israeli and Palestinian teams seek to iron out conditions for renewed peace talks in Annapolis this fall, deep divisions among the Palestinian and Israeli political leaderships doom any Middle East peace summit to failure.

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Peacemaking Truths And Lies
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 10:48am

For 60 years Palestinian and Arab leaders have been lying to their people. Creating and sustaining the lie that the Palestinian refugees of 1948 would return to their original homes and lands makes it almost impossible for President Mahmoud Abbas to reach an agreement with Israel on this, the most central issue in the conflict.

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An Arab Initiative To Avoid A Failed Conference
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by James J. Zogby - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 10:46am

In the aftermath of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s fourth recent visit to the region to prepare for a Middle East peace conference, only the meeting’s proposed location has been decided. The situation looks quite bleak, with little to show for the efforts made to date.

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Us Tells Israel To Halt Settlements In West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Barbar Ferguson - October 24, 2007 - 10:44am

Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns has asked the Israeli government to stop settlement expansion in the Palestinian territories and reduce its forces in the West Bank. “Israel should halt settlement expansion, remove unauthorized outposts, and reduce its footprint in the West Bank,” said Burns who was the keynote speaker at the recent second annual gala dinner of the Washington-based American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP). “I know the Israelis are serious about peace, but it is important that the Palestinian people know and see that as well.”

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The Us Should Submit A Dop
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Oded Eran - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 10:42am

It is too late to question the wisdom of floating the idea of a Middle East "meeting". The challenge now is to manage or minimize the potential liabilities and damages that may result from either holding the meeting in Annapolis without ensuring in advance even a limited success, or postponing it sine dei.

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Middle East Modesty
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Korean Times
by Richard N. Haass - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 10:41am

"Ripeness is all," concludes Edgar in King Lear. I will leave it to Shakespeare scholars to decipher what he had in mind. But for diplomats and historians, understanding the concept of ripeness is central to their jobs: it refers to how ready a negotiation or conflict is to be resolved.

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Mideast Agreement Must Pass Israeli Vote
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Mark Lavie - October 24, 2007 - 10:29am

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has pledged to seek parliamentary approval for any significant agreement with the Palestinians, including the joint declaration of principles he is trying to reach ahead of a U.S.-sponsored Mideast conference later this year, according to a letter released Monday. Approval would be far from automatic if the declaration commits Israel to giving up parts of Jerusalem or other main concessions sought by the Palestinians. Hawkish parties in Olmert's coalition have threatened to bring his government down if he agrees to such steps.

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George W. Bush's Flawed Peace Plan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Shlomo Ben-ami - (Opinion) October 23, 2007 - 2:29pm

That a summit in Damascus of the Middle East's "axis of evil" - Iran, Hizbullah, Syria and Hamas - was convened immediately following President George W. Bush's call for a conference of "moderates" to promote an Israeli-Palestinian peace demonstrated once again how intertwined the region's problems are. The Damascus meeting reflected Iran's view of Israeli-Arab peace as a major strategic threat, because it would condemn Iran to isolation in a hostile Arab environment free of its conflict with Israel.

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Getting Hamas Strategy Right
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum
by David Dreilinger - (Opinion) October 23, 2007 - 11:24am

The contours of the ambitious new Bush administration strategy for dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are beginning to take shape. But not everyone is optimistic about the chances for success. According to supporters of the Bush approach, things are right on schedule. Bilateral consultations between Israelis and Palestinians – like the meeting in Jericho between Abbas and Olmert this past Monday – will start bearing fruit in the coming months, as both parties move past confidence-building steps and start to talk about the outlines of a Palestinian state.

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