A UN victory could be costly for Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) October 17, 2012 - 12:00am

Can the Palestinians afford the UN recognition they seek? That is the question their leadership must ask itself as it presses for a vote next month on its application to upgrade its status from observer to non-member state. The issue is being couched by Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas in terms of prestige and improved bargaining position for possible peace talks with Israel, but that conflicts with reality. The Palestinians already have diplomatic recognition by some 120 countries and that has put them no closer to statehood.

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Palestinian official reports "diminished hope" in peace process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
October 16, 2012 - 12:00am

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Palestine said here Monday there were "diminished hopes" in the peace process with Israel to translate the two-state solution into reality, and urged the international community to act to help reach the goal. Riyad Mansour, the permanent Palestinian observer to the United Nations, made the statement as he was taking the floor at an open meeting of the UN Security Council on the current situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

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Report: Emir of Qatar set to visit Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 15, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The Emir of Qatar is set to visit the Gaza Strip in the coming few days, the first visit by an Arab leader since Hamas took power in the coastal enclave, a Gaza TV channel said on Sunday. Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his wife Sheikha Mozah are slated to come to Gaza following the arrival of Qatari delegates on Sunday, al-Kitab satellite channel said.

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World powers will soon support our cause, says top Palestinian official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - (Opinion) October 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Twice during an hour-long interview, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi let out a laugh that sounded embarrassed. The first time was when she explained what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did in his UN General Assembly address: a speech she deemed patronizing, cut off from reality, stuck in an outdated Manichean perception. The doctor of comparative literature suggests that he did not convince his audience.

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U.S. says Palestinian status bid jeopardizes peace process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
October 15, 2012 - 12:00am

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 15 (Reuters) - A Palestinian bid to upgrade its U.N. status to a sovereign country would jeopardize the peace process with Israel and make it difficult to get the two sides to return to talks on a two-state solution, the United States said on Monday. Having failed last year to win recognition of full statehood at the United Nations, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said last month he would seek a less-ambitious status upgrade at the world body to make it a "non-member state" like the Vatican.

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Abbas secretly meets Israeli minister
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
October 15, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas secretly met Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak in Jordan Thursday, a Palestinian source revealed Monday. King Abdullah II of Jordan also participated in the meeting which was held in Amman, the source added. The meeting focused on efforts to resume peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians and their plans to seek a state recognition through the United Nations.

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The challenge of statesmanship
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) October 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Election season is here, and many of us Israelis entertain the fantasy/dream of throwing our hats into the arena and imagining that we could soon be in positions of power in government. If I were prime minister, who would receive my first phone call? It would not be a difficult decision – Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

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'EU warned PA of negative costs of UN bid'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - October 11, 2012 - 12:00am

The European Union is advising the Palestinian Authority to “be careful” regarding its stated plan to ask the UN for non-member state observer status at its General Assembly, Deputy Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Kourkoulas said Wednesday. Kourkoulas, on a one day trip to Israel where he met his counterpart Danny Ayalon and National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror, told The Jerusalem Post that while there has not been any formal EU discussion on the matter, informal deliberations are ongoing.

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Erekat: UNGA bid the only way to stop settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Tovah Lazaroff - October 9, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday that the Palestinian bid for non-member status at the United Nations is the only way to stop the expanding Israeli settlement enterprise in the West Bank, official PA news agency WAFA reported. Speaking after meetings with foreign diplomats, Erekat called on the international community to support the Palestinian UN maneuver when it comes to a vote in the UN General Assembly, likely in November.

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Unconditional US military aid fuels Israeli-Palestinian violence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Hill
by Kate Gould - (Opinion) October 8, 2012 - 12:00am

Amidst another week of deadly Israeli-Palestinian violence, fifteen faith leaders representing U.S. churches and faith organizations have called on Congress to condition U.S. military aid to Israel upon Israel’s “compliance with applicable U.S. laws and policies.” These leaders--representing Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Orthodox, Quaker and other major Christian groups--agree that unconditional U.S.

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