Palestinians Restate Demands to Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - April 17, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Tuesday, reiterating that for peace talks to resume, Israel must stop settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and accept the 1967 borders as a basis for a two-state solution.

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'US will veto any Palestinian statehood bid at UN'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
April 16, 2012 - 12:00am

The United States will continue to act against Palestinian attempts to gain recognition through the United Nations, and if necessary will use its veto to that end, US ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro said Monday. Speaking at the Netanya Academic College, Shapiro said that there are no shortcuts to peace in the Middle East, and the Palestinians must return to direct negotiations with Israel without preconditions, on the basis of what was outlined by US President Barack Obama.

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Lessons we must not ignore
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) April 16, 2012 - 12:00am

There are important lessons to be learned from Operation Defensive Shield, the Israel Defense Forces' aggressive push deep into the West Bank beginning in late March 2002. Both Israelis and Palestinians ignore these lessons at their peril.

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A Champion of Non-violence on Palestine's Tactics
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Sophie Claudet - (Interview) April 15, 2012 - 12:00am

With a huge, open-ended hunger strike planned for April 17, in which all Palestinian prisoners will follow the example of Khader Adnan —who was released after a 66-day strike earlier this year—questions about the Palestinian non-violence movement have become pertinent again. Among the reasons that led Palestinian militant groups to renounce large-scale violence, one could cite the wall that Israel started building in 2002 around the West Bank to thwart suicide bombings, or Israel’s massive assault on Gaza in December 2008-January 2009 to stop rocket attacks.

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‘One-State’ Idea Gains Support of Some Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from National Public Radio (NPR)
by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro - April 12, 2012 - 12:00am

Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians are at a standstill and have been for almost two years. The stated aim of those negotiations is what is known as the "two-state solution," which means the establishment of a viable, independent Palestinian state existing in peace alongside Israel. But as hopes for an agreement diminish, Palestinians — and even some Israelis — are now talking about other solutions to the conflict. Among them, the so-called "one-state solution."

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Abbas receives positive U.S. signs over his political letter to Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 10, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recently received positive hints from the U.S. on a political letter he intends to address to Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu soon, a well-informed source unveiled on Monday. Abbas' letter to Netanyahu might be handed on Tuesday and would include a clear Palestinian position concerning the current developments in the stalled peace process and the margins for resuming it.

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Baird lobbied hard against Palestinian bid for statehood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Globe and Mail
by Campbell Clark, Justin Ling - April 10, 2012 - 12:00am

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird personally took to the phones last year to try to swing countries to oppose Palestinian efforts to be recognized as a state by the United Nations, according to newly released documents that for the first time reveal in detail how intensely Canada worked behind the scenes to block the statehood resolution. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird holds a news conference announcing that Canada is reopening its embassy in Libya's capital, Tuesday September 13 2011 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

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Abbas to pursue statehood at UN assembly if no talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 9, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday he will ask the UN General Assembly to recognize Palestinian statehood if Israel does not respond to his demands for the resumption of negotiations. After Palestine's inconclusive bid for recognition by the United Nations Security Council in September 2011, officials in recent months revised their opposition to a lesser upgrade with the larger assembly.

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AP Interview: Prosecutor says Palestinians could join ICC as a UN non-member observer state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
(Interview) April 4, 2012 - 12:00am

UNITED NATIONS — The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor said Wednesday the war crimes tribunal would allow the Palestinians to sign up if the U.N. General Assembly approves a resolution recognizing Palestine as a non-member observer state. Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo ruled Tuesday that only internationally recognized states can join the court, and therefore the Palestinian Authority’s bid for membership could not be accepted.

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Terrified of Each Other
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Joel Braunold - (Opinion) March 29, 2012 - 12:00am

With a new month comes a new poll of Israelis and Palestinians on a variety of issues. All the usual suspects dominate the executive summary: whether Israelis believe in the viability of two states, what they think about an attack Iran or a settlement freeze. The poll tells the story that many of us expect from the populations caught in the depression and pessimism of the present. But the really frightening statistics come in the penultimate questions.

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