Palestinian Security Paradox
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by David Ignatius - (Opinion) November 15, 2007 - 6:20pm

Here's a safe prediction in advance of the Annapolis peace conference scheduled to take place in a few weeks: The Palestinians won't be ready to fulfill their obligation to provide security in the West Bank under the "road map to peace." The Palestinian Authority simply doesn't have the people, the training or the equipment to maintain order in the territories.

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Fear Of Hamas Looms Over Statehood Bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Week
by Stewart Ain - November 15, 2007 - 6:15pm

The bloody end to a massive rally in Gaza Monday marking the third anniversary of Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat’s death is seen as underscoring the disunity of the Palestinian people whose aspirations for their own state are proving more and more elusive.

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Israelis Press Plan To Block The Division Of Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - November 15, 2007 - 6:13pm

The Israeli Parliament gave preliminary approval on Wednesday to a bill intended to hinder any division of Jerusalem in a future deal with the Palestinians. The vote came as Israel’s rightist and religious parties started positioning themselves before an American-sponsored peace gathering expected to take place in Annapolis, Md., this month. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he plans to negotiate with the Palestinians after Annapolis on the core issues relating to a two-state solution, including security issues, borders, refugees and the status of Jerusalem.

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Asharq Al-awsat Interviews Mahmud Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Ali El-saleh - (Interview) November 14, 2007 - 1:12pm

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Following your meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, you spoke with a sign of optimism. Was there a breakthrough that you did not disclose?

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More Than Words Needed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Susie Becher - (Opinion) November 14, 2007 - 1:08pm

Hardly a day goes by without some new twist in the preparations for the Annapolis conference, and speculation is rife on whether it will end in success or failure. The Israeli prime minister is trying to lower expectations, emphasizing that it is not a peace conference but a starting point for negotiations toward a peace accord. The Palestinian president has his eye on the day after Annapolis, pushing for a time limit on the negotiations that will follow the event. The truth is that the summit itself cannot fail, because nothing will be left to chance.

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Are Two States Still Viable?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Seth Anziska - (Opinion) November 14, 2007 - 1:05pm

Oxford dons were reeling at their high table dinners late last month, in the wake of a startling controversy over the Middle East. A debate at the Oxford Union on the motion "This house believes that one state is the only solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict" was compromised by external political pressure, generating serious concerns about academic freedom and the principles of free speech.

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Israel 'will Halt New Settlement' Before Peace Summit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Haroon Siddique - November 14, 2007 - 12:55pm

Israel will announce a freeze in West Bank settlement construction prior to peace talks with the Palestinians in the US, it was reported today. But the moratorium would probably exclude large settlement blocs that Israel wants to retain in a final peace agreement, the Israeli paper Haaretz said. The Palestinians are demanding that all of the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 six-day war, be included in a future state.

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Rice: Israeli-palestinian Talks Needed To Repel Iran's Influence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ami Eden - November 14, 2007 - 12:49pm

Facing mounting skepticism over the upcoming U.S.-led, Israeli-Palestinian peace summit, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a massive gathering of Jews here that progress toward a two-state solution is vital to confronting Iran. "What is at stake is nothing less than the future of the Middle East," Rice said Tuesday during an address to delegates at this week’s General Assembly of the United Jewish Communities.

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Religious Leaders Join In Support Of Mideast Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - November 14, 2007 - 12:47pm

The highest ranking Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders from the Holy Land made a groundbreaking statement of support this week for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The Muslim sheiks in charge of Jerusalem’s holy places met with Israel’s chief rabbis and with the leaders of the major Christian denominations to present a paper that not only recognized the need to end Israeli occupation but also committed all religious leaders to work together for peace in the region.

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Bush's Turn To Step Into Mideast Peace-making
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Steve Holland - November 14, 2007 - 12:41pm

Richard Nixon left office hopeful that "peace can settle at last over the Middle East." Jimmy Carter staked his career on it. Bill Clinton told Yasser Arafat, "I am a failure, and you have made me one." Now George W. Bush becomes the latest president to try to resolve the bitter, long-standing differences between close U.S. ally Israel and the Palestinians.

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