This is Europe's big chance to help the two-state solution become reality
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Martti Ahtisaari, Mary Robinson - (Opinion) December 3, 2012 - 1:00am

The vote to grant Palestine observer state status at the UN last month brought a rare promise of hope to a land where it has been in short supply. It is disappointing, however, that European countries failed to endorse the bid unanimously. As former European heads of state, we find such a lack of coherence difficult to reconcile with the European Union's support for a two-state solution.

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Israel’s Addiction to the Status Quo
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Noam Sheizaf - (Opinion) December 2, 2012 - 1:00am

A well-known cliché in Israeli political discourse refers to a high rate of support among the Jewish public for a two-state solution. As the claim goes, despite the Second Intifada and the rounds of fighting against Hamas in Gaza, most Jews still prefer this solution to the annexation of the Palestinian territories.

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Tunnels between Gaza and Egypt are back in business since cease-fire
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Scott Wilson - December 1, 2012 - 1:00am

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — For eight days, the sounds of illegal commerce here at the ragged southern edge of the Gaza Strip were silenced by the pounding thrum of battle.

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Supporting Palestine at the UN today is a vote for peace in the Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Hanan Ashrawi - (Opinion) November 29, 2012 - 1:00am

It might seem stating the obvious that Palestinians and Israelis find solutions only through negotiation, until you look at the record. It is a story in which one side makes proposals for nothing in return; one side makes agreements that the other side breaks; and one side keeps commitments that the other side ignores.

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After Vote, Palestinians and Israel Search for the Next Step
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - November 29, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM — Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian official, recently said that the day after Palestine gained recognition as a n

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Ashrawi says PLO has submitted UN bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 28, 2012 - 1:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The PLO has submitted a final draft resolution to the UN General Assembly, PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi said Tuesday. Ashrawi told Ma'an the final resolution was submitted on Monday afternoon to the UN in New York, requesting an upgrade of Palestine's UN status to an "observer state." The UN General Assembly is expected to pass the resolution on Thursday.

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Senior diplomatic source: Qatar is a bitter enemy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - November 28, 2012 - 1:00am

Reflecting intense anger and frustration at Qatar for its diplomatic and financial support of Hamas, a senior diplomatic source on Wednesday characterized the Persian Gulf state as a “bitter enemy of Israel.”

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How Will the Palestinian UN Move Impact Prospects for Mideast Peace?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from PBS
(Analysis) November 28, 2012 - 1:00am

MARGARET WARNER: For more on the Palestinian bid for greater recognition at the United Nations, I'm joined by David Makovsky of the Washington Institute For Near East Policy, and Ghaith Al-Omari, executive director of the American Task Force on Palestine. Welcome back to both of you.

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What will Palestinians do after the U.N. vote?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
(Editorial) November 28, 2012 - 1:00am

THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY will almost certainly win a vote Thursday in the U.N. General Assembly granting observer status to a state of Palestine. But it will be a pale triumph for President Mahmoud Abbas and his West Bank-based Fatah movement.

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Palestine: theatricals at the UN
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
(Editorial) November 28, 2012 - 1:00am

A "crashing wave of applause" filled the hall in which the general assembly was meeting in Flushing Meadow Park, the temporary headquarters of the new United Nations, when the French representative voted for the resolution which partitioned Palestine. The French vote was taken as a signal that the resolution would prevail. "The chamber," wrote Alistair Cooke, our correspondent, "was crackling with currents of elation and despair."

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