Egypt's Mubarak urges Israel, Palestinians to move toward direct talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
July 19, 2010 - 12:00am

Pressure intensified on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to agree to direct talks with Israel as Egypt held separate, back-to-back meetings with the two sides Sunday in search of a compromise. Abbas says he will not negotiate directly with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu unless Israel agrees to recognize its 1967 frontier as a basis for the borders of a future Palestinian state and accepts the deployment of an international force to guard them. Netanyahu has refused to be pinned down on a framework for negotiations.

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Palestinians, Israelis set to start secret direct talks: analysts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Emad Al-Azrak, Wael Naguib - July 19, 2010 - 12:00am

The Middle East region on Sunday witnessed unprecedented meetings focused on promoting the direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held separate talks with Israeli, Palestinian leaders and U.S. Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell. Analysts believe that through these extensive meetings, the two sides will be set to start direct talks, maybe secretly, although the indirect negotiations have not been so fruitful.

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'Basis for direct talks lacking'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - July 19, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli officials continued to express optimism on Sunday that direct talks with the Palestinians were imminent, even as Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that more needed to be done to bridge the gaps between the two sides. Aboul Gheit’s comments followed a meeting in Cairo between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Hosni Mubarak that were aimed at securing Arab League approval for moving from proximity to direct talks.

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Foundation of peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
July 18, 2010 - 12:00am

It might seem Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas forgot something when he recently put forth only one condition to resume direct peace talks: That Israel accept its 1967 frontier as a baseline for the borders of a Palestinian state. Abbas did not state the usual prerequisites — the halt of Jewish settlements, that Jerusalem be the capital of the future Palestinian state, the right of return or the return of Palestinian prisoners.

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Three minutes of honesty from Netanyahu
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
July 18, 2010 - 12:00am

The video should be aired on the evening news throughout the world. It reveals in stunning clarity the breadth of the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s disdain for the peace process, the Palestinians, and even Israel’s foremost ally, the US. Aired in Israel, a video shot in 2001 depicts Mr Netanyahu declaring that he personally destroyed the Oslo Accords. He boasts that it was he who prevented the “galloping to the ‘67 lines”. Given that these events transpired nine years ago, it would be possible that Mr Netanyahu’s views have changed; his actions reveal that they have not.

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Netanyahu admits on video he deceived US to destroy Oslo accord
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Jonathan Cook - July 18, 2010 - 12:00am

The contents of a secretly recorded video threaten to gravely embarrass not only Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister but also the US administration of Barack Obama. The film was shot, apparently without Mr Netanyahu’s knowledge, nine years ago, when the government of Ariel Sharon had started reinvading the main cities of the West Bank to crush Palestinian resistance in the early stages of the second intifada. At the time Mr Netanyahu had taken a short break from politics but was soon to join Mr Sharon’s government as finance minister.

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The deceptive promise of direct talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Rami Khouri - July 17, 2010 - 12:00am

I am not privy to the discussions that took place privately between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month in the White House. From the noise and chatter that has followed this meeting, I believe we should start pondering the consequences of the likelihood that there will be no resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict during this generation. I base this pessimistic short-term outlook on several premises:

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Dahlan: No direct talks until issues addressed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 16, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinians will not enter direct talks until Israel addresses issues raised in proximity talks, Fatah leader Muhammad Dahlan said Thursday. Speaking to Ma’an Radio, Dahlan affirmed news reports that US President Barack Obama had agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pressure the Palestinian side into direct talks, but said a specific date or agenda had not been set.

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Arab League chief optimistic over peace talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
July 16, 2010 - 12:00am

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said on Wednesday he is quite optimistic over the peace talks between the Palestinian National Authority (PA) and Israel. During his meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al- Moallem, Moussa confirmed that he would wait for the Arab Follow- up Committee meeting on July 29 which is going to discuss the results of the indirect talks between PNA and Israel. The Israeli siege imposed on Gaza Strip was also discussed as Moussa confirmed that it must be lifted rather than reduced or even frozen.

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PNA rejects goodwill gestures as "insult"
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
July 16, 2010 - 12:00am

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Thursday rejected moving to direct talks with Israel in exchange for Israeli goodwill gestures as "insult." "Going to direct negotiations in exchange for motivation, including financial support, is insulting," said Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator. Stopping settlement expansions, removing checkpoints and releasing prisoners "are Israeli obligations and can't be considered as motivation or goodwill gestures," Erekat told Voice of Palestine radio.

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