Israelis, Palestinians hopeful, cautious about peace prospects: poll
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, June 29 (Xinhua) -- A just-released local poll showed that Israelis and Palestinians appear ready and increasingly willing to compromise for a peaceful resolution of their conflict. Both sides, however, remain pessimistic about prospects for peace, according to the results of the joint survey, a statement sent to Xinhua said. The research was carried out by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah.

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Abbas urges further efforts for Mideast peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Tuesday for intensifying efforts to make peace in the Middle East. "The pace of peacemaking in the region must be accelerated," Abbas told a press conference in Ramallah following a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Abbas said the Palestinians would spare no efforts to achieve peace. "We believe in peace and believe that peace should be made as soon as possible," he said.

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Israelis, Palestinians hopeful, cautious about peace prospects: poll
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 30, 2010 - 12:00am

A just-released local poll showed that Israelis and Palestinians appear ready and increasingly willing to compromise for a peaceful resolution of their conflict. Both sides, however, remain pessimistic about prospects for peace, according to the results of the joint survey, a statement sent to Xinhua said. The research was carried out by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah.

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Security, borders, settlements freeze "keys" to direct talks: official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 29, 2010 - 12:00am

Moving to direct talks with Israel requires reaching an agreement on the issues of security, borders and full freeze of settlement activities, a Palestinian official said on Tuesday. "These are our demands," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Voice of Palestine radio. "Even U.S. President Barack Obama is aware of this." He also denied reports that the United States is pressing for jumping to final-status negotiations and holding a three-way summit comprising Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Washington next month.

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Disbanding Palestinian Authority a Possibility- PA Spokesmen
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Kifah Zaboun - June 29, 2010 - 12:00am

In a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator and official in charge of the negotiations dossier in the PLO, stressed that the option of disbanding the Palestinian Authority [PA] will be put on the table shortly if a two-solution solution is not reached. He however did not set a time frame for dissolving the PA but hinted at the end of this year. In a statement over telephone from New York, where he is currently visiting, he said: "I will not go back on what I said; Israel cannot possibly believe that it will remain the source of power [for the PA] for good."

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U.S. frustrated with Netanyahu over stalled proximity talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - June 29, 2010 - 12:00am

U.S. envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell is frustrated by the conduct of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the proximity talks with the Palestinians. Mitchell, who is due in Israel on Thursday for another round of talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah, has expressed to Netanyahu his wish to see more progress by Israel on core issues. Netanyahu is due to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in a week.

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Abbas 'waiting for answers' on Israel talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 28, 2010 - 12:00am

Positive answers from Israel "will encourage us to go into direct talks," President Mahmud Abbas said Monday, describing the status of proximity discussions with Israel under US mediation. Government-run news service WAFA said Abbas made the comment during ceremony opening a PA construction project in Ramallah. He said PLO officials had made their demands clear over borders and responded to Israeli concerns over security, and await the Israeli response from Middle East Peace envoy for the United States George Mitchell.

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Israeli President Shimon Peres: U.S. and other powers must engage Hamas on peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Janine Zacharia - June 25, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel's president and elder statesman, Shimon Peres, urged the United States and other world powers this week to engage with Hamas in order to persuade the Islamist group to renounce violence and prepare for peace with Israel.

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Abbas: Israeli practices in East Jerusalem endanger peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 24, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned on Thursday that the Israeli measures in East Jerusalem jeopardize the peace process. "The Israeli practices in East Jerusalem hinder peace talks," Abbas told a press conference here with the visiting Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann. The Palestinian president was apparently referring to Israel's recent plan to demolish Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem for the purpose of settlement construction.

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Adviser to Israel's Netanyahu questions Mideast peace effort, new Iran sanctions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Janine Zacharia - June 23, 2010 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's national security adviser said Tuesday that the push for Palestinian statehood has weakened Israel's standing in the world, and he suggested that the outlook is bleak for U.S.-mediated negotiations in the region. Uzi Arad, central in the crafting of Israel's stance on the Palestinians and on Iran's nuclear program, also argued that new U.N. Security Council sanctions on Iran are inadequate to thwart its nuclear progress. A preemptive military strike might eventually be necessary, he said.

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