Imposed solution can end Palestinian conflict
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Omar Rahman - May 14, 2010 - 12:00am

It is a sign of how far the peace process has retrogressed that the Israelis and Palestinians have now entered into proximity talks, more than 16 years after having started direct negotiations. To make matters worse, nobody – including the actual participants – gives the latest round of talks the slightest chance of success. In fact, many fear that failure will only bolster critics of the peace process by further displaying the ineffectiveness of its methods. So why are they entering negotiations to begin with?

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U.S. pledges 500-million-dollar aid to PNA for the year 2010
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 13, 2010 - 12:00am

The Ministry of Planning of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) announced on Wednesday that the United States will provide the PNA 500 million U.S. dollars as a support for the year 2010. In a statement published by the state-run news agency Wafa, the ministry said it had concluded bilateral talks over executing developing programs in the Palestinian territories with Daniel Rubinstein, representative of the U.S. government, and Howard Somka, chief of USAID.

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'Fayyad is a partner for peace'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by David Horovitz - May 13, 2010 - 12:00am

Alan Dershowitz, the Harvard law professor who has become one of Israel’s most committed and articulate advocates, on Wednesday emphatically hailed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as a potential partner for peace, calling him “the best that Israel has, and probably the best that Israel has ever had.” Speaking to The Jerusalem Post immediately after a 90-minute meeting with Fayyad in Ramallah, their first meeting, Dershowitz said Fayyad “genuinely would like to bring peace and a two-state solution, based on his conception of what a two-state solution would look like.”

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Thus spoke the dairy farmer
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yoel Marcus - May 13, 2010 - 12:00am

Many years ago, the incumbent chief of staff spoke at a prestigious club that used to host a prominent government figure every Friday. Mostly, reporters were also invited, and if there were no scoops to be had, at least they got a nice free lunch. I was present at that luncheon, and the CoS spoke such a lot of nonsense that I wrote a critical piece about his speech. Astonishingly, the military censor blue-penciled the whole article.

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PNA accuses Israel of putting obstacles before Mideast peace process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 13, 2010 - 12:00am

A senior Palestinian official on Wednesday accused Israel for putting new obstacles before the Middle East peace process, saying that Israel is not serious in resuming peace talks. Nabil Abu Rdeina, spokesman of the Palestinian president, slammed the earlier statement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he said that Israel will go on with settlement activities in East Jerusalem.

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Negotiations for the Negotiations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Elias Harfoush - (Opinion) May 12, 2010 - 12:00am

Indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, with American mediation, are beginning with each side in the equation distant from the other when it comes to the actual goal they seek. It is ironic that none of these sides believes that these negotiations can lead to a state of peace in the Middle East, for which they all publicly claim to strive.

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Abbas, Obama agreed to top proximity talks with borders, security issues
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 12, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. President Barack Obama have agreed that the U.S.-proposed indirect Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks would focus on the issues of security and borders, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported Tuesday. In a phone conversation, the two leaders have also emphasized that neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis should make any " provocative" action "that could destroy the confidence" during the talks, according to Wafa.

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Fatah: Israel planning mall in East Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 12, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel is planning to build a shopping mall in East Jerusalem on three dunums of land owned by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Endowments, behind the US Consulate, Fatah Jerusalem Affairs official Hatem Abdul Qader said Tuesday. The land's trustee was handed down administrative orders, including eviction notices, from the director of the Israel Lands Administration, claiming the land as government owned rather than residential, Abdul Qader said.

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Optimism is also an option
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) May 11, 2010 - 12:00am

I am convinced that it is possible to make real progress through proximity talks, and given the level of mutual mistrust, I even believe it is the preferred means. I am told by diplomats that I am the only optimist in the Middle East. There are certainly reasons to be pessimistic about the chances for peace, but I will not be dissuaded just because we have failed to reach peace so far. The difficulty in restarting negotiations is, of course, a result of many years of failed talks, an intifada, a war in Gaza and the election of a right-wing religious government in Israel.

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Work toward Middle East peace by any means available
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) May 11, 2010 - 12:00am

Middle East conflict, but it is hard to say what. A breakthrough appears to be at hand, though all the parties still seem to be clinging to their traditional positions. The Arab League has given the go-ahead to indirect Palestinian-Israeli talks, and the various Palestinian leadership forums have approved the resumption of talks. Even the usually boisterous Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat has toned down his rhetoric, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has given an optimistic interview to Israel TV.

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