'No need to remove any settlements'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - April 16, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel should not have to remove any settlements in a peace agreement with the Palestinians, Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya’alon has told The Jerusalem Post, adding that just as Arabs live in Israel, so, too, should Jews be able to live in a future Palestinian entity. “If we are talking about coexistence and peace, why the [Palestinian] insistence that the territory they receive be ethnically cleansed of Jews?” Ya’alon asked during a wide-ranging interview that will appear in the Post’s Yom Ha’atzmaut supplement on Monday.

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Obama to Sarkozy: I'll keep up pressure on Israel, Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - April 15, 2010 - 12:00am

U.S. President Barack Obama has told French President Nicolas Sarkozy that he is determined to keep the pressure on Israel and the Palestinians to renew peace talks and implement confidence-building measures. Obama made his comments despite potential political damage at home ahead of the mid-term congressional elections in November.

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'Obama taking reins on policy towards Mideast conflict'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - April 15, 2010 - 12:00am

US President Obama has taken control over US policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly since Israel announced the construction of 1,600 new housing units in Jerusalem's Ramat Shlomo neighborhood during Vice President Joe Biden's visit, according to an opinion piece published in the New York Times on Thursday.

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Obama aide at Independence Day event: 2-state solution in Israel's interest
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - April 15, 2010 - 12:00am

During a ceremony held at the Israeli Embassy Wednesday night to mark the Jewish state's 62nd Independence Day, a senior advisor to Barack Obama said the US president is committed to the alliance between the two countries. David Axelrod said that despite the disagreements, the bond between Israel and the US is unshakable, adding that Washington remains committed to Israel's security and to preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

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Obama's theological Israel mission
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Carlo Strenger - April 15, 2010 - 12:00am

The press and the blogosphere keep stating that the Obama administration is considering launching its own peace initiative. The details mentioned are neither new nor surprising: Israel should live alongside a Palestinian state; the Arab parts of Jerusalem will be the Palestinian capital, and there will be a land swap to compensate the Palestinians for the major settlement blocs.

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What an American peace plan requires
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Rami Khouri - April 14, 2010 - 12:00am

The Obama administration is indicating that it may offer its own version of a reasonable Palestinian-Israeli peace plan, if the parties themselves cannot agree to start the US-mediated “proximity talks.” This may be useful, but it must be carefully thought out – much more carefully than all other American-organized Mideast peace moves in the past generation.

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How to tell when a Mideast Expert is lying
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Bradley Burston - April 13, 2010 - 12:00am

Allow me to begin with a word or two about lying. Lying in the Middle East is not the same as lying other places. In the Mideast, lying is a way of life, which is to say, it is a cultural imperative. It is at once armor and entryway. It cushions and conditions the way people feel and think, it lubricates commercial and social intercourse, it frames all political debate and negotiation.

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Obama and Netanyahu can't afford to disagree
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by David Makovsky - (Opinion) April 13, 2010 - 12:00am

It is widely known that the poor relationship between U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands at the center of U.S.-Israeli tension. Yet, it is hard to be hopeful for a variety of reasons. They relate to differences of outlook between them in three key areas: the relationship between vision and trust, different attitudes toward timing and different approaches to the nexus between policy and politics.

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Report: Israel to reject US timetable for peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
April 13, 2010 - 12:00am

Government sources said Israel would reject any move by the administration of US President Barack Obama to set a timetable and benchmarks for peace talks with the Palestinians, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. It further reported that international sources, including Jordan's King Abdullah, said the US must pressure both parties by setting a timetable for the peace process.

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Acting for peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Hassan Barari - (Opinion) April 13, 2010 - 12:00am

His Majesty King Abdullah has stepped up diplomatic efforts to create momentum for the restart of the peace process. A week ago, he gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal in which he made it clear that Israel is leading the region into a mess. The interview was timed well before the King’s visit the United States to meet with President Barack Obama. Jordan, a country that worked more than any other to realise a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, is thus sending the message to the American administration that enough is enough.

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