U.S. vows to assign blame if Israel-PA talks fail
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - March 5, 2010 - 1:00am

The United States government has committed to playing a role in indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and promised that if the talks were to fail, the U.S. will assign blame and take action, according to a document sent by the U.S. to the Palestinian Authority, which Haaretz obtained on Friday. The U.S. government sent the document to the Palestinians responding to their inquires regarding the U.S. initiative to launch indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

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Palestinians are expected to join Israel in indirect peace talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Edmund Sanders - March 4, 2010 - 1:00am

A year after peace talks collapsed, Israelis and Palestinians appear headed back to the negotiating table -- just not the same table. A U.S.-backed proposal to launch so-called proximity talks moved forward Wednesday when the Arab League gave its blessing for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to join the effort.

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PLO defends AL's nod for indirect Palestinian-Israeli negotiations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 4, 2010 - 1:00am

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Thursday defended an Arab League (AL)'s decision authorizing Washington to lead indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians for four months. "This decision moves the ball in Israel's court," said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the PLO's executive committee, in response to Islamic Hamas movement and other Palestinian factions that rejected any resumption of peace negotiations.

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Peres: Netanyahu's peace moves restricted by the right wing
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Jonathan Lis, Mazal Mualem, Yossi Verter - March 4, 2010 - 1:00am

In private conversations Peres has had over the past few weeks with senior political figures and party leaders, he has been making statements to the effect that Prime Minister Netanyahu cannot advance the peace process with the present coalition government controlled by the right wing. To move forward, the president has been saying, Netanyahu will have to bring Kadima into his coalition and broaden the base of his government with moderates.

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Mideast peace talks could begin as early as Sunday
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff, Jonathan Lis, Barak Ravid - March 4, 2010 - 1:00am

Indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority may begin as early as Sunday, Haaretz had learned. U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell will land in Israel on Saturday night, and the American administration is hoping the sides will declare the beginning of indirect talks the following morning, ahead of the arrival of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Monday.

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From Ireland to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from International Herald Tribune
by Zion Evrony - (Opinion) March 4, 2010 - 1:00am

During a recent trip to Northern Ireland, one theme that dominated all of my conversations was encapsulated in the words “Who would have believed…?” It was the happiness shared by those present that the unimaginable had happened: The conflict that had once made the province a byword for terrorism and sectarian violence had ended.

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Verbal Testimony of Dr. Ziad J. Asali - U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Speech by Ziad Asali at - March 4, 2010 - 1:00am

Back to Press Release VERBAL TESTIMONY OF DR. ZIAD J. ASALI President, American Task Force on Palestine U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) March 4, 2010 Mr. Chairman, I wish to thank you and the esteemed members of your Committee for the privilege of testifying before you.

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Jewish leaders to Biden: Reach out to Israelis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
March 3, 2010 - 1:00am

Jewish leaders who met with Vice President Joe Biden stressed the need to convey the Obama administration's message to the Israeli public. Biden hosted a number of leaders at his residence Tuesday, a week ahead of his visit to Israel. Participants said the meeting, which included top White House Middle East staffers Dan Shapiro and Dennis Ross, lasted an hour -- well beyond the 20 minutes allotted.

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A Skeptical Arab League Backs Indirect Peace Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner, Michael Slackman - March 3, 2010 - 1:00am

Arab League foreign ministers on Wednesday approved an American proposal that Palestinians hold indirect talks with Israelis, a move that could help restart direct discussions between the two sides that broke down more than a year ago.

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Abbas' consequential choices
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Osama Al-Sharif - (Opinion) March 3, 2010 - 1:00am

Ask Mahmoud Abbas, the beleaguered Palestinian president, about the law of diminishing returns and he would probably explain it far better than an experienced economist! And he should. The past year has seen his political fortunes dip in value faster than the world's ailing money markets. And yet he holds on, trying to reverse the trend and looking for ways to point his dilapidated leadership into a new horizon.

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