US denies it pressured Abbas to delay UN action on Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 6, 2009 - 12:00am

The United States denied reports on Monday that it pressured President Mahmoud Abbas to allow the United Nations to delay action to bring alleged Israeli war criminals to justice. At the daily State Department press briefing on Monday, spokesperson Ian Kelly was asked about reports that US officials demanded that Abbas ask the UN Human Rights Council to delay a vote the report of investigator Richard Goldstone.

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Why Obama's critics are wrong
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Adel Safty - (Opinion) October 5, 2009 - 12:00am

In parallel with the United Nations General Assembly meetings held in New York last month, US President Barak Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas.

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Palestinians outraged over Abbas bowing to Israel, US
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - October 5, 2009 - 12:00am

Demonstrators descended Monday on this city's most famous traffic circle, Manara Square, which for years was a launching point of Palestinian protests against the Israeli occupation.

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Palestinians should trust Obama
In Print by Ziad Asali - Arab News (Opinion) - October 4, 2009 - 12:00am

THINGS have changed over the past decade between Palestinians and the United States, and much for the better. Yasser Arafat was enticed to attend the Camp David meeting in 2000 with the promise that he would not be blamed if it failed. It did, and he was. Last week Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was invited to attend the New York meeting without any such promise. He was not blamed, and the meeting was not a failure. The meeting dealt with both an immediate crisis and a long-term strategic goal.

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First Palestinian prisoner released
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - October 1, 2009 - 12:00am

The videotape deal between Israel and Hamas is already underway, with the first Palestinian prisoner, 15-year-old Bara'ah Malki, released from prison Wednesday night. Malki was convicted of attempted murder and carrying a knife with intent to harm, and was slated to be released in November 2009. According to the deal, announced by the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday, 20 female Palestinian prisoners are slated to be released in exchange for a recent video of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

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A new US perspective on Middle East peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Common Ground News Service
by Hussein Ibish - October 1, 2009 - 12:00am

Under US President Barack Obama's Administration, the United States has vigorously re-engaged in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and made commitment to Palestinian statehood a national security and foreign policy priority. Obama has said that it is "absolutely crucial" to American interests to resolve the conflict, and appears determined to persist despite all difficulties and obstacles. There are several crucial reasons for this intensification.

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Goldstone defends commission’s report
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
October 1, 2009 - 12:00am

Richard Goldstone defended the report by his U.N. panel on Israel's Gaza operation last winter. At a conference Thursday at the National Press Club in Washington, Goldstone said that every possible measure was taken to ensure that the report was compiled in an even-handed and fair manner. The former South African judge maintained that the report did not look at the justifications for either side's actions but rather at the manner in which military force was applied.

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Has Obama Dashed Arab Hopes?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) September 30, 2009 - 12:00am

The question being asked today is; has Obama dashed the hopes of the Arabs regarding his seriousness towards seeking a solution to the Arab – Israeli conflict? The barometer [being used to answer this question] is the extent of the US President's ability to put a halt to the construction of Israeli settlements.

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Former Arafat aide: Third Intifada on its way
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
September 30, 2009 - 12:00am

Bassam Abu Sharif, a former senior advisor to late President Yasser Arafat, added his voice to a chorus of those raising the possibility of a third Intifada, or uprising against Israel.

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No radical change in American policy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Sobhi Ghandour - (Opinion) September 30, 2009 - 12:00am

US President Barack Obama has been in office for eight months, but there have been no major changes in American foreign policy, apart from the decision to cancel the missile shield planned for Eastern Europe. The absence of any other significant changes in US policy has been a great disappointment, especially in this region, which was pinning much hope on the new administration with regard to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

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