The New Israel Lobby
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by James Traub - September 10, 2009 - 12:00am

In July, President Obama met for 45 minutes with leaders of American Jewish organizations. All presidents meet with Israel’s advocates. Obama, however, had taken his time, and powerhouse figures of the Jewish community were grumbling; Obama’s coolness seemed to be of a piece with his willingness to publicly pressure Israel to freeze the growth of its settlements and with what was deemed his excessive solicitude toward the plight of the Palestinians.

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What Is Peace?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) September 10, 2009 - 12:00am

Israelis want peace but don’t believe it’s possible. That is the cumulative finding of a host of opinion polls, and it is critical to any effort by President Barack Obama to create a new momentum toward peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. For many Israelis, the peace with Egypt and Jordan has not appeared sufficiently beneficial, despite the added security it has brought, to pursue peace with the Palestinians or Syrians.

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Israel’s settlement announcement irks negotiators, but unlikely to derail process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - September 9, 2009 - 12:00am

The United States and its partners pushing peace in the Middle East are treating Israel's announcement that it will build 455 new housing units in the West Bank before imposing a freeze as a buyer reviewing the unannounced "delivery fee" for a new car: Swallow hard, pay the extra bucks and move on. "It's difficult to understand what the Israelis want when they announce that kind of thing," one European diplomat said. "But it shouldn’t derail the process."

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Spanish FM: Syria optimistic about talks with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Roni Sofer - September 9, 2009 - 12:00am

President Shimon Peres met in Jerusalem Wednesday evening with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos, who reportedly relayed a message concerning Syria. According to Moratinos, Syrian President Bashar Assad said during their meeting that he was "optimistic about reigniting the Israeli-Syrian peace process."

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Erekat to US, UN, Greece: Settlements and peace two separate tracks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
September 9, 2009 - 12:00am

The Israeli government chose the path of settlements instead of peace, Head of the Negotiations Affairs Department in the Palestine Liberation Organization Saeb Erekat said Wednesday. Erekat called the Israeli government’s insistence on creating “facts on the ground” only intensifies the deception when its leaders claim they want peace, he told UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robery Serry and US Consul General Daniel Rubenstein in a meeting alongside Greek Consul General Soterios Athanasius.

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Israeli settlements: Where, when, and why they're built
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - September 6, 2009 - 12:00am

Amid rising anticipation of a US-Israeli agreement on a settlement freeze, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US envoy George Mitchell said they would meet again Wednesday after an inconclusive visit Tuesday in Jerusalem.

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Israel to Approve Flurry of West Bank Building
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - September 4, 2009 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will approve the construction of hundreds of new housing units in Israeli settlements in the West Bank in the coming days as a prelude to a building freeze of six to nine months aimed at restarting peace talks with the Palestinians, senior Israeli officials said on Friday. The plan is an attempt to ease pressure on Mr. Netanyahu from within his own Likud Party, which wants settlements to continue unimpeded, and from Washington, the Palestinian Authority and the rest of the Arab world, which want a total halt to such construction.

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Israel 'to back settlement work'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
September 4, 2009 - 12:00am

The prime minister is expected to back work on hundreds of new homes next week in addition to 2,500 units already being built, a senior aide said. He will then consider a temporary halt to settlement building, as requested by the US in a bid to restart peace talks. The news angered the Palestinians who said it was "absolutely unacceptable". "The only thing suspended by this announcement will be the peace process," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told the AFP news agency. 'Moratorium'

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Israel to approve hundreds of new settler homes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
by Marius Schattner - September 4, 2009 - 12:00am

Israel will approve construction of West Bank settlement homes before it considers a freeze sought by Washington, a top government official said on Friday, sparking Palestinian outrage. The plan is also certain to anger the US administration, which has pushed for a freeze of Jewish settlements in an effort to restart the stalled Middle East peace process. "In the next days the prime minister will approve construction starts and then he might consider a freeze for a limited time under certain conditions," the official told AFP, asking not to be identified.

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Aide: Netanyahu considering settlement freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Matti Friedman - September 4, 2009 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be willing to consider suspending construction in the West Bank for several months — but first plans to authorize hundreds of new apartments there, an aide said Friday. The U.S. has been pressing Israel to agree to a settlement freeze, and the Palestinians have said they would not resume peace talks unless Israel suspends construction on lands they want for a future state. Friday's statement was the first time an aide has said in the name of the prime minister's office that such a move could be imminent.

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