Settlement deal will likely test all sides
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Omar Karmi - July 28, 2009 - 12:00am

It may well be a “discussion among friends”, in the words of George Mitchell, the US envoy to the Middle East, but Israel’s continued settlement building in occupied territory is shaping up to be a crucial issue that will test the leaderships of all players involved in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

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US Urges Concessions in Mideast Peace Drive
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
July 28, 2009 - 12:00am

US Middle East envoy George Mitchell on Monday appealed to Israel, the Palestinians and Arab states not to shy away from difficult or controversial steps towards peace in the region. Amid a flurry of US diplomatic activity across the Middle East, Mitchell told Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas that Washington is doing "everything we can to achieve a comprehensive peace.

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Israel-Palestinian calm could ease talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Steven Gutkin - (Analysis) July 28, 2009 - 12:00am

In the four months since hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power, West Bank Palestinians have enjoyed an economic recovery and Israel has experienced a period of relative calm. That progress is the backdrop for a fresh round of U.S. diplomacy aimed at getting Palestinian-Israeli peace talks started again. But there is a major sticking point. Palestinians are refusing to resume negotiations unless Netanyahu heeds the U.S. demand to stop all construction in Israeli settlements on lands they claim for their future state.

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U.S., Israel inch closer to deal on settlement freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - July 27, 2009 - 12:00am

U.S. envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell arrived in Israel Sunday and met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak as part of an ongoing effort to reach an agreement on construction in the settlements. The two are reportedly close to a deal in which Washington would allow a limited number of projects in advanced stages of construction to be completed, but Israel would freeze all other building for an as-yet undetermined period of time.

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Mitchell tells Palestinians no deal yet with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Mohammed Assadi, Ali Sawafta - July 27, 2009 - 12:00am

U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday he was still working on a deal with Israel to halt West Bank settlement activity so peace talks can resume. "We are discussing the issue but we didn't conclude an agreement yet with the Israelis," a senior Palestinian official quoted Mitchell as saying over a working dinner with Abbas.

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U.S. Envoy Visits Israel After Talks in Damascus
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
July 27, 2009 - 12:00am

U.S. Middle East envoy George J. Mitchell held talks in Israel on Sunday after having a "candid and positive" discussion with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad amid a diplomatic push by Washington to restart stalled peace talks. Washington is committed to a "comprehensive peace in the Middle East, and that includes Israel and Palestine, Israel and Syria, Israel and Lebanon, and normal relations with all countries in the regions," Defense Minister Ehud Barak's office quoted Mitchell as saying after the two held talks in Tel Aviv.

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Envoy Mitchell kicks off Mideast peace push
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - July 26, 2009 - 12:00am

The Obama administration embarked on a multipronged Middle East peace drive on Sunday, with four senior US officials coming here to push for progress on some of the region's thorniest issues. In the course of what promises to be an intense week of diplomatic activity, Israeli, Palestinian, Syrian, and Egyptian leaders are meeting with Middle East special envoy George Mitchell. Three other heavy-hitters will also be in town: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, special adviser Dennis Ross, and National Security Adviser James Jones.

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Fatah reascendant?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Wafa Amr - July 23, 2009 - 12:00am

Ten days before the Nov. 27, 2007 Annapolis peace conference, the Palestinians sent a letter to the Bush administration insisting they would accept no less than a total freeze on settlement building in the West Bank. Arab countries were also pushing for a settlement freeze to agree to attend the conference. But the Palestinians and many Arab officials attended without their precondition being fulfilled. In fact, negotiations were carried out at a slower pace than the construction of homes in West Bank settlements and East Jerusalem.

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Netanyahu says seeks peace with Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Roee Nahmias - July 23, 2009 - 12:00am

"We hope in the months and years ahead to forge peace with the Palestinians and to expand that into a vision of a broader regional peace," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday. Speaking during a reception at the residence of Egyptian Ambassador Yasser Reda in Herzliya, days before US President Barack Obama's peace envoy, George Mitchell, is expected in the region for new talks about how to renew peace efforts, Netanyahu praised the 2002 Arab Initiative for regional peace.

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Hamas: We won't stand in way of PA-Israel deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff, Barak Ravid - July 22, 2009 - 12:00am

Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshal told a Russian diplomat a few days ago that his group would not stand in the way of a peace deal brokered between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israel. Meshal reportedly told Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov in Damascus that if Abbas comes to an agreement on a final settlement of the conflict with Israel, and if the agreement is approved in a Palestinian referendum, Hamas would not try to derail such an accord.

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