The future Jewish citizens of Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) June 4, 2012 - 12:00am

There are three possible solutions for dealing with the issue of settlers in a genuine peace agreement with the Palestinians. Option 1: settlers wishing to do so can be repatriated to the State of Israel proper – within the “green line” borders. Option 2: settlers wishing to remain in Judea or Samaria rather than returning to the borders inside of the “green line” can remain or resettle in those areas that will be annexed to the State of Israel by agreement with the Palestinians.

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Was Barak’s call for unilateral action with the Palestinians a trial balloon?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ben Sales - (Opinion) June 4, 2012 - 12:00am

Was Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak's recent suggestion that Israel take “unilateral action” to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a hint at a policy under discussion or just an off-the-cuff remark?  And how will the response of others -- such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- shape the country’s fate in the coming months?

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A Settlement Freeze Can Advance Israeli-Palestinian Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal
by Alan Dershowitz - (Opinion) June 3, 2012 - 12:00am

Now that Israel has a broad and secure national unity government, the time is ripe for that government to make a bold peace offer to the Palestinian Authority.

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EU diplomacy on Israel/Palestine shifts up a gear
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from EU Observer
by Daniel Levy - (Opinion) June 1, 2012 - 12:00am

Few issues of diplomatic conversation today have quite the same ability to generate a rolling of the eyes and turning of the page as the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Stuck is an understatement. Israel’s government argues with its Supreme Court over re-locating a few dozen families from an illegal outpost to an illegal settlement, ignoring the bigger picture, whereby one in ten Jewish Israelis now reside in the Occupied Palestinian territories.

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Palestinians condemn Israeli unilateral plan to withdraw from some parts of West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Vita Bekker - June 1, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinians yesterday blasted a plan raised by the Israeli defence minister that called for Israel to unilaterally withdraw from parts of the West Bank if peace talks remain stalled. On Wednesday, Ehud Barak told a security conference in Tel Aviv that Israel "cannot afford to tread water" and has to "consider an interim arrangement or even unilateral steps".

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Israeli gov't unimpressed by defense minister's unilateral withdrawal pitch
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Adam Gonn - (Opinion) June 1, 2012 - 12:00am

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Wednesday said that while it is important that Israel tries to reach an agreement with the Palestinians, should these attempts fail Israel might have to act on its own. "If it turns out not to be possible, we need to think about an interim agreement, or even unilateral steps. Israel does not have the luxury to remain in a stalemate," said Barak, according to The Jerusalem Post.

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Now that Netanyahu is surrounded by veteran unilateral withdrawers, is a surprise in store?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yossi Verter - (Opinion) June 1, 2012 - 12:00am

For many long minutes on Wednesday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak stood at the podium at Tel Aviv's Institute for National Security Studies. He spoke lucidly about everything - Iran, the Palestinians, Syria, the budget, the Tal Law, party primaries. His main message related to the Iranian threat. "You can't sleep quietly at night with a sword hanging over your neck," he declared.


Come Clean, Mr. Prime Minister
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Stephen Robert - (Opinion) June 1, 2012 - 12:00am

Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced this week that he favors unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank. But who will ultimately determine when and where—and if—the Palestinians are to be granted a state? 

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From Across the Line: Now what? The West Bank scene
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Nida' Tuma - (Opinion) May 31, 2012 - 12:00am

Last September, the Palestinian UN initiative caused an international stir. Some described it as taking the lead; others – particularly Israelis – considered it a non-helpful unilateral move. Last year, the Palestinian political scene, stagnant for years, sprang back to life. Journalists went from talking about the slow progress after the Arab revolutions, to attending conferences, producing stories and looking for analysis on politics and international laws.

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Clinton: There's no substitute for direct talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - May 31, 2012 - 12:00am

Only negotiations will bring about peace, said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday, rejecting Defense Minister Ehud Barak's statements on a unilateral step in the West Bank. "The United States believes there is no substitute for direct talks between the parties," Clinton told a press conference in Denmark. "It is the only route to achieving what has long been not only a Palestinian goal and an American goal, but an Israeli goal, which are two states living side by side in peace and security."

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