Jordan’s Blames Israel for Deadlocked Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Josef Federman - February 22, 2012 - 1:00am

AMMAN, Jordan — King Abdullah II on Tuesday blamed Israel for deadlocked Mideast peacemaking in a meeting with U.S. Jewish leaders, the official Petra News Agency said. But the king's guests offered a more optimistic version of events, saying Abdullah had also been complimentary of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's position in recent peace talks. Jordan last month played host to talks that have subsequently been broken off. Palestinian and Israeli negotiators have blamed the other for the cut-off.

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Israel reiterates no talks if Hamas in Palestinian gov't
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 21, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has reiterated that the Israeli government will not negotiate with any Palestinian government that includes Hamas, an official source said Monday. "Negotiations will not take place with a technocratic government that is made out of an agreement between Hamas and Fatah. The current reality is that the other side (of the negotiations) consists of an organization that does not acknowledge Israel," an official said in a PMO briefing.

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Q&A affecting the future of the Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) February 20, 2012 - 1:00am

Over the past two weeks I have been on a speaking tour in the United States (one more week to go). I am appearing on college campuses, some, such as Johns Hopkins, American University and George Washington in the main cities of the country.

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Rapidly dwindling avenues to peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) February 20, 2012 - 1:00am

The regional and international environments appear increasingly less conducive to a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, especially in the short term. The United States is preparing for coming presidential and congressional elections, and the Arab world is increasingly involved in internal revolutions that are naturally emphasizing local agendas. These factors are limiting available options and eliminating opportunities to make progress in ending our conflict peacefully.

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Between two hells
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Issa Samander - (Opinion) February 20, 2012 - 1:00am

One can't help but be astonished by the behavior of the United States and European governments over the vast changes occurring in Arab countries, especially their reactions towards the killing spree in Syria. They have been swift--their politicians rarely vague--in their condemnations of the Syrian regime and calls for actions by the international community.

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Netanyahu's border proposal: Israel to annex settlement blocs, but not Jordan Valley
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - February 19, 2012 - 1:00am

Three weeks after the end of the talks that took place between Israel and the Palestinians in Amman which took place under the patronage of the King of Jordan, Israeli officials revealed their version of the events, laying the blame on the failure of the talks on Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas. Despite the mutual “blame game,” according to positions presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the topic of borders, it is clear that it is not much different than the positions presented by Tzipi Livni during the Annapolis Conference.

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Fatah Official: Palestine Seeks Arab Support for Halt to Israel Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 10, 2012 - 1:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Fatah Central Committee member Mahmoud Al-Aloul said Friday that Palestinian leaders will seek Arab support for their decision not to return to direct negotiations with Israel, after exploratory talks ended last month without agreement. PLO officials are set to brief the Arab League follow-up committee on Sunday, after Palestinian and Israeli envoys met for a series of talks in Jordan before an international Quartet deadline of Jan. 26 to submit proposals on borders and security issues.

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A new peace is needed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Ari Shavit - (Opinion) February 9, 2012 - 1:00am

First the old peace was lightly wounded. After Israel gave the Palestinians most of Gaza, the first bus blew up at Dizengoff Square. After Israel gave the Palestinians Nablus and Ramallah, buses started blowing up in downtown Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. And after Israel suggested that the Palestinians set up a sovereign state on most of the occupied territories, they responded with a wave of terror. And as suicide terrorists were running amok in our cities, it started to dawn on people that maybe there was something defective about the promise of a great peace.

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The Psychological Dimension of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Alon Ben-Meir - (Opinion) February 9, 2012 - 1:00am

On the surface, the lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process seems illogical and unsettling.

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By Avoiding Peace, Netanyahu is Punishing Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) February 8, 2012 - 1:00am

In a Pavlovian response to the reconciliation agreement signed by the rival Palestinian factions, under which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will also serve as temporary prime minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented Abbas with a simplistic ultimatum - peace with Hamas, or peace with Israel.

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