Abbas presses Palestinian case with new defiance
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet
September 22, 2011 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas looks certain to fail in his bid to win United Nations membership for a Palestinian state, but his move has rekindled admiration for him back home, revealing the defiant side of an often understated man. The initiative is fiercely opposed by the United States and his decision to forge ahead has thrust the Palestinian issue to the top of the U.N. agenda, challenging the view of critics who accuse him of yielding too swiftly to foreign pressure.

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Netanyahu, Lieberman praise Obama’s U.N. speech, but Palestinians pan it
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
September 22, 2011 - 12:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked President Obama for his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, but the Palestinians criticized the address. Netanyahu met with Obama at the United Nations on Wednesday afternoon after the president’s speech and reportedly expressed his appreciation for the address. The speech was praised as well by Israel’s hawkish foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman. “I congratulate President Obama, and I am ready to sign on this speech with both hands,” Lieberman said at a news conference.

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Peace Now, or Never
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ehud Olmert - (Opinion) September 22, 2011 - 12:00am

AS the United Nations General Assembly opens this year, I feel uneasy. An unnecessary diplomatic clash between Israel and the Palestinians is taking shape in New York, and it will be harmful to Israel and to the future of the Middle East. I know that things could and should have been different. I truly believe that a two-state solution is the only way to ensure a more stable Middle East and to grant Israel the security and well-being it desires. As tensions grow, I cannot but feel that we in the region are on the verge of missing an opportunity — one that we cannot afford to miss.

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Journey from Oslo to New York after 20 Years
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by George Semaan - (Opinion) September 20, 2011 - 12:00am

All the efforts to prevent the Palestinian authority from heading to the United Nations to ensure the proclamation of the state were expected to fail. The Israeli prime minister who kept knocking on Europe’s doors among others after he knocked on the United States’ doors to thwart this step maintained his position. He wants unconditional negotiations. This is the same position that froze the talks over a year ago, and the one that foiled all the American efforts to activate the settlement and reach the promised Palestinian state.

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Abbas aide: PA will renew talks if 1 of 2 conditions met
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
September 14, 2011 - 12:00am

The Palestinian Authority will agree to return to peace negotiations with Israel if only one of two criteria they had previously set as pre-conditions for talks are reached: an immediate halt to all settlement construction or an Israeli declaration that the borders of the Palestinian state will be based on the pre-1967 lines with mutually agreed upon land swaps, a senior aide to PA President Mahmoud Abbas told Army Radio on Wednesday.

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What Peace Process?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
by Marwan Muasher - September 14, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinians plan to seek recognition as a state later this month at the United Nations, despite last-ditch efforts by the Americans to avoid a showdown. While the Palestinians enjoy broad international support for their statehood bid, some warn that a UN vote could inflame tensions and ignite violence at a time of regional upheaval.

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EU's Ashton extends mediation trip to Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet
by Justyna Pawlak - September 14, 2011 - 12:00am

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton extended a Middle East trip on Wednesday to hold more talks aimed at averting a Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations, officials said. Ashton is in the region to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders as well as diplomats from Arab countries, part of an intense international effort to revive peace talks.

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18 years after Oslo, Palestinians try a new tack
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Maher Abukhater - (Blog) September 13, 2011 - 12:00am

On Sept. 13, 1993, current Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and current Israeli President Shimon Peres signed at the While House the so-called Oslo Accords, ushering in a new era and hopes of peace in the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The agreement was signed in the presence of President Bill Clinton, former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

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A new poll suggests that most Palestinians prefer continuing negotiations with Israel rather than a UN initiative
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Palestinian Center for Public Opinion
by Nabil Kukali - September 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Poll No. 179 Sept. 06, 2011 The most recent poll prepared by Dr. Nabil Kukali reveals that: (83.6%) of the Palestinians evaluate the US efforts on recognizing the Palestinian state as negative. (59.3%) prefer to resume the negotiations with Israel. (45.2%) expect Palestine to become a new UN member (48.8%) oppose holding peaceful demonstrations after proclaiming the recognition of the State of Palestine at the UN. (49.2%) believe that the PA President, Mahmoud Abbas, should exert more effort to obtain international support for the recognition of the Palestinian state.

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Stay the Course on Interfaith Dialogue
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Meryl Chertoff, Samah Norquist - (Opinion) August 29, 2011 - 12:00am

If all goes according to current reports, some time in September, the Palestinian Authority will submit a resolution declaring statehood to the Security Council of the United Nations. While the United States and possibly other Council members are widely expected to veto the resolution, the PA may take its case to the General Assembly, where the US does not have a veto. A vote in support of the resolution there, while not binding, would pave the way for member nations to recognize a Palestinian state.

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