State of the Union 2013: Obama's Israel expectations game
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico
by Josh Gerstein - February 12, 2013 - 1:00am

President Barack Obama’s domestic audience isn’t much interested in foreign policy Tuesday night - and if they are, it’s more about Iran and now North Korea than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But his global audience is eager for him to dive back in to an issue that Europeans and many moderate Arab leaders see as a rallying cry for extremism and anti-American sentiment. Their biggest worry: they see any hope for peace slipping away.

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Arabs Look for Decisive Obama in Palestinian-Israeli Negotiations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Michel Abu Najm - February 11, 2013 - 1:00am

Following the announcement that US President Barack Obama will visit Israel and Palestine for the first time next spring, Arab ministerial sources warned Asharq Al-Awsat that the US president has only a short window to advance peace. They said: "Obama has 18 months to achieve something on the question of peace between the Palestinians and Israelis. Afterward, there will be the midterm elections and the presidential campaign, which will lead to a decline in interest in this issue."

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On My Mind: Peace expectations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Kenneth Bandler - (Opinion) February 11, 2013 - 1:00am

With the Israeli-Palestinian peace process stuck in neutral for so long, any ostensibly positive development is assumed to signal a possible opportunity to advance. Some observers contend that Israel’s recent elections provide such a turning point. The New York Times, for instance, argued in an editorial that the results set the stage for a breakthrough in moribund peace negotiations.

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Historical Experiences and Perception
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Alon Ben-Meir - (Opinion) February 11, 2013 - 1:00am

Brief synopsis: The most puzzling aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be that after 65 years of violence, enmity and suffering, it remains unresolved when coexistence is inevitable and a two-state solution remains the only viable option. Although there are many contentious issues that must be specifically addressed, directly impacting every conflicting issue is the broader psychological dimension of the conflict, which makes it increasingly intractable.

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Obsessive Are the Peacemakers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Council On Foreign Relations
by Steven A. Cook - (Opinion) February 11, 2013 - 1:00am

Lost in all the reporting and blogging about President Obama’s planned March visit to Israel were the first phone calls his new Secretary of State, John Kerry, made even before entering office.  Even before figuring out how to use his new email, learning the way to the cafeteria, and filling out “Emergency Contact” forms, Secretary Kerry called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Shimon Peres and president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abb

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Israeli troops block Palestinian protest camp near Hebron
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
February 9, 2013 - 1:00am

The Israeli military prevented Palestinians from setting up an encampment on Saturday to protest at Jewish settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, land where they seek statehood.

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Age of innocence over
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Alon Pinkas - (Opinion) February 9, 2013 - 1:00am

One of the few things Israel and the Palestinians have always agreed on is that almost everything, if not everything, is the US' fault.

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Obama’s Israel trip is not about Middle East peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Josh Rogin - (Opinion) February 7, 2013 - 1:00am

U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Israel next month for the first time in his presidency, but few are expecting him to make a substantive push for real progress in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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Palestinian Officials Urge Obama to Push for Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Daniel Estrin - February 7, 2013 - 1:00am

Palestinian officials said Thursday they hope President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to the region signals readiness to re-engage in Mideast peace efforts, but that negotiations can only resume if Washington is ready to get tough with Israel.

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News Analysis: Stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to dominate Obama's visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 7, 2013 - 1:00am

 

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