October 18, 2007

Middle East News: World Press Roundup

The Washington Post reports on the visit by Secretary Rice to the occupied Palestinian territories and her listening to the grievances of Palestinians (1.) The Forward looks at skepticism voiced about the current Bush administration push for Israeli-Palestinian peace by all five GOP presidential candidates at an event hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition (4.) AlertNet features an interview with 'The Israel Lobby' authors Walt and Mearshiemer on why they decided to speak out about the special U.S.-Israeli relationship (5.) In his LobeLog blog, journalist Jim Lobe looks at the speech by Secretary of Defense Gates at his Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs award dinner in which he placed a higher priority as a U.S. objective for achieving a two-state solution than containing Iran (7.) A Financial Times (UK) opinion by former Israeli negotiator Moshe Amirav draws lessons for the fall Mideast meeting from the failed Camp David conference in 2001 (10.) A Jordan Times (Jordan) editorial urges the U.S. to use its influence with Israel to freeze Israeli settlement activity in the occupied territories (12.) Haaretz (Israel) reports on Israeli willingness to commit to a joint document at the fall meeting addressing the core issues of Jerusalem, refugees and permanent borders (13.)

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Rice 'encouraged' By Mideast Trip

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday she was encouraged by a round of furious Mideast diplomacy to prepare a U.S.-hosted peace conference in the fall despite divisions between Israel and the Palestinians that could derail it.

With tensions running high and time running out to plan the meeting, a senior U.S. official said Rice would return to the region at the end of October or early November after National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley goes there next week to press the two sides to launch formal peace talks.

Bush Optimistic On Mideast Peace Despite Discord

President Bush expressed optimism on Wednesday that the Israelis and Palestinians could negotiate a peace agreement as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ended four days of talks here with a spasm of discord between the sides.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right, ducked to enter the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem during a visit Wednesday.

Rice Upbeat On Mideast, Heading Back Soon

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday she was encouraged by her talks in Israel and the Palestinian territories this week and a U.S. official said she planned to return in about two weeks.

White House National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley plans to visit the region next week to prepare for a U.S.-hosted peace conference later this year, said the U.S. official who spoke on condition that he was not identified.

Lessons From Camp David

Next month the US president George W. Bush proposes to host an international conference in Annapolis, near Washington, in the hope of advancing a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. The failure of previous attempts – in Madrid in 1991, in Oslo in 1993 and at Camp David in 2000 – highlights the difficulties. What have we learnt from these failures so that the same errors in judgment do not recur?

For Lebanon, Caring About Palestinians Means Protecting Its Own

A new report by Amnesty International has rightly placed blame for the especially onerous plight of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon on several doorsteps. Apart from the consistent inadequacy of the Lebanese approach, it also points out the failure of the international community in general - and of Israel in particular - to find acceptable solutions. It should be noted, too, that for decades Lebanese policies on this issue (like those in countless other areas) were constricted and/or dictated by the Syrian overlords who held sway over Beirut.

Time To Intervene, Frankly

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is right to say that, “frankly, it’s time for a Palestinian state”. She’s also right to go visit the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. She’s going to need all the help she can get.

Joint Israeli, Palestinian Statement Will Address 'core Issues,' Sources Say

Israel is prepared to make a joint declaration with the Palestinians at the international peace conference scheduled to take place next month in Annapolis that will address the core issues of Jerusalem, refugees and permanent borders, a senior government official told Haaretz yesterday. Palestinian officials demanded Israel commit to a timetable for negotiations.

Bitter Olive Harvest / Justice Falls Short In The West Bank

Abed Al-Fatah Al-Hindi, a resident of the Nablus-area village of Tal, reaches the main highway between the Hawara and Git junctions, near the Gilad Farm. An International Red Cross crew stands waiting for him. He is bleeding from a large scalp wound, and his left eye is swollen.

A paramedic bandages his head, and a volunteer from Rabbis for Human Rights cleans his face. "Every year there's a mess," the villager tells Haaretz. "It's just the first day of the olive harvest, and six settlers attacked me. There wasn't much we could do."

Rice 'encouraged' By Mideast Trip

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday she was encouraged by a round of furious Mideast diplomacy to prepare a U.S.-hosted peace conference in the fall despite divisions between Israel and the Palestinians that could derail it.

With tensions running high and time running out to plan the meeting, a senior U.S. official said Rice would return to the region at the end of October or early November after National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley goes there next week to press the two sides to launch formal peace talks.

Burns Echoes Rice: Time Is Right For Palestinian State

"Establishing a Palestinian State is the "right thing to do," said U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns.

"The time for a Palestinian state," said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, "is now."

"Israel should halt the settlements' expansion, and reduce its footprint in the West Bank," said Burns, the keynote speaker at the second annual gala of the American Task Force on Palestine in Washington Wednesday night.

Gaza Absent In Conference Build-up

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been in the Middle East working to try and bring the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams closer together ahead of a planned Middle East conference in the US next month.

Her current trip includes meetings with the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as trips to Egypt and a meeting in with Jordan's King Abdullah in London.

Why Failure Is Not An Option At Annapolis

After the failure of the Annapolis conference two years ago, the two-state solution has finally been buried. The Palestinian Authority has disbanded itself, proclaiming that the official policy of the Palestinians will henceforth be a one-state solution, a democratic state with the right to vote for all its citizens over the age of 18. "The battle of the womb," they call it. "We will win through the womb. There will be a majority of Palestinians in this state."

Peace Studies: Children Of Israel

At first glance the class of excited nine-year-olds looks like any other when the principal drops in for a visit.

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