Jordan says U.S. role fundamental to revive peace talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 4, 2011 - 12:00am

Jordanian foreign minister said Tuesday the United States plays a major role in pushing the peacemaking efforts forward and pressuring Israel to stop unilateral measures to resume the peace talks with the Palestinians, the state-run Petra news agency reported. At a meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh said the regional developments should not divert the attention away from the Israeli-Palestinian issue, which is the core issue in the region.

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Jewish Dems: Don’t let Hamas-Fatah prevent peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
May 4, 2011 - 12:00am

The National Jewish Democratic Council counseled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to use the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation to back down from peacemaking.

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U.S. to Palestinians: Unity deal must advance prospect of peace with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
May 4, 2011 - 12:00am

The White House on Wednesday urged Palestinians to ensure that a reconciliation deal between rival factions is implemented in a way that advances the prospect for peace with Israel rather than undermining it. "It's important now that Palestinians ensure implementation of that agreement in a way that advances the prospects of peace rather than undermines them," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, after the secular Fatah and Islamist Hamas groups signed an agreement to formally end a 4-year rift.

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Obama has been given an extra chance - he must use it wisely
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Aluf Benn - May 3, 2011 - 12:00am

The killing of Osama bin Laden in a commando raid in Pakistan has shown that America has not lost its initiative and fighting spirit in the war against radical Islam. President Barack Obama has proved he is no latter-day Neville Chamberlain, the leader who tried to appease the forces of evil.

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Obama must bring his daring to Israeli-Palestinian peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) May 3, 2011 - 12:00am

The value of yesterday's assassination of Osama bin Laden is more symbolic than practical. The Al-Qaida leader has influenced events around the world more than anyone else in the past decade. He ordered the attacks of September 11, 2001, which led to the American military intervention in Afghanistan and indirectly led to the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

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Israel has Lost a Strategic Ally, "Sheikh Osama"...
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Elaph
by Khairallah Khairallah - (Opinion) May 2, 2011 - 12:00am

Osama bin Laden met the fate he deserved. It is thought that the Arabs will be amongst the first to congratulate the Barack Obama Administration for this achievement. Primarily they are supposed to try and learn from the experiences they endured as a result of the actions of Osama bin Laden. Difficult questions must be asked about the environment that allowed this phenomenon to survive and cause so much hardship. .

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Editorial: Arabs and Uncle Sam
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
(Editorial) May 2, 2011 - 12:00am

They in the West have a thing for opinion polls. In the latest of its opinion polls, the US-based Pew Research Center reports that views about the US in the Arab world remain as negative as ever despite the arrival of President Barack Obama and all the impossible dreams and sweet promises he offered before and after his election. Interestingly, the Pew researchers note with dismay, even after the recent apocalyptic events in the Middle East, there has been no remarkable change in people’s perceptions about Uncle Sam.

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Egypt calls on US to recognize Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 2, 2011 - 12:00am

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi on Sunday called on the United States to recognize a Palestinian state, as rival Palestinian factions prepare to sign a reconciliation accord in Cairo. Arabi urged visiting US Congressman Steve Chabot to "press Congress and the American administration to recognise a Palestinian state." Recognition "would correspond with previous statements by the American administration supporting peace based on two states," the official MENA news agency quoted him as saying.

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US lawmakers say Hamas-Fatah unity gov't threatens aid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
April 28, 2011 - 12:00am

Lawmakers in the US responded overnight Wednesday to news that Hamas and Fatah have formed a unity government by threatening to withhold aid to Gaza. US Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), the top Democrat serving on the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, released a statement saying that the deal, which does not require Hamas to recognize Israel, "is a recipe for failure, mixed with violence, leading to disaster." "It is a ghastly mistake that I fear will be paid for in the lives of innocent Israelis," Ackerman said.

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U.S. affirms aid to Palestians -- for now
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Andrew Quinn - April 28, 2011 - 12:00am

The United States will keep aid flowing to the Palestinian Authority, but future help depends on the new Palestinian government, the State Department said on Thursday. One day after a unity deal between rival Palestinian factions, the State Department said roughly $400 million in annual U.S. funding would be reassessed as the policies of the new leadership emerge. "The current Palestinian government remains in place and our assistance programs continue," State Department spokeswoman Heide Bronke-Fulton said in an email.

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