Palestinian offers Hamas unity deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - February 20, 2011 - 1:00am

The Palestinian prime minister appealed Sunday to the rival Hamas group to join him in a united government, offering to allow the Islamic militants to retain security control of the Gaza Strip until elections later this year. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's proposal to his Islamic militant rivals reflected the Palestinians' deep frustration over Washington's handling of Mideast peace efforts. That anger was underscored over the weekend when the U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

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Palestinians will not spurn US despite veto - Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
February 19, 2011 - 1:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday he would continue to cooperate with the United States despite Washington's veto of a U.N. resolution condemning Israeli settlements on occupied land. "We do not seek to boycott the American administration and it is not in our interest to boycott anyone," Abbas told Palestinian Wafa news agency in Ramallah. Abbas later told George Mitchell, the U.S. Middle East envoy, in a telephone call that he remained committed to the peace process with Israel, Wafa reported.

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Netanyahu should view U.S. veto at the UN as a warning
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Opinion) February 19, 2011 - 1:00am

After hesitating until the very last moment, U.S. President Barack Obama decided to have his envoy veto the UN Security Council resolution condemning the settlements. The Palestinian-initiated proposal would have declared the Israeli settlement enterprise in the territories illegal. Fourteen members of the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution, and only the U.S. veto kept it from being passed.

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Obama tried to convince Abbas to withdraw UN resolution up until last minute - Sources
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Ali El-saleh - February 19, 2011 - 1:00am

As was expected, the US used its veto to put an end to a draft UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel's policy of settlement building on occupied Palestinian territory. This represents the 42nd time that the US has vetoed Arab resolutions condemning Israel. This resolution was voted in favor of by the other 14 UN Security Council members; however the US, as a permanent Security Council member, was able to veto it.

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U.S. faces rocky road ahead in Middle East Read more
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico
by Aaron David Miller - (Editorial) February 18, 2011 - 1:00am

When it came, President Barack Obama handled his 3 a.m. phone call from Cairo pretty well. As political turbulence sweeps the Arab world, bringing challenges to the old order and uncertainties about the new, the president’s phone may be ringing a lot. Bahrain today. Jordan tomorrow? At the heart of those calls will be the challenge of keeping up with, pre-empting and staying ahead of violent change. That could prove to be a mission impossible: Can we fashion a coherent policy when U.S. interests and values are at odds with its policies?

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A wrongheaded prosecution of UC-Irvine student protesters
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
(Editorial) February 15, 2011 - 1:00am

ONE BY ONE the students rose in the auditorium, shouting and drowning out a lecture by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren last year at the University of California at Irvine. "Michael Oren, you are a war criminal!" yelled one student, as a group of others cheered him on. "Michael Oren, propagating murder is not an expression of free speech!" shouted another minutes later.

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APNewsBreak: Palestinian Authority settles RI suit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Eric Tucker - February 14, 2011 - 1:00am

The Palestinian Authority has settled a federal lawsuit in Rhode Island over the shooting deaths 15 years ago of a couple driving home from a wedding in Israel, according to court papers filed Monday. The documents don't reveal the terms of the settlement, and it's unclear how much, if any, money the Palestinian Authority offered to resolve the case.

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Huckabee says no Palestinian state in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Aron Heller - February 1, 2011 - 1:00am

Potential 2012 U.S. presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said Tuesday that if Palestinians want an independent state, they should seek it from Arabs — not Israel. The evangelical minister and Fox News host said Jews should be allowed to settle anywhere throughout the biblical Land of Israel — an area that includes the West Bank and east Jerusalem. He called the demand on Israel to give up land for peace an "unrealistic, unworkable and unreachable goal."

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President Barack Obama’s efforts in the Middle East hit deep freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico
by Ben Smith - January 24, 2011 - 1:00am

For two years, the Obama White House has tried to give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the benefit of the doubt as a prospective peace partner — viewing him as a leader who shared U.S. goals but faced tough domestic political constraints that Washington felt obliged to help counter. That’s over.

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January 24, 2011
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In Politico - January 24, 2011 - 1:00am

For two years, the Obama White House has tried to give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the benefit of the doubt as a prospective peace partner — viewing him as a leader who shared U.S. goals but faced tough domestic political constraints that Washington felt obliged to help counter. That’s over.

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