Palestinian leadership condemns Israeli settlement plans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 11, 2013 - 1:00am

The Palestinian leadership said Monday Israel was signaling "negative" indications by planning more settlement constructions ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama 's visit. "This is another negative message to the U.S. administration," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said, speaking of Obama's upcoming visit to the region in March. "This is a deliberate declaration by the Israeli government that it insists to destroy what has been left of the peace process, " Erekat told Xinhua.

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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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Hard Questions, Tough Answers with
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Americans For Peace Now
by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) February 11, 2013 - 1:00am

Alpher discusses the interaction of the dynamics of President Obama coming to Israel shortly after PM Netanyahu is expected to present his new coalition, where does Netanyahu's coalition-forming project currently stand, the positions Netanyahu and Obama will present to one another on the key issues at stake, and what should the administration consider proposing when Obama comes to Jerusalem, in order to ensure a degree of harmony and the prospect of progress on the Palestinian issue. 

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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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Ahead of Obama’s visit to region, Israel advances plan to build in West Bank settlement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
February 11, 2013 - 1:00am

An Israeli official says the government has given final approval for construction of 90 new homes in a West Bank settlement, a move that could cause tensions with the U.S. ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to the region. The official says the homes were first announced last year in an agreement with Jewish settlers in exchange for evacuating an unauthorized West Bank outpost. The government published its final approval on Sunday.

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Palestinian official rules out three-way summit during Obama visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 10, 2013 - 1:00am

A Palestinian official on Sunday ruled out holding a meeting with Israeli officials on the sidelines of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to the region next month. "There are no preparations for a three-way meeting," said Saeb Erekat, senior Palestinian negotiator. "We were only told that Obama will visit the region in March and the reports about summits and new ideas and initiatives are journalistic analysis," Erekat said.

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Israel: Washington calling
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Economist
(Editorial) February 10, 2013 - 1:00am

It seems the first foreign visit of Barack Obama's second term will be to Israel. In making that choice, the president sends an important signal and one that is long overdue.

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Obama’s Plan to Visit Mideast Stirs Hopes, Slightly
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - February 9, 2013 - 1:00am

For more than two years, many Israeli and Palestinian leaders have placed blame for their stalemated peace process not only on one another but on a lack of engagement by the Obama administration.

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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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The Brooklyn College BDS debacle highlights the perils of pro-Israeli overkill
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chemi Shalev - (Opinion) February 9, 2013 - 1:00am

Far more Americans know of the Palestinian BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement today than did a week ago. Many millions of people have been exposed for the first time to the idea that Israel should be boycotted, divested and sanctioned for its occupation of the territories. Many more Americans, one can safely assume, have formed a positive image of the BDS movement than those who have now turned against it.

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