House Newcomer Defies GOP Leaders on Israel, From the Right Read more
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from
by Nathan Guttman, Josh Nathan-Kazis - April 18, 2011 - 12:00am

For those who know him, it was no surprise when freshman Rep. Michael Grimm broke ranks with his party and became the first House Republican to call for the release of Jonathan Pollard. The freshman member from New York has made Israel a key element of his political work. And while the Republican House leadership has thus far refrained from speaking out in favor of a commutation of Pollard’s life sentence for spying for Israel, Grimm pays small heed to political consensus.

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Israeli PM to address U.S. congress next month
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 15, 2011 - 12:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Thursday that he has been invited to speak before U.S. congress next month, a speech widely expected to reveal Israel's new initiative for the peace process with the Palestinians. Netanyahu said at a Likud Party Passover holiday toast that he sees the invitation as "a great opportunity." Earlier in the day, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner announced his intention to invite the Israeli prime minister to address a joint meeting of U.S. congress when the latter visits Washington next month.

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US plans new push on Arab-Israeli peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Arshad Mohammed - April 13, 2011 - 12:00am

The United States plans a new push to promote comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday, suggesting a stronger U.S. hand in trying to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. President Barack Obama will lay out U.S. policy toward the Middle East and North Africa in the coming weeks, Clinton told Arab and U.S. policy makers in a speech that placed particular emphasis on Israeli-Palestinian peace.

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JVP, Harsh Critic Of Israel, Seeks a Seat at the Communal Table
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Gal Beckerman - April 13, 2011 - 12:00am

On a recent Wednesday night in New York City, Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization that critics label anti-Israel, made the case for her group’s main protest tactic: a targeted campaign of boycott, divestment and sanction — or BDS, as it has become known — against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

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US plotting strategy to have Goldstone report withdrawn
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Hilary Leila Krieger - April 8, 2011 - 12:00am

The US is consulting with allies at the United Nations to work to end any consideration of the Goldstone Report by the international body, US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said on Thursday. The US has long been opposed to the report’s accusations that Israel intentionally targeted civilians in its war just over two years ago against Hamas, but has added momentum in its push to see the report shelved since its presiding jurist Richard Goldstone last Friday reconsidered his findings.

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The “Arab Spring” and the Palestinian Cause
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Raghida Dergham - April 8, 2011 - 12:00am

While the U.S. President Barack Obama may want to dedicate his time to domestic affairs, in order to secure a second term in the White House, he must prepare himself for foreign policy issues intruding into his reelection campaign, especially Middle Eastern issues. This is because the “Arab Spring” may soon be followed by summer, autumn and winter, before it becomes clear whether it will blossom in the manner envisaged by Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution.

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Haaretz WikiLeaks exclusive / Israel's Peace Now updates U.S. on West Bank construction
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Ofer Aderet - April 7, 2011 - 12:00am

Israeli left-wing non-government organization Peace Now has urged the U.S. to pressure Israel into evacuating West Bank outposts, according to an American diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks, adding that the group regularly updated both Washington and the Defense Ministry on ongoing settlement construction.

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Peres urges Obama to stay with peace process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
April 5, 2011 - 12:00am

It is critical for the United States to remain committed to the peace process, Israeli President Shimon Peres told President Obama. “I told him we would not want the Middle East peace process to continue without the United States,” Peres told reporters after his lunchtime meeting with Obama. A Peres aide later told reporters that this was the “critical message” Peres came to Washington to convey to the White House, suggesting that there is an impression in the Israeli government that the Obama administration is washing its hands of the peace process.

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Obama's retreat leaves Israel at the mercy of multilateralism
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Tony Karon - (Opinion) April 4, 2011 - 12:00am

'This is how the international community should work," said President Barack Obama a little more than a week ago. "More nations, not just the United States, bearing the responsibility and cost of upholding peace and security." He was referring to the military campaign in Libya, in which the US insisted it was simply following the lead of the Europeans and the Arab League, and quickly handed off command of the operation to Nato and a multilateral consensus.

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How to Break the Mideast Deadlock
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) April 4, 2011 - 12:00am

The Arab-Israeli peace process is frozen solid. A breakthrough would require something far bolder and more imaginative than the president articulating another set of sterile American policy positions. But a bolder proposal — outlined below — has a high risk of failure and may be well beyond the will or capacity of the United States to achieve. Given the current turbulence in the Arab world, the smart money on such a risky venture — or on any peace initiative — would be to wait at least until after U.S. elections in November 2012.

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