Middle East News: World Press Roundup

A New York Times editorial examines what must be done to push the peace process forward. Mideast Envoy George Mitchell extends his stay in Israel in an effort to strike a final deal with Prime Minister Netanyahu on a settlement freeze, and both President Obama and the PA remain optimistic. Israeli President Peres reportedly meets with Saeb Erekat. An article in Haaretz examines the injustice and dangers of the occupation for both Israelis and Palestinians. A right-wing Israeli is convicted of incitement and sentenced to four months community service. Israeli peace activists criticize US tax exemption for settlement funding. J Street student activists promote pro-peace campus coalitions.

---

---

---

Squandering the Moment ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times (Editorial) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Unless something happens soon, Israelis, Palestinians and other Arabs may squander the best chance for Middle East peace in nearly a decade. President Obama is committed to serious negotiations and, for now, there is a lull in regional violence. But all of the region’s major players are refusing to do what is needed to keep their own people safe and move the peace process forward. Mr. Obama has called on the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to freeze all settlement construction as a way to demonstrate his government’s commitment to trading land for peace. » Read more

Mitchell hopes to wring concessions on settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Amy Teibel - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Washington's special Mideast envoy launched a last-ditch push Tuesday to wring an Israeli promise to curtail settlement construction and persuade the Palestinians to attend a high-profile U.S. meeting meant as a prelude to peacemaking. » Read more

Optimism over Mitchell's Middle East peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Irish Times by Michael Jansen - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am PALESTINIAN CABINET ministers in the West Bank yesterday expressed public optimism about United States envoy George Mitchell’s efforts to start peace talks with Israel, despite yawning differences between the two sides. In separate meetings today with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Mr Mitchell will seek to persuade the two men to meet in New York on the fringes of next week’s UN General Assembly. » Read more

Peres met Erekat in Jerusalem over peace talks; PA firm in stance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli President Shimon Peres reportedly met with Chief Negotiator for the PLO Saeb Erekat last week in what Israeli press called an “effort to ease the way toward a tripartite meeting at the UN.” » Read more

PA Cabinet maintains hope for Obama peace efforts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 15, 2009 - 12:00am In their Monday meeting the West Bank cabinet ministers expressed positive sentiments around current US efforts to halt settlement construction and limit Israeli incursions into Palestinian areas. In a statement summing up the proceedings of the meetings, ministers expressed their hope around the visit to the region of US Special Middle East envoy George Mitchell this week. The cabinet said the visit indicates the serious of the US administration around re-launching the peace process. » Read more

Mitchell, Netanyahu fail to agree on settlement halt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis, Barak Ravid - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Israel and the United States failed Tuesday to reach a compromise on the contentious issue of West Bank settlement construction. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met for two hours in Jerusalem with U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell. The meeting ended with no results. The prime minister's bureau released a statement to the press describing the sit-down as "good." The two men will resume their discussions in Netanyahu's office Thursday morning. » Read more

Fatah to Haaretz: No settlement freeze, no talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) will meet Tuesday afternoon with the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell. The two will discuss the prospect of renewing talks between the PA and Israel and the possibility of Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting next week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Netanyahu was supposed to have met Mitchell Monday, but postponed the meeting to today to take part in the funeral of Capt. Asaf Ramon, son of Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon. » Read more

While Ramallah prospers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ilana Hammerman - (Opinion) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am There is new life in the West Bank, according to reports in the press. Freedom of movement, successful commerce, nightlife. Many Israelis certainly feel pride, especially the humanists among them. » Read more

Rightist gets community service for racist remarks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Aviad Glickman - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on Tuesday sentenced extreme right-wing activist Noam Federman to four months of community service, after convicting him of incitement to racism. Federman was put on trial following remarks he made during a TV show in August 2005: "There are delusional people who say we can live with the Arabs in coexistence. There are delusional people who say I can live together with cancer. What is a good Arab? An Arab who has yet to murder Jews? It's hard to find any of those today." » Read more

Peace in the Middle East is possible ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Carlo Strenger - (Opinion) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Benny Morris is one of today's most serious and disturbing pessimists about peace in the Middle East, because he used to be a card-carrying leftist and has been instrumental in uncovering Israel's role in the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem in 1948. He reaffirms his pessimism in a recent article in the Guardian, and says Barack Obama is taking on mission impossible; that his attempt at renewing the peace process is doomed to failure. » Read more

Op-Ed: Changing our campuses from polarized to pro-peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Lauren Barr - (Opinion) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Last spring, a pro-Palestinian club at American University in this city built a big tent on the main quad. Inside were posters demanding an immediate end to occupation. Outside the tent, some pro-Israel students protested, distributing pamphlets encouraging more U.S. support for Israel to protect against the Palestinian terrorist threat. It ended in bitter feelings and confusion among the onlookers. Did either side win? » Read more

Israeli peace groups target US fundraising ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Jonathan Cook - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli peace activists are planning to ratchet up their campaign against groups in the United States that raise money for settlers by highlighting how tax exemptions are helping to fund the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank. Gush Shalom, a small peace group that advocates Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territories, is preparing to send details to the US tax authorities questioning the charitable status of several organisations. » Read more

Saudi Arabia: "Peace Built on Confidence-Building Measures Will Not Succeed" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat September 15, 2009 - 12:00am In a response to a letter from the United States Congress to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud urging the kingdom to make a dramatic gesture towards Israel as a confidence building measure to promote peace, Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel A. Al-Jubeir reiterated Saudi Arabia's position that an incremental approach to peace, or one built on confidence-building measures, will not succeed. “It has not succeeded over the past three decades and, we believe, will not succeed today.” » Read more

Assimilation threatens Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Linda S. Heard - (Opinion) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Let's face it, without the financing and the protection of Washington, Israel would be forced to abide by international laws and treaties like every other country on earth, else risk being labelled 'a rogue state'. If the United States pulled the rug from under its favoured ally, Israel would no longer be able to continue its policy of nuclear ambiguity, would be called upon to abide by UN Security Council sanctions, and would face serious censure for launching aggressive strikes and wars. » Read more

Jordan an arena for Hamas? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Hassan Barari - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Bickering within Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood has come to the fore as never before. The divisions in the movement and their dubious relationship with Hamas have posed serious questions about the scope, if any, this movement is penetrated by Hamas. » Read more

Editorial: It’s time for action ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Opinion) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Egypt has been quietly negotiating between Israel and Hamas for the release of Hamas prisoners held by Israel and also for Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured by Hamas in 2006. A deal appears imminent. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Cairo on Sunday for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak; Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal was also in the Egyptian capital a few days earlier and is expected there again this week. Neither of the two men would have turned up there if there were still a mountain of details to climb. » Read more

Artists deny calling for TIFF boycott over Tel Aviv series ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CTV News by Cassandra Szklarski - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Artists angered by a spotlight on Israeli films at the Toronto International Film Festival insisted Monday they are not calling for a boycott as they continued to draw the ire of a growing list of celebrity critics. Filmmakers including Toronto's John Greyson, Elle Flanders and Palestinian-Israeli director Elia Sulieman held a press conference to refute charges they were blacklisting the festival's "City to City" program and its participants. » Read more

---

---