Middle East News: World Press Roundup

PM Fayyad suffers a heart attack but is expected to recover. Richard Cohen says it’s time for PM Netanyahu to stop stalling and make peace. Robert Wexler and Zvika Krieger say Pres. Obama's speech was misunderstood. Palestinians say some names for a new government have been agreed. Analysts say the Palestinian unity agreement is a consequence of the failure of negotiations. Russia expresses strong support for the deal, and Pres. Abbas defends it against US criticism. Netanyahu repeats Israel will not return to the 1967 borders. Israel arrests Jewish activists in the West Bank. Palestinians will be going into unknown territory by approaching the UN for recognition. Hamas repeats it will not recognize Israel. Ha’aretz urges Jewish Americans to support Obama. Nehemia Shtrasler says Netanyahu is not ready for any deal with the Palestinians. Aluf Benn looks at the impact that Netanyahu’s speech to Congress may have on his relationship with Obama, and The National says he may offer concessions. Palestinians condemn Netanyahu’s policies as “fraudulent.” Kadima leader Livni says that a two-state solution is good for Israel. An Israeli MK declares “Jordan is Palestine.” Amr Moussa complains Israel is “not serious” about peace. Gershon Baskin describes brutal Israeli responses to Palestinian nonviolent protests. Palestinians are divided over Obama’s policies. AIPAC advocates a hard line with Congress on the PA. The Arab News says UN recognition can only strengthen Palestine’s hand. Ghassan Khatib says the 1967 borders as a baseline are crucial for peace. Yossi Alpher says an Arab initiative at the UN in September, if handled properly, may be the last hope for progress. Hussein Ibish asks what really angered Netanyahu about Obama’s policy speech.

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West Bank: Palestinian Premier Has a Heart Attack in Texas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press May 23, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, suffered a heart attack on Sunday at a hospital in Austin, Tex., where he was attending his son’s college graduation, a spokesman said. Mr. Fayyad, a heavy smoker, underwent tests showing a blockage in a coronary artery, and doctors performed a catheterization to open the artery, the spokesman said. He is expected to leave the hospital in two days. Mr. Fayyad has been prime minister since 2007 and has developed close ties with Western leaders.

Time for Netanyahu to ditch his do-nothing policy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Richard Cohen - (Opinion) May 23, 2011 - 12:00am Every man has a father, and Binyamin Netanyahu’s is worth knowing. He is Benzion Netanyahu, born 101 years ago in what was soon to become Poland and living now in what has become Israel. He is a historian by profession, the author of a mammoth and well-respected book on the Spanish Inquisition and, most pertinent to today’s events, the former secretary to Ze’ev Jabotinsky, a militant Zionist leader whose credo, when it came to the Arabs, could be summarized as: Do nothing. Binyamin Netanyahu is doing precisely that. » Read more

Obama's Speech Was Misunderstood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal by Zvika Krieger, Robert Wexler - (Opinion) May 23, 2011 - 12:00am The reaction to President Barack Obama's speech on Thursday has largely focused on one line: "The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states." News outlets from across the political spectrum ran headlines highlighting Mr. Obama's demand that Israel return to the "1967 borders," referring to Israel's boundaries before it took control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip after the 1967 Six Day War. » Read more

Cairo: Some names for new govt selected ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 24, 2011 - 12:00am Several names have been agreed on for the new technocrat government being compiled by Fatah and Hamas officials in Cairo, a party member told Ma'an on Tuesday. From Gaza City, Fatah national relations official Diab Al-Loh assured that progress was being made in the now nearly three-week long wait for the announcement of a new government, following the signing of a unity deal on 4 May. Al-Loh said none of the names would be announced until the government was set, and meetings between all factions were concluded. » Read more

Palestinian unity arose from ruins of peace talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 23, 2011 - 12:00am A Palestinian unity deal, slammed by Barack Obama as an "enormous obstacle to peace," emerged after Hamas and Fatah agreed on the shared goal of a state on the 1967 lines and the failure of talks with Israel. "The recent agreement between Fatah and Hamas poses an enormous obstacle to peace," the US president told delegates at the US-Israel lobby group AIPAC in Washington on Sunday, demanding the Islamist movement recognize Israel, reject violence and respect all existing agreements with Israel. » Read more

Russia announces unequivocal support for unity deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 24, 2011 - 12:00am Russia supports Palestinian unity efforts as a step toward regional stability, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavarov told Palestinian factional representatives in Moscow on Monday evening. The statement came at a meeting with seven faction leaders, many of whom recently refused to appoint members to a new technocrat government saying they were being left out of the reconciliation process and would prefer not to lend it legitimacy. » Read more

Netanyahu repeats Israel cannot return to '67 borders ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters May 23, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday again rejected U.S. President Barack Obama's vision of a Middle East peace deal based on the country's "indefensible" 1967 borders. Netanyahu, speaking to Washington's most powerful pro-Israel lobbying group, said he planned to outline in a speech to Congress on Tuesday his own vision for an eventual peace between Israel and the Palestinians. "It must leave Israel with security, and therefore Israel cannot return to the indefensible 1967 lines," Netanyahu said.

Army arrests Israeli activists in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press May 24, 2011 - 12:00am Israel's army says it has arrested several Israeli activists who broke into a disputed West Bank building to protest speeches by President Barack Obama and the Israeli prime minister in Washington. A military spokeswoman says the troops arrested about eight activists early on Tuesday after they holed themselves up in Beit Shapira, a building in the contentious city of Hebron. Israel sealed the building in 2006. Army radio broadcast one activist at the site yelling: "Tell Obama and (Netanyahu) that Israel won't give up its land." » Read more

Palestinian UN bid enters unknown territory ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Karin Laub - May 23, 2011 - 12:00am President Barack Obama threw down a gauntlet this weekend: no vote at the United Nations, he asserted, would ever create a Palestinian state. The Palestinians hope to prove him wrong. But their planned bid for U.N. recognition this fall of a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem — territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 Mideast war — enters largely unknown legal ground, and the Palestinians are still trying to work out how best to work the U.N. labyrinth. » Read more

Abbas defends unity deal against US criticism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Dale Gavlak - May 23, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sought Monday to defend his new unity government with the militant Hamas movement, saying criticism by U.S. President Barack Obama represented a "wrong understanding" of the deal. Abbas' comments followed talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the Jordanian capital and were noted in a royal palace statement. They were his first remarks on major speeches the U.S. president delivered in recent days. » Read more

Hamas says not to recognize Israel as state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 24, 2011 - 12:00am Hamas will not recognize Israel as a state, Hamas Deputy Political Director Mousa Abu-Marzouk said here on Tuesday, according to Interfax news agency. Slashing the Palestine Liberation Organization's recognition of Israel, Abu-Marzouk said the move was a "historic mistake." Abu-Marzouk said Hamas was not going to participate in the transitional Palestinian government of national unity, but will help other Palestinian movements to form such a government. He said the transitional government would be technocratic, but not based on a parliamentary majority. » Read more

Netanyahu is not ready for any deal with the Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Nehemia Shtrasler - (Opinion) May 24, 2011 - 12:00am There's nothing funnier than reading political pundits trying to get to the bottom of the fine points of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speeches. When he said "settlement blocs," did he mean the evacuation of all the rest? When he spoke of a "military presence" in the Jordan Valley, did he mean the Israel Defense Forces, or an international force? » Read more

U.S. Jews must support Obama's Mideast vision ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) May 24, 2011 - 12:00am American Jews have been dragged over the past few days into the controversy between their government and Israel's government, and that is neither to their benefit nor to the benefit of the State of Israel. On Sunday, U.S. President Barack Obama addressed the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee convention and candidly laid out his ideas for a permanent agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. » Read more

Netanyahu's Congress speech: Will it change his relationship with Obama or ruin it forever? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Aluf Benn - May 24, 2011 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech Tuesday before the U.S. Congress will be the formative event of his term, if not his entire political career. A statement released by his bureau promises that the speech will "garner major international attention," alluding to a surprise. The speech, whose purpose is to curb international pressure on Israel, gives Netanyahu a rare opportunity to reboot his leadership. Just a few months ago, he appeared to be directionless. Now, people are hanging on his every word. » Read more

PA: Netanyahu's policies fraudulent ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Elior Levy - May 24, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian officials criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's AIPAC address Tuesday, saying that it reflects his "fraudulent policies, which are in contrast with all international laws and agreements." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's advisor Nimr Hammad said that Netanyahu's speech – and the apparent speech he will give before Congress later Tuesday – was a "clear challenge" vis-à-vis Washington's policies and vision. » Read more

Livni: 2-state solution good for Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Attila Somfalvi - May 23, 2011 - 12:00am Give peace a chance: The two-state solution is good for Israel and is the only way to maintain a state that is both Jewish and democratic, Opposition Chairwoman Tzipi Livni told the AIPAC conference in Washington Monday. The notion of two states, Israel and Palestine, is not just a slogan or a move that would be beneficial for other parties, such as the US president, Livni said. "It is not an anti-Israeli policy – it is vital for Israel’s interests," she said. » Read more

'Jordan is Palestine,' MK Eldad declares at embassy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Ben Hartman - May 24, 2011 - 12:00am A handful of Israelis marked Jordanian Independence Day on Tuesday by attempting to present the Jordanian embassy in Ramat Gan with a petition to make the country the official national homeland of the Palestinian people. The initiator of the petition, Arye Eldad (National Union) said that the petition "requests that King Abdullah declare Jordan as the national homeland of the Palestinian people. His father said Jordan is Palestine, Palestine is Jordan. Unfortunately Abdullah doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps on this." » Read more

Moussa: Israel 'not serious' about peace negotiations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post May 24, 2011 - 12:00am Egyptian presidential likely Amr Moussa said that the Israeli refusal to negotiate a peaceful settlement with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas is illegitimate. He said that the current Israeli leadership "is not serious" about negotiating with any Palestinian faction. Speaking to CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Moussa said that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has to "take into consideration that the Arab world is changing," and that the new Arab leadership will not represent the old status quo. He said now is the time for the Israeli government to "seize this opportunity." » Read more

Meeting senseless aggression face-to-face ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) May 23, 2011 - 12:00am For months I have been hearing about disproportionate use of force by the army against weekly demonstrations in Nabi Saleh – a small pastoral Palestinian village northwest of Ramallah. Last week, I watched several YouTube videos filmed by activists in the village, providing vivid visual images of the forceful arrests of protesters by the army. I was disturbed because all of the clips showed how the demonstrations ended; none showed how they began. I was convinced that there must have been stone-throwing by the shabab in the village which provoked the violent army responses. » Read more

Palestinians at Odds Over Obama Peace Policy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Miller - May 23, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinians were left confused and divided over U.S. President Barack Obama after he made two major policy addresses on Israel, the Palestinians and the peace process in the space of four days. The Obama speeches – one at the State Department largely devoted to broader Middle East issues an a second in front of the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) left a trail of confusion for policy analysts and political figures, especially over the U.S. leader’s meaning when he called for negotiation a future Palestinian state to be based on “1967 lines.” » Read more

AIPAC Hits Capitol Hill With Hard Line Message on Palestinian Authority ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - May 23, 2011 - 12:00am In a break from its stance in recent years, the pro-Israel lobby is pursuing a hard-line agenda toward the Palestinian Authority at its annual conference, as 10,000 activists prepare to carry its message to Capitol Hill. The lobbying agenda of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee traditionally includes two elements over the past several years — ensuring foreign aid to Israel and tightening sanctions against Iran in order to block its nuclear ambitions — that are once again being stressed this year. » Read more

Wary Netanyahu may offer concessions on West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Vita Bekker - (Opinion) May 24, 2011 - 12:00am The first four days of the US visit of Benjamin Netanyahu have drawn much speculation of an open dispute between the Israeli prime ministerr and Barack Obama, the US president, over the borders of a future Palestinian state. » Read more

Barack blinks again ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) May 23, 2011 - 12:00am Barely 48 hours after he called for a “viable Palestine” on the basis of the 1967 borders and exchanged cold vibes and hot words with Benjamin Netanyahu, poor Barack Obama found himself doing what successive US presidents and leading politicians have always done: Offer obeisance at the altar of almighty AIPAC and sing endless hosannas to the “Great State of Israel.” The so-called historic speech of the US president on Thursday was seen as “too little, too late” by the Arabs. However, even that timid “audacity of hope” was apparently too much for Israel’s friends in the US establishment. » Read more

Losing sight of the 1967 borders means losing sight of two states ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) May 23, 2011 - 12:00am US President Barack Obama's long-awaited speech on the "Arab spring" and the Arab-Israel conflict has created controversy and spurred contradicting reactions in Israel, Palestine and the Arab world. The immediate and most prominent reaction was that of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who objected publicly to Obama's reference to the borders of 1967 as the basis for negotiations. This automatically made this part of the speech the most dramatic. » Read more

Beware the ides of September ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) May 23, 2011 - 12:00am President Barack Obama's two recent speeches on the Middle East, at the State Department and the AIPAC conference, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's response and related rhetoric, indicate that neither really understands that September at the United Nations is the only relevant arena they should be addressing. Meanwhile, Netanyahu picked a totally superfluous fight with the American president. » Read more

What was Netanyahu so enraged about? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) May 24, 2011 - 12:00am President Barack Obama’s Middle East speech last Thursday did not break any particularly new ground on Israeli-Palestinian peace or Washington’s basic positions on negotiations. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many of his supporters reacted furiously. Why? The reasons are deeply illuminating. » Read more

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