Date
Type

Realistically Speaking
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
(Editorial) October 2, 2007 - 7:33pm

It is not too hard to figure out what Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni must have meant when she asked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, during their encounter in New York last Friday, to be realistic in his quest for peace with Israel. For Livni and the rest of the Israeli government, realism in the search for a peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict means one thing only: the status quo. That means that few cosmetic changes might be made to peripheral issues only.

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Getting Over The Fear Of Arab Elections
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Michele Dunne - (Opinion) October 2, 2007 - 7:32pm

Concern about chaos in Iraq, Palestine, and Lebanon and fear of Islamist political victories have led many American commentators to identify Middle East democracy promotion as unwise. The Bush administration should not have insisted on elections in Arab countries, according to the new conventional wisdom, but instead should have patiently promoted the growth of institutions, civil society, and the rule of law.

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The American Prospect features an open letter by Israeli author and journalist Gershom Gorenberg to U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on her recent statements regarding the political future of Jerusalem (1.) The Jewish Telegraphic Agency examines the debate within Israeli policy-making circles of how to deal with Hamas in the lead-up to the Fall Mideast meeting (4.) The Guardian (UK) reports on a letter sent to Secretary of State Rice from former U.S. diplomats warning of the failure of the Fall Mideast meeting if the groundwork for success is not laid and offering policy suggestions (6.) An Independent (UK) editorial suggests two steps Israel could take as bold gestures to demonstrate good faith in getting peace talks restarted (8.) A Haaretz (Israel) opinion by Amira Hass castigates Israelis for not exercising their democratic rights in opposing the many facets of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands (10.) A Daily Star (Lebanon) opinion by the Carnegie Endowment's Michele Dunne identifies three flaws in the new 'anti-elections' thinking about Mideast democracy (11.)

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