October 5th

Idea Raised Of Two Capitals In Jerusalems
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Barry Schweid - October 5, 2007 - 3:14pm

Five former State Department and Pentagon officials are proposing Israeli and Palestinian capitals in Jerusalem and excluding Arab refugees from returning to Israel as part of an Middle East accord. In a six-page policy statement submitted to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, they also suggested a series of peace conferences following the one she hopes to convene next month, probably in Annapolis, Md.

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October 4th

The Christian Science Monitor looks at how a theatrical production involving a series of monologues called 'Jerusalem Stories' is being performed in both Wast and West Jerusalem in an attempt to get Israelis and Palestinians to empathize with each other (2.) The Forward poses questions concerning the opportunities and challenges associated with the current peace momentum to a group of Israeli, American and Palestinian experts in the field (4.) In Slate, founder Michael Kinsley explores the paradox of how right-wing pro-Israel organizations in the U.S. perpetuate the very anti-Semitic stereotypes they object to by touting their own political influence publicly (6.) In his 'Prospects For Peace' blog, New America and Century Foundation's Daniel Levy reviews the Walt/Mearsheimer book on the Israel lobby and finds that it contributes positively to a rethink about the U.S.-Israeli relationship and that the authors are not driven by prejudice (7.) BBC (UK) examines how the Palestinian economy has 'de-developed' over the past few years due to international sanction and Israel's closure policy (9.) Haaretz (Israel) looks at reports that the fall Mideast meeting joint statement will refer to core issues but in a non-committal and only on those already agree upon (12.) A Haaretz editorial offers six reasons why reaching an agreement at the fall meeting will be more difficult than at Camp David in 2000 (13.)

Ex-us Officals: Divide Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
October 4, 2007 - 3:02pm

Five former State Department and Pentagon officials are proposing Israeli and Palestinian capitals in Jerusalem and excluding Arab refugees from returning to Israel as part of an Middle East accord. In a six-page policy statement submitted to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, they also suggested a series of peace conferences following the one she hopes to convene next month, probably in Annapolis, Maryland, near Washington. Hamas, which controls Gaza and about one-third of Palestinian-held land, has not met US terms

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Jnf's Blatant Hypocrisy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Dror Etkes - (Opinion) October 4, 2007 - 2:59pm

It appears that the High Court discussion over the insistence of the Jewish National Fund, which controls about 13 percent of land in Israel, on its right to continue its policy of refraining from leasing out land to Arabs will soon reach the final stretch. JNF's claims in response to the petition of Arab citizens, who it refuses to lease out land to, is that the land it owns is not national land, but rather, assets that were bought for their full price for Jews only, and therefore the JNF has the right to refuse to lease them out to non-Jews.

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‘in The Interest Of Peace’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Samir Barhoum - (Editorial) October 4, 2007 - 2:53pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert unfortunately seem to have very different ideas about what the proposed November meeting in the US on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is about. Abbas wants that meeting to lead to the signing of a peace agreement in six months. Olmert, on the other hand, wants yet another process and is keen to emphasise, as he did yesterday, that the Annapolis meeting is “not a peace conference”.

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No End To The Invective
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by George S. Hishmeh - October 4, 2007 - 2:51pm

It should be stressed, time and again, that the galloping anti-American feeling in the Middle East, if not elsewhere, stems not from the attitude towards the American people or their culture but the short-sighted policies of most US administrations in recent decades towards that region. Furthermore, the actions of a few Americans, whether academicians or media representatives, be they reporters or commentators, that are often mediocre, self-serving or shallow add oil to the fire.

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Nablus' Online Link To The World
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Clare Simon - October 4, 2007 - 2:49pm

This is a tale of two cities. The first is Nablus in the West Bank of the occupied Palestinian territories, a city of picturesque ancient buildings and winding alleyways - and fierce resistance to the Israeli presence. The second is virtual Nablus - a city of monitors, keyboards and cables where the residents of Nablus can experience a freedom they do not enjoy in real life.

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Palestinians Divided Over Future Under Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald Macintyre - October 4, 2007 - 2:48pm

Asked a routine question about the 2006 Palestinian elections yesterday, Khaled abu Ahmed slipped off his sandal and used it to beat his head several times to demonstrate his remorse for voting Hamas. "We wanted change and reform," he said. "We thought they would bring prosperity. We thought they were people who knew God. But, believe me, they don't know God."

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Politics: Mideast Meet Has Ambiguous Agenda
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Khody Akhavi - October 4, 2007 - 2:47pm

As the George W. Bush administration prepares to host its much-publicised Middle East conference, Israeli experts gathered on Capitol Hill Tuesday to discuss whether Washington's latest diplomatic attempts would pave the way for a solution to the long-moribund Palestinian-Israeli peace process. But with less than two months before the November meeting, which is to be held in Annapolis, the sentiment was anything but hopeful.

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The Groups Who Cried Anti-semitism
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New Republic
by John B. Judis - October 4, 2007 - 2:45pm

Virginia Representative Jim Moran is no stranger to controversy. And he now finds himself in midst of another one--over what he said about Jews, Iraq, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in an interview in the September-October issue of Tikkun magazine. Moran's statements have been denounced as anti-Semitic by the officials of Jewish political and religious organizations and by members of Congress. These critics see Moran's statements as part of a wave of anti-Semitism--of which Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer's book The Israel Lobby and U.S.

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