At West Bank Conference, Dreams Of Investment
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - May 22, 2008 - 4:40pm

Hundreds of potential investors and dignitaries from the Middle East and beyond gathered here on Wednesday for the start of a vaunted conference under the slogan, “Palestine is open for business.” The Palestine Investment Conference, scheduled to last three days, is perhaps the most upbeat happening in Bethlehem since crowds packed Manger Square to see 2,000 doves of peace released at millennium celebrations at the end of 1999. Months later, the second intifada broke out, sending the Palestinian national enterprise into a tailspin of violence and chaos.

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Four articles present continued coverage of the Palestine Investment Conference, currently underway in Bethlehem (1) (2) (3) (4). An editorial in the Middle East Times examines how the U.S. has been conspicuously absent in the latest round of regional negotiations (6). ATFP Board Member George Hishmeh offers his thoughts on Bush’s recent Middle East visit in an opinion piece in the Gulf News (8). An article from the Kuwait News Agency points to the increasing disparity between high-level peace talks and the facts on the ground for average Palestinians (10).

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