Report: Ahmed Qureia dismissed as PA negotiator in Israel talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jackie Khoury - February 17, 2009 - 1:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has dismissed Ahmed Qureia from his position as the PA's senior negotiator in talks with Israel, the pan-Arab paper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported Tuesday. Abbas has shifted responsibility for the peace negotiations from Qureia, a veteran PA official, to Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian Liberation Organization's representative for the negotiations, the London-based paper said. » Read more

Why has Israel backtracked on Shalit deal? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amos Harel - (Analysis) February 17, 2009 - 1:00am Israel's behavior in the past few days in the discussions for the Shalit deal and the cease-fire agreement has put the Egyptian mediators off balance. » Read more

A ‘second life’ for public diplomacy in the Middle East ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Muhammad Ayish - February 16, 2009 - 1:00am Last month’s inauguration of US President Barack Obama has sent a gripping sense of anticipation throughout the Arab region where a potential shift in how America sees its image around the world is being received with optimism. We have come to learn that improving the United States’s image among Muslim populations in particular has topped the list of urgent issues requiring the attention of President Obama and Congress. » Read more

Israel Takes Control of More West Bank Land ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat February 16, 2009 - 1:00am Israel has taken control of a large chunk of land near a prominent West Bank settlement, paving the way for the possible construction of 2,500 settlement homes, officials said Monday, in a new challenge to Mideast peacemaking. » Read more

Transitional Palestinian Government by April ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Salaah Jum'ah - February 17, 2009 - 1:00am Palestinian sources said that Egypt informed all the Palestinian factions, which have been invited to attend inter-Palestinian dialogue in Cairo on 22 February, of the need to form a transitional Palestinian government by no later than April. The sources said that this government's task will be to run the PNA affairs, prepare for presidential and legislative elections to be held in January next year, and to coordinate with the donor parties to rebuild what the Israeli war machine destroyed until a new government takes office. » Read more

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Institute for Near East Policy by Mehdi Khalaji - February 12, 2009 - 1:00am During a February trip to Iran, Hamas leader Khaled Mashal praised Iranian leaders for their support during the conflict in the Gaza Strip, a further indication of the strengthening ties between the Sunni Islamist group, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization, and the Shiite regime in Tehran. Mashal's statements come on the heels of the U.S. Treasury Department's terrorist designations of al-Qaeda leaders and operatives sheltered in Iran. » Read more