May 19th

Palestinians Discouraged by Meeting's Outcome
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Howard Schneider - May 19, 2009 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, May 18 -- Palestinian officials on Monday said they were disappointed that a round of U.S.-Israeli talks in Washington produced no clear progress on the removal of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank or other issues they feel are crucial to rejuvenating stalled peace negotiations.

»

Obama Tells Netanyahu He Has an Iran Timetable
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Sheryl Gay Stolberg - May 18, 2009 - 12:00am

President Obama said Monday that he expected to know by the end of the year whether Iran was making “a good-faith effort to resolve differences” in talks aimed at ending its nuclear program, signaling to Israel as well as Iran that his willingness to engage in diplomacy over the issue has its limits. “We’re not going to have talks forever,” Mr. Obama told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel after a two-hour session in the Oval Office. The president added that he did not intend to foreclose “a range of steps” if Iran did not cooperate.

»

Israel's prime minister tells Obama he wants to restart peace talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Paul Richter - May 19, 2009 - 12:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Obama at a White House meeting Monday that he wanted to resume peace negotiations with the Palestinians, but he stopped short of embracing the U.S. view of a fully sovereign Palestinian state. The Israeli leader said he wanted Palestinians to govern themselves, but without "a handful of powers that could endanger the state of Israel." Netanyahu has long insisted that any Palestinian state forgo the common trappings of statehood, including its own military, control over its borders and authority over electronic communications.

»

May 18th

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is in Washington today for his first meeting with President Obama (1), while speculation abounds regarding the substance of their discussions (5) (7) (10) (12) (15). A new Israeli settlement is slated for construction in the Jordan Valley (8). According to Haaretz, Israel and the Palestinian Authority have recently made discreet contacts regarding the resumption of peace negotiations (9). Fatah and Hamas reportedly reach an agreement on the establishment of a joint security force for Gaza (13).

Palestinians hope Obama will push for statehood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - May 18, 2009 - 12:00am

The Palestinian Authority is hoping US President Barack Obama will exert pressure on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at their meeting Monday to accept the two-state solution and halt settlement construction in the West Bank, a PA official in Ramallah said on Sunday. The official said that the Palestinians would not return to the negotiating table as long as Netanyahu remained opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.

»

Likud ministers ready to resist PA state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gil Hoffman - May 18, 2009 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu would not be able to advance the formation of a Palestinian state, due to the wide majority against it in the Likud faction, MKs who oppose a two-state solution said Sunday. They said that unlike the fight against the disengagement from the Gaza Strip, when only 15 MKs out of 40 dared challenge then-prime minister Ariel Sharon, this time around, two-thirds of the Likud faction would defy a potential effort by Netanyahu to withdraw from parts of Judea and Samaria.

»

Fatah, Hamas agree on joint Gaza force
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - May 18, 2009 - 12:00am

Moving closer to reconciliation? Egyptian sources reported Sunday night that Fatah and Hamas were able to reach agreement on the establishment of a joint security force in the Gaza Strip. The Egyptian MENA news agency reported that the groups reached understandings on the formation of the joint force, and that the agreement on the matter as well as on other issues will be signed on July 7th.

»

Mitchell associate: Obama won't rush to press Bibi
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - May 18, 2009 - 12:00am

US President Barack Obama will not rush to press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their upcoming meeting, a close associate of Special Mideast Envoy George Mitchell said Sunday. "No winning strategy begins with a punch in the nose," the source said, adding that Netanyahu can expect a "business-like meeting, highlighting the common" between the two countries. Meanwhile, former Bush Administration official Elliott Abrams estimated that the first minute or two of Monday's meeting may determine the chemistry between both leaders.

»

ANALYSIS / Netanyahu's problem will be the Palestinians, not Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Aluf Benn - (Analysis) May 18, 2009 - 12:00am

The impression one gets on the eve of the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama is that there has never been so much hype before. The media have employed typical hyperbole, describing it as a "clash of the titans" and speaking of a historic turning point in U.S.-Israel ties, and possibly in the Middle East at large.

»

Netanyahu unlikely to back Palestinian state in Obama meet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Natasha Mozgovaya, Mazal Mualem, Barak Ravid - May 18, 2009 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unlikely to state support for the establishment of a Palestinian state when he meets with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on Monday, an aide to the prime minister said. However, in a bid to soften edgy relations with Washington, Netanyahu will propose that joint teams draft a new road map for the Palestinian peace process and a new strategy on Iran.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017