October 21st

Deputy PM to Haaretz: Israel must probe Gaza war
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gidi Weitz - October 21, 2009 - 12:00am

Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor thinks Israel should establish its own independent committee to investigate Israel Defense Forces activity in the Gaza Strip during last winter's Operation Cast Lead.

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Fayyad: Occupation must end
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 21, 2009 - 12:00am

Israel must end its occupation of the West Bank, caretaker Prime minister Salam Fayyad said on Tuesday. Fayyad added that Israel must stop building settlements on Palestinian land, especially in Jerusalem, and must stop invading Palestinian-held territory and closing Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem. He was speaking in the West Bank town of Beit Sahour, at the opening ceremony of a “heritage handcrafts village” at the YMCA.

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In Washington, Erekat says US must denounce Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 21, 2009 - 12:00am

The US is obligated to expose Israel for blocking the resumption of peace negotiations, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Tuesday. "When we say that we want to resume permanent status negotiations on all core issues without exceptions, that's also an Israeli obligation," Erekat told reporters outside the State Department in Washington, DC, according to AFP. Erekat was speaking after meeting with US President Barack Obama’s Middle East peace envoy, George Mitchell.

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Netanyahu seeks change in laws of war
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 21, 2009 - 12:00am

Facing mounting international pressure for an investigation into charges of war crimes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his government on Tuesday to find ways of changing the world’s laws that govern warfare. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the professional bodies within the relevant government ministries to examine the facilitating of an international initiative to change the laws of war in keeping with the spread of terrorism throughout the world,” said a statement from Netanyahu’s office.

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Palestinian president to set Jan. election date
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
October 20, 2009 - 12:00am

The Palestinian president said Tuesday he will set Jan. 24 as the date for presidential and legislative elections, despite objections from his rivals in the Hamas militant group. Mahmoud Abbas told journalists in Cairo he will set the date in a presidential decree Sunday. Hamas, which wants the voting delayed, dismissed Abbas' announcement as an attempt to pressure the group into an agreement to end a bitter two-year division between the two sides that has interfered with peace talks with Israel and hampered reconstruction of war damage in Gaza.

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Israel hardens stance on U.N. Gaza report
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
October 21, 2009 - 12:00am

Israel hardened its opposition Tuesday to international calls for an independent inquiry into its offensive in the Gaza Strip last winter, saying it would urge the United States to stop the issue from advancing at the United Nations. The decision came at a cabinet meeting called to discuss a U.N. report that has accused both sides of committing war crimes during the three-week operation. The report, which was adopted by the U.N. Human Rights Council last week, recommends war crimes proceedings if Israel and the Palestinians do not conduct credible internal investigations.

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October 20th

Obama committed to two-state solution in ME, says aide
Media Mention of ATFP In Arab News - October 20, 2009 - 12:00am

Barbara Ferguson I Arab News WASHINGTON: The Obama administration is committed to creating a Palestinian state and determined to move forward with peace talks, said National Security Adviser Gen. James L. Jones, at the fourth annual gala of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP). "We are clear, unambiguous and consistent. The time has come to relaunch negotiations without preconditions to reach a final status agreement on two states," said Gen. Jones, adding that he was proud to represent President Barack Obama at the ATFP event, held this weekend.

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Obama committed to two-state solution in ME, says aide
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Barbara Ferguson - October 20, 2009 - 12:00am

The Obama administration is committed to creating a Palestinian state and determined to move forward with peace talks, said National Security Adviser Gen. James L. Jones, at the fourth annual gala of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP). "We are clear, unambiguous and consistent. The time has come to relaunch negotiations without preconditions to reach a final status agreement on two states," said Gen. Jones, adding that he was proud to represent President Barack Obama at the ATFP event, held this weekend.

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The Israeli Cabinet will consider an investigation into allegations in the Goldstone report. A Palestinian cooperative trades olive oil for foreign cash in an effort to sustain a wider Palestinian economy as violent attacks by extremist settlers increase. Al-Jazeera airs an offensive parody of the Palestinian national anthem, angering Palestinians. A Palestinian poll says President Abbas could regain lost support before scheduled elections in 2010. Commentaries in Gulf News, Arab News and Al Hayat evaluate Pres. Obama’s positions on peace and the Goldstone report. In the Nation, Adam Horowitz and Phillip Weiss evaluate shifting attitudes among Jewish Americans regarding Israel.

The conventional route will not bring us peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) October 19, 2009 - 12:00am

The most recent public opinion poll conducted in the Palestinian territories by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center has shown a dramatic decline in the Palestinian public's evaluation of the Obama administration's role in promoting peace in the Middle East.

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