April 15th

Obama Speech Signals a U.S. Shift on Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Helene Cooper, Mark Landler - April 14, 2010 - 12:00am

It was just a phrase at the end of President Obama’s news conference on Tuesday, but it was a stark reminder of a far-reaching shift in how the United States views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how aggressively it might push for a peace agreement. When Mr. Obama declared that resolving the long-running Middle East dispute was a “vital national security interest of the United States,” he was highlighting a change that has resulted from a lengthy debate among his top officials over how best to balance support for Israel against other American interests.

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Remarks by Ambassador Alejandro D. Wolff, U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations, on the Middle East, in the Security Council Chamber
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Nations
by Alejandro Wolff - (Opinion) April 14, 2010 - 12:00am

Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you, Under Secretary-General Pascoe, for your briefing. Before turning to the subject at hand, let me join my other colleagues in extending our own condolences the government and people of China for the loss of life and injuries suffered by so many as a result of the devastating earthquake.

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Obama Speech Signals a U.S. Shift on Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Helene Cooper, Mark Landler - (Analysis) April 15, 2010 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON — It was just a phrase at the end of President Obama’s news conference on Tuesday, but it was a stark reminder of a far-reaching shift in how the United States views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how aggressively it might push for a peace agreement. When Mr. Obama declared that resolving the long-running Middle East dispute was a “vital national security interest of the United States,” he was highlighting a change that has resulted from a lengthy debate among his top officials over how best to balance support for Israel against other American interests.

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Remarks by Amb. Alejandro D. Wolff, U.S. Dep. Representative, on the Middle East, in the Security Council
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from
April 15, 2010 - 12:00am

Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you, Under Secretary-General Pascoe, for your briefing. Before turning to the subject at hand, let me join my other colleagues in extending our own condolences the government and people of China for the loss of life and injuries suffered by so many as a result of the devastating earthquake.

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April 14th

Israelis and Palestinians bicker over street names. Israeli soldiers kill two Palestinian militants in Gaza. Egypt closes the Rafah crossing as Israel warns all its citizens to leave the Sinai, and Hamas orders Gaza tunnels to shut down. Controversial new Israeli deportation orders come into effect. Israeli Pres. Peres says a Palestinian state is in Israel's interests. Special Envoy Mitchell will return to the region next week. Shaul Arieli says Israel must give up the idea of exclusive sovereignty in Jerusalem. The Israeli military complains Palestinian protests are not nonviolent. Senators urge Sec. Clinton to heal relations with Israel. Gen. Petraeus calls Israel a strategic ally. The Jerusalem Post confirms PM Netanyahu avoided the nuclear summit for bilateral reasons. A 43-nation plan for managing Mediterranean water resources collapses because Israel will not accept the term "occupied territories." UK advertising authorities warn Israeli tourism officials not to represent the occupied territories as part of Israel. Mahmoud Habboush despairs over Palestinian disunity. Omar al-Sharif says Jordan is changing its policy towards Israel. Rami Khouri says an international peace plan would be better than an American one.

Jordan on verge of changing policy toward Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Osama Al-Sharif - April 13, 2010 - 12:00am

King Abdallah of Jordan had harsh words for Israel in his statements to the Wall Street Journal last week. The interview received considerable attention in media and policy circles in both Israel and the United States, not least because of the “rebuke” the monarch directed toward his western neighbor. The criticisms, coming from one of the most moderate Arab rulers, were unfamiliar to the Israelis.

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Arab-Israeli row thwarts Med water deal in Barcelona
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
April 14, 2010 - 12:00am

A row about how to name the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories has scuppered a 43-nation scheme for managing Mediterranean water resources. The Mediterranean Union conference in Barcelona had hammered out 99% of a draft text, delegates said. But the deal failed when Israel and Arab countries disagreed over how to describe the Palestinian territories. Israel objected to "occupied territories", while "territories under occupation" did not suit the Arab bloc.

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Israel tourism advert featured picture of Occupied Territories
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Stian Alexander - April 14, 2010 - 12:00am

The Israeli tourist office has been criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for including images of the Palestinian-run West Bank in an advert for a holiday in Israel. The advert for the Israeli government's Tourist Office stated that you could "travel the entire length of Israel in six hours".

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Four years after leaving Gaza, feuding makes me lose hope
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Mahmoud Habboush - (Opinion) April 13, 2010 - 12:00am

I can’t remember how early I woke up the day I left Gaza. It was still slightly dark when I said my farewells to my parents and brothers and sisters. It’s been a little over four years since that morning and I haven’t been back to Gaza since. Before I left, I’d only been on short trips to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. I had never been on a plane.

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What an American peace plan requires
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Rami Khouri - April 14, 2010 - 12:00am

The Obama administration is indicating that it may offer its own version of a reasonable Palestinian-Israeli peace plan, if the parties themselves cannot agree to start the US-mediated “proximity talks.” This may be useful, but it must be carefully thought out – much more carefully than all other American-organized Mideast peace moves in the past generation.

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