April 12th

To achieve Mideast peace, Obama must make a bold Mideast trip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Zbigniew Brzezinski, Stephen Solarz - (Opinion) April 11, 2010 - 12:00am

More than three decades ago, Israeli statesman Moshe Dayan, speaking about an Egyptian town that controlled Israel's only outlet to the Red Sea, declared that he would rather have Sharm el-Sheikh without peace than peace without Sharm el-Sheikh. Had his views prevailed, Israel and Egypt would still be in a state of war. Today, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, with his pronouncements about the eternal and undivided capital of Israel, is conveying an updated version of Dayan's credo -- that he would rather have all of Jerusalem without peace than peace without all of Jerusalem.

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Jews support Obama despite tensions with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - April 12, 2010 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON – Despite recent friction with Israel, a majority of America's Jews still support their president. The Jewish community continues to be a strong support base for President Obama. Some 57% of US Jews support Obama versus 38% who are opposed to his policies. However, these figures reflect the downward trend in overall American support for the president. In the past presidential elections, some 80% of American Jews voted for Obama.

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Human Rights Groups Warn of New Powers for Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - April 11, 2010 - 12:00am

A recently amended military order that allows Israel to remove people from the West Bank if it does not recognize their legal status could lead to the expulsion of thousands of Palestinians, Israeli human rights groups warned Sunday. The amendment — to a 1969 order on dealings with those judged to be infiltrators of the West Bank — was signed by military officials last October and is due to take effect on Tuesday.

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Salam Fayyad's big gamble
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
(Opinion) April 12, 2010 - 12:00am

I met Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister, two weeks ago, and was again impressed by the calm and modesty he radiates. Generally, I meet him at demonstrations, such as those at the Bil'in fence. This time, too, there was no opportunity for more than a perfunctory handshake and a few polite words.

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April 9th

ATFP Senior Fellow Chairs Panel at Major Iran Conference
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - April 9, 2010 - 12:00am

ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish moderated a panel at an international conference at Lake Forest College in Illinois March 27-28, 2010 entitled "The Future of Secularism and the Public Role of Religion in Iran." Ibish's panel discussed "Religion, Politics and State in Modern Iran." On the panel conference organizer Prof. Ahmad Sadri of Lake Forest College discussed "Islam in a Post-Islamist Iran: Critiquing the Alternatives," Prof. Hamid Dabashi of Columbia University spoke about "Din va Dowlat: Rethinking Worldliness," and Prof.


Netanyahu to skip Obama summit
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In Politico - April 9, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has abruptly canceled his plans to attend President Barack Obama’s nuclear security summit next week, creating an embarrassing distraction on the eve of a high-profile meeting the White House has sought to carefully choreograph. An Israeli official confirmed Netanyahu’s decision not to attend, which was revealed by Israeli media outlets Thursday afternoon Washington time.

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PM Netanyahu cancels a trip to Washington. NSA Jones says "no decision" has been taken on drafting a US peace plan. Mathias Mossberg and Mark LeVine propose a "parallel state structure" for Israel and the Palestinians. Hamas calls for the seizing of more Israeli soldiers. Pres. Obama waives restrictions on fund transfers to the PA and PLO. Arnaud De Borchgrave analyzes the US and Israeli strategic positions. Rival Palestinian factions clash in Lebanon. Hamas prepares executions in Gaza. Palestinian FM Riak meets with IBSA leaders in Brazil. Refugees say they need more services from UNRWA. PLO officials say the US should pledge to recognize a Palestinian state. Ha'aretz says the replacement of the IDF Chief of Staff gives DM Barak a free hand. Adi Mintz and Uri Dromi both say Netanyahu needs a plan, not more ambiguity. U.S. Treasury officials praise PA efforts to crack down on Hamas funding. The PA says a Ramallah street was named after a Hamas bomb maker by local officials 12 years ago. Asharq Al-Awsat interviews PM Fayyad. Charles Cogan says Israel is not yet desperate enough to seek to break the impasse with Washington by attacking Iran. Robert Satloff defends Dennis Ross following criticisms from Stephen Walt.

Defending Dennis Ross
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Robert Satloff - April 9, 2010 - 12:00am

Give Stephen M. Walt his due. After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's tense visit to Washington last month, a cowardly U.S. government official lobbed an "Israel vs. America" dual loyalty canard at my former colleague, National Security Council advisor Dennis Ross. But while he or she hid behind a cloak of journalistic anonymity shamelessly provided by Politico's Laura Rozen, Walt at least has the gumption to stand up and make his McCarthyite case in his own name.

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Breaking the Middle East Impasse: How it Might Happen
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Dr. Charles G. Cogan - (Opinion) April 9, 2010 - 12:00am

Negotiations in the Middle East are at an impasse. What two former Israeli Prime Ministers have recognized - that there can be no settlement in the Middle East as long as Israel claims all of Jerusalem -- has been rejected by Benjamin Netanyahu and his rightist cohort. Offers by Ehud Barak to Yasir Arafat, and later by Ehud Olmert to Mahmoud Abbas, of a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem (both of which were declined), have now been taken off the table by Netanyahu.

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Netanyahu in a pickle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Miami Herald
by Uri Dromi - (Opinion) April 9, 2010 - 12:00am

This week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summed up the first year of his term. Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu boasted that, ``We have made 1,500 decisions.'' The good souls here were quick to remind us that this government was formed in a hurry on March 31, 2009, just minutes away from All Fools Day. Pundits ridiculed the abundance of decisions, saying that it was better to check how many of them actually were implemented. Others said that actually, for every one of 750 decisions made, there was one reversing it and so on.

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