Obama's Speech Was Misunderstood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal
by Zvika Krieger, Robert Wexler - (Opinion) May 23, 2011 - 12:00am

The reaction to President Barack Obama's speech on Thursday has largely focused on one line: "The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states." News outlets from across the political spectrum ran headlines highlighting Mr. Obama's demand that Israel return to the "1967 borders," referring to Israel's boundaries before it took control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip after the 1967 Six Day War.

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What was Netanyahu so enraged about?
In Print by Hussein Ibish - NOW Lebanon (Opinion) - May 24, 2011 - 12:00am

President Barack Obama’s Middle East speech last Thursday did not break any particularly new ground on Israeli-Palestinian peace or Washington’s basic positions on negotiations. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many of his supporters reacted furiously. Why? The reasons are deeply illuminating.

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PM Fayyad suffers a heart attack but is expected to recover. Richard Cohen says it’s time for PM Netanyahu to stop stalling and make peace. Robert Wexler and Zvika Krieger say Pres. Obama's speech was misunderstood. Palestinians say some names for a new government have been agreed. Analysts say the Palestinian unity agreement is a consequence of the failure of negotiations. Russia expresses strong support for the deal, and Pres. Abbas defends it against US criticism. Netanyahu repeats Israel will not return to the 1967 borders. Israel arrests Jewish activists in the West Bank. Palestinians will be going into unknown territory by approaching the UN for recognition. Hamas repeats it will not recognize Israel. Ha’aretz urges Jewish Americans to support Obama. Nehemia Shtrasler says Netanyahu is not ready for any deal with the Palestinians. Aluf Benn looks at the impact that Netanyahu’s speech to Congress may have on his relationship with Obama, and The National says he may offer concessions. Palestinians condemn Netanyahu’s policies as “fraudulent.” Kadima leader Livni says that a two-state solution is good for Israel. An Israeli MK declares “Jordan is Palestine.” Amr Moussa complains Israel is “not serious” about peace. Gershon Baskin describes brutal Israeli responses to Palestinian nonviolent protests. Palestinians are divided over Obama’s policies. AIPAC advocates a hard line with Congress on the PA. The Arab News says UN recognition can only strengthen Palestine’s hand. Ghassan Khatib says the 1967 borders as a baseline are crucial for peace. Yossi Alpher says an Arab initiative at the UN in September, if handled properly, may be the last hope for progress. Hussein Ibish asks what really angered Netanyahu about Obama’s policy speech.

Meeting senseless aggression face-to-face
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) May 23, 2011 - 12:00am

For months I have been hearing about disproportionate use of force by the army against weekly demonstrations in Nabi Saleh – a small pastoral Palestinian village northwest of Ramallah. Last week, I watched several YouTube videos filmed by activists in the village, providing vivid visual images of the forceful arrests of protesters by the army. I was disturbed because all of the clips showed how the demonstrations ended; none showed how they began. I was convinced that there must have been stone-throwing by the shabab in the village which provoked the violent army responses.

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What was Netanyahu so enraged about?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) May 24, 2011 - 12:00am

President Barack Obama’s Middle East speech last Thursday did not break any particularly new ground on Israeli-Palestinian peace or Washington’s basic positions on negotiations. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many of his supporters reacted furiously. Why? The reasons are deeply illuminating.

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Beware the ides of September
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) May 23, 2011 - 12:00am

President Barack Obama's two recent speeches on the Middle East, at the State Department and the AIPAC conference, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's response and related rhetoric, indicate that neither really understands that September at the United Nations is the only relevant arena they should be addressing. Meanwhile, Netanyahu picked a totally superfluous fight with the American president.

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Losing sight of the 1967 borders means losing sight of two states
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) May 23, 2011 - 12:00am

US President Barack Obama's long-awaited speech on the "Arab spring" and the Arab-Israel conflict has created controversy and spurred contradicting reactions in Israel, Palestine and the Arab world. The immediate and most prominent reaction was that of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who objected publicly to Obama's reference to the borders of 1967 as the basis for negotiations. This automatically made this part of the speech the most dramatic.

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Barack blinks again
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
(Editorial) May 23, 2011 - 12:00am

Barely 48 hours after he called for a “viable Palestine” on the basis of the 1967 borders and exchanged cold vibes and hot words with Benjamin Netanyahu, poor Barack Obama found himself doing what successive US presidents and leading politicians have always done: Offer obeisance at the altar of almighty AIPAC and sing endless hosannas to the “Great State of Israel.” The so-called historic speech of the US president on Thursday was seen as “too little, too late” by the Arabs. However, even that timid “audacity of hope” was apparently too much for Israel’s friends in the US establishment.

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Wary Netanyahu may offer concessions on West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Vita Bekker - (Opinion) May 24, 2011 - 12:00am

The first four days of the US visit of Benjamin Netanyahu have drawn much speculation of an open dispute between the Israeli prime ministerr and Barack Obama, the US president, over the borders of a future Palestinian state.

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AIPAC Hits Capitol Hill With Hard Line Message on Palestinian Authority
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - May 23, 2011 - 12:00am

In a break from its stance in recent years, the pro-Israel lobby is pursuing a hard-line agenda toward the Palestinian Authority at its annual conference, as 10,000 activists prepare to carry its message to Capitol Hill. The lobbying agenda of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee traditionally includes two elements over the past several years — ensuring foreign aid to Israel and tightening sanctions against Iran in order to block its nuclear ambitions — that are once again being stressed this year.

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