UN chief: Palestinian statehood 'long overdue' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency (Analysis) September 9, 2011 - 12:00am CANBERRA (AFP) -- United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Palestinian statehood was "long overdue", a day after its leadership launched a campaign to become the world body's 194th member state. "The two state vision where Israel and Palestinians can live ... side by side in peace and security -- that is a still a valid vision and I fully support it," he told reporters in Canberra. "And I support also the statehood of Palestinians; an independent, sovereign state of Palestine. It has been long overdue." » Read more

US vows to veto Palestinian statehood bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Arshad Mohammed - (Analysis) September 9, 2011 - 12:00am WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The United States said explicitly for the first time on Thursday it would veto a Palestinian bid for full UN membership, drawing an immediate rebuff from the Palestinians who vowed to press ahead. George Mitchell, a former US envoy, said he saw little chance of talking the Palestinians out of seeking full UN membership for a state in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, a step requiring a vote in the Security Council where the United States holds a veto. » Read more

Palestinian Leader Says U.S. Is ‘Too Late’ on U.N. Bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - (Analysis) September 8, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said Thursday that last-ditch American and international efforts to prevent the Palestinians from applying for membership in the United Nations this month were “too late.” He said the Palestinians still intended to submit an application for recognition of Palestinian statehood to the Security Council as a first step, at risk of a confrontation with the United States. » Read more

Train Wreck in Turtle Bay In Print by Ziad Asali - Foreign Policy (Opinion) - September 8, 2011 - 12:00am Late September is fast approaching, and the stage seems set for yet another crisis in the Middle East. Palestinian leaders are determined to push for greater international recognition of their state at the upcoming annual session of the U.N. General Assembly. A large number of countries are reportedly poised to vote in Palestine's favor, much to the chagrin of the Israeli government, which has mounted a vigorous lobbying campaign against recognition. » Read more