October 26th, 2011

Palestinian official: no new U.S. proposals for resuming peace talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
October 25, 2011 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian negotiator on Tuesday denied reports that the United States presented new proposals for resuming peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel. Saeb Erekat, the negotiator, said the Palestinian leadership received no offers from the Obama administration regarding Jewish settlement activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Erekat also stressed that the settlement construction must be completely suspended, not partially.

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Jordan’s King Abdullah on Egypt, Syria and Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Lally Weymouth - (Interview) October 24, 2011 - 12:00am

LW: How do you see Egypt’s future? KA: I went to Egypt after visiting the U.S. in May. I had a message from the administration for General Tantawi. [Mohammed Hussein Tantawi is head of Egypt’s military ruling council.] WP: How did your visit to Egypt go? KA: With Tantawi — fantastic. We had a very good meeting. WP: It is astounding that Tantawi did not take President Obama’s call for hours the night the Israelis were trapped in their embassy in Egypt.

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International envoys seek to restart Mideast talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Amy Teibel - October 25, 2011 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — International mediators will sit down with Palestinian and Israeli officials in Jerusalem on Wednesday in the hope of finding a formula to restart the deadlocked peace talks. But in a telling commentary on the beleaguered state of peacemaking, they will be huddling separately with officials from each side and will not be meeting with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

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World Bank agency insures Palestinian investors
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 25, 2011 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A World Bank fund announced on Monday it will give investment guarantees to a Palestinian consortium to help inject $15 million into date palm farms in Jericho. The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency -- established 14 years ago to attract investment into the West Bank and Gaza -- will provide $4.8 million in investment guarantees to support Palestinian contributors to the Nakheel Palestine for Agricultural Investment Company's date farms.

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Peres, Ashton defend Abbas after attack by Israeli FM
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 26, 2011 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Israeli President Shimon Peres came to the defense of Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday after Israel's far-right foreign minister called the president an obstacle to peace. "Abbas and Prime Minister (Salam) Fayyad are serious leaders that want peace and are working to prevent violence and extremism in our region," said Peres in public remarks.

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In memoir, Rice says 'historic peace' nearly reached
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 26, 2011 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON (Ma'an) -- In Condoleezza Rice's new memoir, No Higher Honor, the former US secretary of state claims a "historic peace deal" between Israel and the Palestinians was once close at hand in 2007. In the memoir, Rice says Israel's then-prime minister, Ehud Olmert, was ready to make "an extraordinary offer" to President Mahmoud Abbas, Newsweek Magazine reported Tuesday citing an advance copy.

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A textbook case of politicization
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
(Editorial) October 25, 2011 - 12:00am

Last week we wrote about California's decision to require teachers and textbooks to include positive messages about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in their lessons. We opposed that law — not because we think schools shouldn't teach about the contributions of people of all sexual orientations (they should!), but because we're concerned about the continuing politicization of California's classrooms.

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October 25th

NEWS: The controversy continues over Palestinian textbooks in occupied East Jerusalem. A planned “Museum of Tolerance” in occupied East Jerusalem is criticized by international archaeologists. Palestinian officials say the Quartet should judge which side is undermining peace. The PA says the Israeli government is not cracking down on settler violence. Egypt and Israel agree to a prisoner swap. The PA says Israel should release Marwan Barghouti. Jordan's King expresses doubt that Israel is really interested in a two-state solution. Israel mildly disciplines an occupation forces officer who killed a Palestinian. COMMENTARY: Timothy Wirth says if Palestine is accepted as a member, the US will have to resign from UNESCO. Ha'aretz says PM Netanyahu should listen to his own military experts. Anshel Pfeffer says the Israeli army is becoming dominated by religious fanatics. Sari Bashi says it's time to lift the siege of Gaza. Gershon Baskin says Israel should talk to Hamas. Robi Dameli says former Palestinian prisoners could turn into future peacemakers. Sarah Kreimer says settlement activity in occupied East Jerusalem is destroying the two-state solution. Yossi Alpher says the Israel-Hamas prisoner swap is not relevant to the real issues and Ghassan Khatib says it will have no impact on the moribund peace process. Barbara Slavin says the Obama administration is likely to maintain a cautious foreign policy until the next election.

Former Palestinian prisoners, future peacemakers?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Robi Damelin - (Opinion) October 25, 2011 - 12:00am

The whole country is talking about it: Over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, many of whom were involved in suicide attacks in which lives were lost, were freed in exchange for the kidnapped Israeli solider Gilad Shalit who had been held in captivity in Gaza for over five years.

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East Jerusalem construction scuttling two-state solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Sarah Kreimer - (Opinion) October 21, 2011 - 12:00am

We’re in the midst of a housing crisis, and our government has promised to build tens of thousands of new homes all over the country. So what’s wrong with the recent government decision to advance the construction of 2,610 apartments in Givat Hamatos in Jerusalem?

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