September 12th, 2011

Palestinians have the advantage at UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Adel Safty - (Opinion) September 12, 2011 - 12:00am In the Art of War, the oldest military treatise in the world, Chinese writer Sun Tzu states: “ All warfare is based on deception.” » Read more

E.U. Divided by 'Palestine' Bid at U.N. ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Judy Dempsey - September 12, 2011 - 12:00am BERLIN — It is a rare moment of truth. After years of advocating a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Europeans will have to decide whether to support the Palestinian bid to become a member of the United Nations. Over the coming days, the Palestinian Authority will finalize the text of the resolution it will present this month to the United Nations. The Palestinians want their status upgraded from “observer” to full membership but might have to settle in the end for “nonmember state,” similar to the Vatican. » Read more

News Analysis: Hamas leaders oppose UN bid, official position still undecided ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Saud Abu Ramadan - September 9, 2011 - 12:00am GAZA, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- As the countdown has started for submitting a request to the United Nations to demand full membership for the state of Palestine later this month, leaders of the Islamic Hamas movement said they are against the bid, but the movement's official position is still undecided. In a previous interview with Xinhua on Wednesday, Yousef Rezqah, an aide to the deposed premier of Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip said his movement opposes the attitude to approach the UN for recognition, "because Hamas believes that rights are grabbed and not begged." » Read more

Israel needs to adapt to new regional realities ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Osama Al-Sharif - (Opinion) September 12, 2011 - 12:00am In a fast changing Arab world, Israel is yet to comprehend that it can no longer pursue a self-serving agenda of bullying neighbours, denying Palestinians their national rights and taking Washington’s blind support for granted. The Arab Spring signifies a historical milestone in the region’s political evolution, with far reaching effects on the future. » Read more

Diplomatic disasters incline Israel towards belligerence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Joseph Dana - (Opinion) September 12, 2011 - 12:00am During his press conference on Saturday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared developments in the Middle East to the events of the First World War. He was speaking just hours after the dramatic removal of Israeli embassy staff in Cairo following riots by Egyptian protesters. » Read more

In Seeking Statehood, Palestinians Stir Concern ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - September 10, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — Less than two weeks before Palestinians plan to defy the Obama administration by requesting membership and statehood recognition at the United Nations, there is a growing fear that the Arab-Israeli conflict is entering an explosive new phase. A Palestinian decision to shift its statehood quest toward international legal and political pressure on Israel, combined with Israeli fear and truculence at a time of regional upheaval, has many predicting disaster, especially after the storming of Israel’s Cairo embassy and the expulsion of its ambassador from Turkey. » Read more

Cairo shows Israel rallying extremism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) September 11, 2011 - 12:00am Petrol bombs and stones were met with tear gas and armoured cars on Friday night. Street riots have become familiar scenes in Cairo since January 25. This time it is Israel, not the old regime, that is the focus of the rage, but the threat to Egypt's stability is the same. » Read more

Obama and Abbas: From Speed Dial to Not Talking ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Mark Landler - September 9, 2011 - 12:00am WASHINGTON — Among the very first foreign leaders President Obama called after entering the Oval Office on Jan. 21, 2009, was the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. The last time the two men spoke was in February, when Mr. Obama failed, in an awkward, 55-minute phone conversation, to persuade Mr. Abbas not to go to the United Nations to condemn Israel for building Jewish settlements. » Read more

Editorial: Keep the peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) September 11, 2011 - 12:00am Shortly after thousands of incensed demonstrators forced their way into the Israeli Embassy in Cairo over the weekend, both Egypt and Israel issued statements reaffirming their commitments to the 1979 peace treaty, the first to be signed between an Arab country and Israel. » Read more

Cash crisis risks Palestinian state building-W.Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet by Tom Perry - September 11, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Progress made by the Palestinians in building institutions for statehood could be undermined by a fiscal crisis caused by a shortfall in foreign aid, the World Bank said on Monday. In a report released just a week before the Palestinian leadership goes to the United Nations to press its claim for statehood, the World Bank said Israeli restrictions on the Palestinian economy must be lifted to allow sustained reform. » Read more