November 12th

Israeli and French Leaders Meet ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Steven Erlanger - November 11, 2009 - 1:00am PARIS — After meeting for 90 minutes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France announced in a joint statement on Wednesday evening that they had agreed to work toward “immediately reviving the peace process” in the Middle East and discussed international efforts to stop Iran from enriching uranium. » Read more

At Arafat Memorial, Abbas Pushes Independence Fight ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - November 11, 2009 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — Thousands of Palestinians turned out Wednesday for a rally here on the fifth anniversary of the death of the Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat and to show support for his successor, President Mahmoud Abbas, who recently expressed an intention to retire. The question mark hovering over his political future is shaking up Palestinian politics and places yet another block before any new peace talks. But Mr. Abbas, 74, spoke of a starting a new political battle and of perseverance in the pursuit of an independent Palestinian state. » Read more

November 11th

Palestinian despair for peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) November 11, 2009 - 1:00am It is almost impossible to adequately convey the present degree of Palestinian despair, but the recent announcement that President Mahmoud Abbas might resign and that the rest of the Palestinian Authority leadership may follow -- in effect dissolving the PA -- should provide some indication. » Read more

Settlement construction contradicts negotiations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) November 11, 2009 - 1:00am The issues of Israeli settlement activity and the need for a settlement construction freeze are again at the top of the political agenda. » Read more

Adieu President Abbas? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Osama Al-Sharif - November 11, 2009 - 1:00am It is probably ironic that the only direct, and most likely genuine, plea with Mahmoud Abbas to stay on and rescind his decision not to contest next year’s elections, came not from his close Arab and Western allies, but from Israeli President Shimon Peres. » Read more

Prospects for peace against the wall ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) November 10, 2009 - 1:00am It was moving to see a group of Palestinians tear down a section of the separation wall on Monday. They were sending a message to the Israelis: the Palestinians will not disappear just because you can no longer see them. Unfortunately, Israel doesn’t appear to be in the listening mood. » Read more

Abbas is playing a bluff with few cards ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Craig Nelson - November 10, 2009 - 1:00am The year was 1990, and the Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir, was dragging his feet yet again on committing his government to talks with the Palestinians aimed at setting a date for a peace conference. In a fit of frustration, James Baker, who was the US secretary of state, turned to Israeli officials and uttered those now famous and – as it turns out – tragically rare words from the mouth of a top US official: “When you’re serious about peace, give us a call.” » Read more

Top Obama aide upbeat on Middle East peace deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Steven Stanek - November 11, 2009 - 1:00am Even as US-backed peace efforts in the Middle East appear to be losing momentum, the White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, told American Jewish community leaders yesterday that the peace process has reached a critical juncture and that both sides should move forward immediately with negotiations. “This moment is fragile. History tells us that nothing stands still in the Middle East,” Mr Emanuel, the son of an Israeli Jew, told the annual gathering of the Jewish Federations of North America, an umbrella group of more than 500 Jewish federations and communities. » Read more

Obama shifts to Israel’s corner, but tries not to show it ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Uriel Heilman - November 10, 2009 - 1:00am When the White House chief of staff took to the podium at the federations’ General Assembly to call for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations without preconditions, he sounded almost exactly like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a day earlier. "All issues should be resolved through negotiations," Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday to delegates at the Jewish Federations of North America's annual meeting. "No one should allow the issue of settlements to distract from the overarching goal of lasting peace." » Read more

'Israel is an ally, not problem of US' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post November 11, 2009 - 1:00am Senior Israel officials on Wednesday adamantly rejected the latest media speculation over bad blood between Jerusalem and Washington, backed by one US official expressing anger at the Israeli leader's conduct in the past week, which might have brought on the possibly punitive blackout imposed on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's 100-minute talk with US President Barack Obama. » Read more