April 8th

Abdullah holds ‘productive’ talks with Obama’s envoy to Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Erika Niedowski - April 8, 2009 - 12:00am


Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, held talks on Monday with the Obama administration’s special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, in a meeting the Minister of Foreign Affairs described as “productive”. “America, Europe and Arab nations must continue to work together towards a practical solution that will ensure the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations,” Sheikh Abdullah said in a statement after the session. “Today we had a productive discussion that confirmed our two countries’ mutual commitment to regional peace and stability.”


Netanyahu and Barak won't get an American free ride
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Amnon Lord - (Opinion) April 8, 2009 - 12:00am


The second government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is centered on the Likud's partnership with Labor party leader Ehud Barak. This new and seemingly unlikely collaboration between rivals Netanyahu and Barak was born out of their mutual recognition that, regarding the two major challenges facing Israel, they think alike.


Abbas 'reshuffles Fatah military posts' in Lebanon
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
April 8, 2009 - 12:00am


Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has ordered the reshuffling of Fatah's military posts in Lebanon, Palestinian sources told Al-Liwaa newspaper Tuesday. "The move follows last month's assassination of Kamal Medhat, the deputy of Palestine Liberation Organization representative in Lebanon Abbas Zaki," Al-Liwaa said. Medhat was killed along with three other people in a bombing that targeted his motorcade at the entrance to the southern refugee camp of Mieh Mieh on March 23.


April 7th

A Harsh Reality for Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ahmad Tibi - (Opinion) April 7, 2009 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM — The right-wing coalition of the new Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, does not bode well for Palestinians in Israel. With the appointment of Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister, the extremists are going after the indigenous population and threatening us with loyalty tests and the possibility of “transfer” into an area nominally controlled by the Palestinian Authority.


Grappling with the ‘Problem of Lieberman’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Omar Karmi - April 7, 2009 - 12:00am


RAMALLAH, WEST BANK // While the new right-wing Israeli government undoubtedly poses a challenge to the international community, with its continued refusal to commit to the two-state solution, it is the presence of Avigdor Lieberman, the new foreign minister, that poses the most interesting questions.


Tackling the Gaza maze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Stuart Reigeluth - (Opinion) April 7, 2009 - 12:00am


With both the Israeli and Palestinian political systems in shambles, the 1967 peace plan pursued by the West seems a distant dream. In whatever remains of Palestine, it is no longer surprising to see the two-state solution fading further out of reach. What is surprising is that the US and the Europeans still want to pursue the peace process to adjacent nation-states.


Steering Israel to peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald MacIntyre - (Opinion) April 7, 2009 - 12:00am


ANY lingering hopes abroad — and there were some — that Avigdor Lieberman, who replaced Tzipi Livni as Israel’s foreign minister last week, was suddenly going to be transformed from nationalist demagogue to peace-seeking statesman were cruelly dispelled when he spoke on Wednesday, brutally rejecting the Israeli-Palestinian negotiating process that started at Annapolis well over a year ago.


Reaching People on Both Sides of the Arab-Israeli Divide
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times
by Ghassan Rubeiz - (Opinion) April 7, 2009 - 12:00am


Writing fairly about the Arab-Israeli conflict often feels like walking on thin ice. Arab readers advise me to be "bold" in reporting on Palestinian suffering. In contrast, pro-Israeli readers advise me to be more sensitive to the "Jewish perspective," I try, and often fail, but I continue to try.


Israel can embrace peace plan 'or risk further conflict'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
April 7, 2009 - 12:00am


BUCHAREST, Romania: Jordan's King Abdullah II said Monday an Arab peace initiative offers a solution for peace in the region, adding that Israel should use the opportunity or risk ongoing conflict in the region. "Israel must decide whether they want to observe this opportunity and become integrated in the region or whether they want to remain a fortress ... and keep the Middle East hostage in conflict," Abdullah said in Bucharest, during an official visit. The king met Romanian President Traian Basescu Monday and discussed bilateral issues and the urgent need for peace in the Middle East.


Palestinians, Israel hail Obama’s commitment to peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
April 7, 2009 - 12:00am


The Palestinian Authority on Monday welcomed US President Barack Obama's renewed support for the Annapolis agreement and the stalled roadmap plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace. At the same time, the Israeli government hailed what it said was Obama's commitment to Israel's security.



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