May 15th

Abbas visit to Syria boycotted by Hamas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Phil Sands - May 15, 2009 - 12:00am Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and his rival Khalid Meshaal, the head of Islamic resistance movement Hamas, yesterday pointedly failed to overcome the deep and bitter rivalry that continues to divide their people. Mr Meshaal, who lives in exile in Damascus, and Mr Abbas, in town for talks with the Syrian president, Bashar Assad, might have found themselves in the same city but they could not agree to sit in the same room, much less hold face-to-face discussions. » Read more

US-Israel gap is widening ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Pascal Boniface - (Opinion) May 15, 2009 - 12:00am The American-Israeli strategic partnership differs from any other one. Usually when a great power grants protection and strategic guarantees - not to mention massive economic help - to a minor partner, the latter is eager to satisfy its protector's demands. During the Cold War it would have been impossible for Germany to reject Washington's requirements on a major issue. Germans were too frightened to see a weakening of the United States' strategic umbrella against the Soviet Union. The same goes for Japan. » Read more

Tony Blair holds out hope for two-state solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Barry Schweid - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am A self-described optimist, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair told Congress on Thursday there is no workable alternative to a two-state solution to the long and bloody conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, and both sides are in favor of it. But in practice, "they doubt it can happen," Blair told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. » Read more

A letter to Obama from former Mideast ambassadors ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Eric Fingerhut - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am Four former U.S. ambassadors to the Middle East, including three former envoys to Israel, have signed a letter to President Obama urging an "active U.S. role" in pushing for a two-state solution. The letter was put together under the auspices of the Israel Policy Forum and,was signed by Samuel Lewis, a former ambassador to Israel; Robert Pelletreau, a former ambassador to Egypt; Thomas Pickering, a former ambassador to Israel and Jordan; and Edward Walker, a former ambassador to Israel and Egypt. » Read more

Netanyahu to Meet Obama as U.S. Priorities Shift ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Mark Landler - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am The last time Benjamin Netanyahu met an American president as Israel’s new leader, in 1996, it did not go well. Mr. Netanyahu lectured President Bill Clinton about Arab-Israeli relations, aides recalled, driving Mr. Clinton into a profane outburst after his guest left. Mr. Netanyahu is likely to avoid a repeat of that when he meets President Obama at the White House on Monday. But the relationship between Israel and the United States has become more unsettled since Mr. Obama took office. » Read more

Israeli leader tells pope of qualms about Palestinian state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Richard Boudreaux - May 15, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday that a Palestinian state backed by Iran would jeopardize Israel's security. He urged the Roman Catholic leader, who favors an independent Palestine, to turn his moral authority against Iran and its threats toward the Jewish state. The two leaders met in Nazareth for about 15 minutes, sharing views on the Middle East. "In him I think we found an attentive ear," Netanyahu said later. » Read more

Jordan Tells Israel to Accept Two-State Solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Isabel Kershner - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am The prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, met on Thursday with King Abdullah II of Jordan, who urged the Israeli leader to commit to a two-state solution with the Palestinians, according to news reports. Mr. Netanyahu made the unannounced trip to Jordan hours before he was to meet in Nazareth with Pope Benedict XVI, and days ahead of a pivotal meeting with President Obama, scheduled to take place in Washington on Monday. It will be the first meeting between the Israeli and American leaders since the conservative-leaning Mr. Netanyahu took office six weeks ago. » Read more

May 14th

Obama to Confront Israeli Settlement Surge in Netanyahu Meeting ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Jonathan Ferziger - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am On a West Bank plateau overlooking the desert road to Jericho, crews are building cottages and paving streets for a new neighborhood in Maale Adumim, Israel’s biggest settlement. A town of 35,000 with a suburban-style shopping mall, Maale Adumim is one of about two dozen settlements Israel is expanding in the face of demands from U.S. and European leaders to halt construction. The push has helped increase the number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank, where Palestinians hope to create a state, by 40 percent in the last seven years to almost 300,000. » Read more

In Bethlehem, Pope Benedict XVI makes strongest call yet for a Palestinian homeland ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Rory McCarthy - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am Pope Benedict XVI held his hands out wide to greet a crowd of applauding Palestinian refugees in the afternoon sun. Behind him stood the most striking symbol of Israel's occupation: a paint-spattered military watchtower rising above the tall, concrete wall that presses on Bethlehem. » Read more

Pope calls for end to hostilities that led to Israel's barrier ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Richard Boudreaux - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am Standing near a towering concrete wall at the edge of the West Bank, Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday called the Israeli-built barrier a stark reminder of the deadlocked Middle East conflict but declared that walls could be taken down. "First, though, it is necessary to remove the walls that we build around our hearts, the barriers that we set up against our neighbors," he said during a stop at a Palestinian refugee camp in Bethlehem. He urged Israelis and Palestinians to overcome mutual mistrust and "break free from the cycle of aggression." » Read more