June 19th

West Bank road trip ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Aluf Benn - June 19, 2009 - 12:00am A visit to the West Bank two days after the prime minister's Bar-Ilan speech leads one to conclude that the ideological about-face implicit in Benjamin Netanyahu's consent to a Palestinian state has not upset the people living where this state is supposed to arise. The settlers listened to Netanyahu, but were more interested in his promise to enable them to have "a normal life." Furthermore, they wondered if this would translate into Defense Minister Ehud Barak's signature on delayed building permits. » Read more

More Israelis see Obama as 'pro-Palestinian': poll ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) June 19, 2009 - 12:00am Israelis increasingly view US President Barack Obama as pro-Palestinian as Washington has begun ramping up pressure on the Jewish state to halt settlement growth, a poll found. Only six percent of Israelis view the newly elected president as pro-Israel, while 50 percent believe he is pro-Palestinian and 36 percent see him as neutral, according to the poll published in the Jerusalem Post. » Read more

The Two-state Chimera ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times June 19, 2009 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the sixth Israeli leader to concede the expression "Palestinian state." It was a first for Mr. Netanyahu, but the caveats drained it of any significance. Besides, events in a soon-to-be nuclear-capable Iranian theocracy - some now say thugocracy - where elections were rigged in favor of a president who despises the United States and sees no room for Israel in the Middle East, dictated geopolitical prudence. » Read more

June 18th

Who Wants to Resolve the Palestinian Issue? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Mamoun Fandy - (Opinion) June 18, 2009 - 12:00am I know full well that the Israelis do not want a solution to the Palestinian issue, and perhaps this is what many are content to acknowledge. However, we are obliged to also ask: Do Arabs want a solution to the Palestinian problem? The behavior of many Arab states, and along with Hamas, the opposition movements, and the moderates, does not suggest that any of these parties want a solution to the Palestinian problem either. » Read more

Abbas: Palestinians will resist peacefully ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) June 18, 2009 - 12:00am The Palestinian people can resort to peaceful resistance against Israel's occupation, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday in Amman, Jordan. Speaking before members of the Kuwaiti Journalists Association, Abbas said while Palestinians are unable to resist militarily against Israel's occupation, they can resort to peaceful resistance, the KUNA news agency said. Abbas warned the Palestinians will not give up their cause, the report said. » Read more

Barack the Zionist ATFP World Press Roundup Article from by Gershom Gorenberg - (Opinion) June 17, 2009 - 12:00am It took Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 10 days, but he has finally responded to President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo. On June 4, Obama challenged both Israelis and Palestinians to work toward a two-state solution. On Sunday, Netanyahu responded with an assent wrapped in so many preconditions as to render it virtually meaningless. Obama also demanded that Israel freeze the growth of its settlements in the West Bank. To this Netanyahu responded with defiant rejection. » Read more

Hamas rejects Carter plea to recognize Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ben Hubbard - June 18, 2009 - 12:00am GAZA CITY - A senior Hamas official praised former president Jimmy Carter yesterday, a day after he met with the group, but said he failed to persuade the Islamic rulers of Gaza to accept international demands, including recognizing Israel. Carter visited Gaza on Tuesday and urged Hamas leaders to accept the demands to end an international boycott, which was imposed when the militant group overran Gaza two years ago. » Read more

How Long Can Israel Resist US Pressure? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Spiegel Online by Christoph Schult - (Analysis) June 16, 2009 - 12:00am As US President Barack Obama presses ahead with his Middle East peace intiatives, America's new tone and new modesty are going down well in the region. Even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is finding it hard to resist the pressure to compromise on the Palestinian question. » Read more

Israelis to free jailed Hamas speaker in August ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters June 17, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli prosecutors failed to persuade a military court on Wednesday to extend the prison term of the Hamas speaker of the Palestinian parliament, who is due to go free in two months. Israel detained Aziz Dweik and dozens of other Hamas politicians in the occupied West Bank in 2006 after gunmen from the Palestinian Islamist group abducted an Israeli soldier on the Gaza Strip border. » Read more

Peace for Israel requires a strong Palestinian Authority ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Jonas Gahr Store - (Opinion) June 17, 2009 - 12:00am In Cairo, President Obama made an eloquent plea for peace in the Middle East, with a two-state solution at its heart. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded last week with endorsement of a two-state solution in his speech. Mr. Netanyahu presented demanding and problematic prerequisites for the establishing of a Palestinian state, but the fact remains – the scene is yet again set for political negotiations on a final settlement between Palestinians and Israelis. » Read more