Does Birthright-Israel have a hidden agenda? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz September 11, 2009 - 12:00am Many of the young people who pass through the Jewish Enrichment Center in Lower Manhattan view it with great affection. It is often the first time they have come in contact with a Judaism that is engaging and accessible. The rabbis responsible for the center's educational and religious programs are charismatic and approachable people who, participants say, have had a large impact on their lives. » Read more

Abbas refusal to meet Netanyahu could scuttle tripartite talk plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya, Barak Ravid - September 11, 2009 - 12:00am Less than two weeks before the UN General Assembly is to meet, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas remains adamant in his refusal to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, potentially jeopardizing the Obama administration's plans to hold a tripartite meeting in New York on September 23 or 24. Abbas insists there will be no meeting with Netanyahu, nor a resumption of negotiations, unless Israel completely freezes settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. » Read more

Exclusive: Senior Fatah official concerned over Egyptian election plan ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 11, 2009 - 12:00am Senior Fatah member and head of the party's parliamentary bloc Azzam Al-Ahmad echoed other members sentiments in his reservations over the Egyptian conciliation plan's treatment of the elections issue, he said in an interview Friday. » Read more

US Envoy to hold three days of talks with Palestinian, Israeli leaders ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 11, 2009 - 12:00am US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell is set to start three days of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian Authority leaders Sunday in an effort to prepare the region for potential peace talks, the US State Department said. » Read more

A Peace Process Momentum Plan to Move Quickly to Actual Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post by Samuel Lewis, Edward Walker - (Analysis) September 11, 2009 - 12:00am After his major speeches in Turkey and Egypt, President Obama established his ownership of the Arab-Israeli issue. With countries in the region testing whether he has the wherewithal to deliver the goods, his challenge is to keep the momentum going forward on an almost daily basis with practical steps and leadership. The President needs to create a "peace process momentum plan" leading to negotiations by mid-fall, which recent reports suggest he is trying to do through his Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, who is traveling to Israel again at the end of the week. » Read more

What Is Peace? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) September 10, 2009 - 12:00am Israelis want peace but don’t believe it’s possible. That is the cumulative finding of a host of opinion polls, and it is critical to any effort by President Barack Obama to create a new momentum toward peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. For many Israelis, the peace with Egypt and Jordan has not appeared sufficiently beneficial, despite the added security it has brought, to pursue peace with the Palestinians or Syrians. » Read more

U.S. Middle East envoy to visit Israel, Palestinian territories ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua September 11, 2009 - 12:00am U.S. President Barrack Obama's special envoy for the Middle East George Mitchell will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories this weekend in a bid to revive stalled regional peace talks, the State Department said on Thursday. "George Mitchell ... will depart the United States tomorrow night," State Department spokesman PJ Crowley told reporters. Mitchell's visit to the Middle East will begin on Sunday and last through Monday and Tuesday, Crowley said, adding that details were still being worked out. » Read more

Israel PM, Egypt president to talk peace in Cairo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) by Patrick Moser - September 11, 2009 - 12:00am Israel's hawkish premier heads to Cairo on Sunday for talks focused on a US-led push to revive the Middle East peace process amid charges that his settlement policies are harming the efforts. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will "discuss the peace process and issues of mutual concern," a spokesman for the premier said. Netanyahu "is looking forward to a good meeting with the Egyptian president," the spokesman said without giving further details. » Read more