September 15th

Saudi Arabia: "Peace Built on Confidence-Building Measures Will Not Succeed" ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat September 15, 2009 - 12:00am In a response to a letter from the United States Congress to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud urging the kingdom to make a dramatic gesture towards Israel as a confidence building measure to promote peace, Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel A. Al-Jubeir reiterated Saudi Arabia's position that an incremental approach to peace, or one built on confidence-building measures, will not succeed. “It has not succeeded over the past three decades and, we believe, will not succeed today.” » Read more

Israeli peace groups target US fundraising ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Jonathan Cook - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli peace activists are planning to ratchet up their campaign against groups in the United States that raise money for settlers by highlighting how tax exemptions are helping to fund the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank. Gush Shalom, a small peace group that advocates Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territories, is preparing to send details to the US tax authorities questioning the charitable status of several organisations. » Read more

Op-Ed: Changing our campuses from polarized to pro-peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Lauren Barr - (Opinion) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Last spring, a pro-Palestinian club at American University in this city built a big tent on the main quad. Inside were posters demanding an immediate end to occupation. Outside the tent, some pro-Israel students protested, distributing pamphlets encouraging more U.S. support for Israel to protect against the Palestinian terrorist threat. It ended in bitter feelings and confusion among the onlookers. Did either side win? » Read more

Peace in the Middle East is possible ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Carlo Strenger - (Opinion) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Benny Morris is one of today's most serious and disturbing pessimists about peace in the Middle East, because he used to be a card-carrying leftist and has been instrumental in uncovering Israel's role in the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem in 1948. He reaffirms his pessimism in a recent article in the Guardian, and says Barack Obama is taking on mission impossible; that his attempt at renewing the peace process is doomed to failure. » Read more

Rightist gets community service for racist remarks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Aviad Glickman - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on Tuesday sentenced extreme right-wing activist Noam Federman to four months of community service, after convicting him of incitement to racism. Federman was put on trial following remarks he made during a TV show in August 2005: "There are delusional people who say we can live with the Arabs in coexistence. There are delusional people who say I can live together with cancer. What is a good Arab? An Arab who has yet to murder Jews? It's hard to find any of those today." » Read more

While Ramallah prospers ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ilana Hammerman - (Opinion) September 15, 2009 - 12:00am There is new life in the West Bank, according to reports in the press. Freedom of movement, successful commerce, nightlife. Many Israelis certainly feel pride, especially the humanists among them. » Read more

Fatah to Haaretz: No settlement freeze, no talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) will meet Tuesday afternoon with the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell. The two will discuss the prospect of renewing talks between the PA and Israel and the possibility of Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting next week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Netanyahu was supposed to have met Mitchell Monday, but postponed the meeting to today to take part in the funeral of Capt. Asaf Ramon, son of Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon. » Read more

Mitchell, Netanyahu fail to agree on settlement halt ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis, Barak Ravid - September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Israel and the United States failed Tuesday to reach a compromise on the contentious issue of West Bank settlement construction. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met for two hours in Jerusalem with U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell. The meeting ended with no results. The prime minister's bureau released a statement to the press describing the sit-down as "good." The two men will resume their discussions in Netanyahu's office Thursday morning. » Read more

PA Cabinet maintains hope for Obama peace efforts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 15, 2009 - 12:00am In their Monday meeting the West Bank cabinet ministers expressed positive sentiments around current US efforts to halt settlement construction and limit Israeli incursions into Palestinian areas. In a statement summing up the proceedings of the meetings, ministers expressed their hope around the visit to the region of US Special Middle East envoy George Mitchell this week. The cabinet said the visit indicates the serious of the US administration around re-launching the peace process. » Read more

Peres met Erekat in Jerusalem over peace talks; PA firm in stance ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 15, 2009 - 12:00am Israeli President Shimon Peres reportedly met with Chief Negotiator for the PLO Saeb Erekat last week in what Israeli press called an “effort to ease the way toward a tripartite meeting at the UN.” » Read more