May 20th

Exclusive interview with Gaza's Salafi leader ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Ibraheem Qanan - May 20, 2010 - 12:00am "Salafism is not only in Gaza, it is all over Palestine and needs no license to practice in the heart of Tel Aviv or in Washington," Jaish Al-Islam (Army of Islam) leader Omer Al-Ansari told Ma'an during an exclusive interview on Wednesday. » Read more

Middle East Plan B ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Boston Globe by Sasha Polakow-Suransky - May 16, 2010 - 12:00am “I think this is a very big deal,” President Clinton declared to a group of American Jews and Arabs after the legions of photographers left the White House grounds on Sept. 13, 1993. However, Clinton warned, it would take commitment and hard work to guarantee that the historic Israeli-Palestinian Accord signed that day would “truly be a turning point.” » Read more

To promote Arab-Israeli peace, Arabs and Israelis argue against it ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Nicholas Blanford - May 19, 2010 - 12:00am Most grassroots peace efforts in the Middle East try to build on areas of mutual agreement, but one group of Israelis and Arabs has taken a different tack – looking for arguments against peace between Israel and Syria. » Read more

Obama reassured Jewish members on 'Obama plan' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico by Ben Smith - May 19, 2010 - 12:00am President Obama and Jewish members of Congress emerged from an hour-and-a-half meeting yesterday presenting a united front on the touchy subject of Middle East peace, but the meeting itself featured some sharp exchanges as Obama sought to quell concerns that he would impose a peace plan on Israel without the country's consent, two attendees said. » Read more

The path to a true peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Hill by Lanny Davis - May 19, 2010 - 12:00am Recently, I had lunch with an Israeli friend who, despite being a strong supporter of a two-state solution (as this writer is), was skeptical that the U.S.’s basic approach to the peace process — emphasizing negotiating the details of a peace agreement — would be enough to bring true peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. » Read more

The US may have no Plan B, but the Palestinians do ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star by Hussein Ibish - May 20, 2010 - 12:00am The Obama administration was successful in arranging for the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations through “proximity talks,” which began recently. However, expectations in all quarters are understandably low for any near-term breakthrough. Consequently, Palestinians have been systematically developing a new set of peaceful strategies to achieve independence and advance a resolution to the conflict. » Read more

The path to a true peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Hill by Lanny Davis - May 20, 2010 - 12:00am Recently, I had lunch with an Israeli friend who, despite being a strong supporter of a two-state solution (as this writer is), was skeptical that the U.S.’s basic approach to the peace process — emphasizing negotiating the details of a peace agreement — would be enough to bring true peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. » Read more

May 19th

Peace or poison ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by A.B. Yehoshua - May 19, 2010 - 12:00am Contrary to the hopes of many, the end of World War II and the shock of the Nazi atrocities did not mean the end of war and genocide. Indeed, the decades following it have been rife with bloody conflicts in which entire population groups have been murdered. Remember Angola’s civil war, the Khmer Rouge’s massacre of millions of Cambodians, Rwanda’s tribal wars, the bloody disintegration of Yugoslavia, and the extermination of Christians in Southern Sudan. » Read more

Fayyad's peace plan has merit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News by Sami Moubayed - May 18, 2010 - 12:00am What is new is that Fayyad pledged himself to non-violence, "an ironclad commitment, not a seasonal thing" he noted, based on the experience of Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. A few days ago, a photo of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad feeding a wrinkled Palestinian farmer out of his hand appeared in the Palestinian press — behaviour common for the late Yasser Arafat, but certainly unexpected from a rigid economist like Fayyad. » Read more

Elvis Costello cancels concerts in Israel in protest at treatment of Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Rory McCarthy - May 18, 2010 - 12:00am Elvis Costello has cancelled two concerts he was scheduled to play in Israel in protest at its treatment of Palestinians. Costello, one of the most gifted British songwriters of his generation, was due to play on 30 June and 1 July but says his "conscience" dictated that he pull out of the performances. He joins a list of performers who have decided not to play in Israel, including Gil Scott-Heron and Santana. » Read more