UN vote adds little to 20 years of failure in Middle East peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Opinion) September 19, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's momentous decision to seek statehood at the United Nations has been interpreted in many ways: a bold, decisive move to force Israel's hand and level the playing field in future negotiations; a risky diplomatic gambit that will achieve little in the face of a certain US veto and will fuel tensions in an already volatile environment; a watershed moment in the Palestinian struggle for self-determination. Mostly, however, the move is an acknowledgement of failure. » Read more

Playing a dangerous game ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Jeff Barak - (Opinion) September 18, 2011 - 12:00am When Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu makes his speech to the United Nations General Assembly at the end of the week in New York, he will be facing a much tougher audience than he experienced when addressing the Houses of Congress in Washington on his last trip to the United States. » Read more

Dear U.S. Jews, please don't let Netanyahu deceive you ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Yossi Sarid - (Opinion) September 19, 2011 - 12:00am What follows is an emotional and perhaps late appeal to Israel's friends in America, particularly the Jews among them, who see themselves as people looking out for own welfare. Don't bring us ill instead of good. Don't let Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman deceive you. » Read more

Palestinians Turn to U.N., Where Partition Began ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Neil MacFarquhar - September 18, 2011 - 12:00am UNITED NATIONS — The original two-state solution designed to establish separate countries for Jews and Arabs anticipated the day that both would seek United Nations membership. “When the independence of either the Arab or the Jewish State as envisaged in this plan has become effective,” begins a paragraph deep in General Assembly Resolution 181 from November 1947, then “sympathetic consideration” should be given to the application. » Read more

An Israel in trouble makes a peace deal more urgent ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by John Hughes - (Opinion) September 16, 2011 - 12:00am If the dramatic upheaval taking place throughout the Arab world is to have a constructive outcome, a critical necessity is peace between Arabs and Israelis. On this issue, the world is now at crunch time. The choice is clear: New descent into the senseless antagonism and violence that has bedeviled the Arab- Israeli relationship for decades, or a two-state agreement providing security for Israel and a sovereign homeland for Palestinians. » Read more

Abbas' U.N. fantasy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Ron Prosor - (Opinion) September 19, 2011 - 12:00am In Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," the heroine falls down a rabbit hole into a confusing fantasy world. Writing today, Carroll might have placed Alice in the 66th General Assembly of the United Nations, where Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas plans this week to seek U.N. recognition of statehood. If Alice was perplexed by the Mad Hatter or the Queen of Hearts, it would be interesting to see her reaction to a president whose mandate has long expired applying for statehood over territory, part of which he is too afraid to visit. » Read more

Palestinian bid at U.N. distracts from the real crisis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CNN by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) September 16, 2011 - 12:00am (CNN) -- Rarely has so much time, energy and attention been devoted to an issue less consequential than this month's Palestinian bid for statehood at the U.N.—an episode characterized by hyperbole and muddled thinking on the part of just about everyone. The real crisis -- the one that is really worth worrying about -- is the improbability of a conflict-ending agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. » Read more

Donor Nations: Palestinians Ready for Statehood ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press September 19, 2011 - 12:00am Donor nations on Sunday reaffirmed the Palestinian Authority's readiness for statehood based on new reports from key international financial institutions and the United Nations. The backing from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the U.N. and the donors as world leaders started arriving for high-level meetings at the General Assembly should give a boost to the Palestinians as they press their bid for U.N. membership as an independent state. » Read more

Israel: Adrift at Sea Alone ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Thomas L. Friedman - (Opinion) September 17, 2011 - 12:00am I’VE never been more worried about Israel’s future. The crumbling of key pillars of Israel’s security — the peace with Egypt, the stability of Syria and the friendship of Turkey and Jordan — coupled with the most diplomatically inept and strategically incompetent government in Israel’s history have put Israel in a very dangerous situation. » Read more

Poll: Palestinians support UN bid, fear consequences ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency September 19, 2011 - 12:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A majority of Palestinians support the bid for Palestine's membership of the UN, but expect a negative backlash, according to the results of a survey released Sunday. While 84 percent of Palestinians support the bid, 87 percent believe the US will react negatively, and 90 percent think Israel will respond by worsening the conditions of Palestinians, the September study by Ramallah-based research institute Near East Consulting said. » Read more