The US elections and pandering to Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet by Bernd Debusmann - (Opinion) September 23, 2011 - 12:00am So much for charges from conservative contenders for the 2012 U.S. presidential elections that Barack Obama is not pro-Israel enough -- the president just won seals of approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his far-right foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, and the U.S. lobby that usually reflects their views. If the elections, as some predict, will include a contest on who loves Israel most, Obama can use their praise to good effect. How much it will contribute to his legacy is another matter. » Read more

Palestinian delegation reacts angrily to Obama's UN speech ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Ali El-saleh - (Analysis) September 22, 2011 - 12:00am New York, Asharq Al-Awsat – The feeling amongst the members of the Palestinian delegation to the UN in New York ranged from resentment to outright anger following the speech given by US President Barack Obama yesterday. As for French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s speech to the UN, this was received with praise and applause from the Palestinian delegation. » Read more

The Do-Nothing Strategy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Aaron David Miller - (Analysis) September 23, 2011 - 12:00am Governing is about choosing. And a much-diminished American president has made his choice. Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking isn't and shouldn't be Barack Obama's top priority. Getting reelected is. And that means carefully husbanding his eroding political currency and expending it on matters domestic and economic. Despite all the kerfuffle at the United Nations this week, the last thing he needs to do is pick an unproductive fight with Israel or the Republicans on an Israeli-Palestinian peace process that has been dead for some time now. » Read more

Could a U.N. Upgrade Help the Palestinians Prosecute Israeli Officials? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Slate by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) September 23, 2011 - 12:00am Would a Palestinian state recognized by the United Nations have the right to bring legal action against Israel and Israeli officials at the International Criminal Court or the U.N.'s own International Court of Justice? » Read more

Obama at the UN on Israel-Palestine: Good Politics, Poor Diplomacy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) September 23, 2011 - 12:00am If you'd wanted to gauge how strained relations between the Obama administration and the Palestinian leadership have become, all you'd need do is watch the shaking heads of the Palestinian representatives at the United Nations General Assembly during the U.S. President's speech there on Wednesday. Obama reiterated the American commitment to a two-state solution and the creation of an independent Palestine, both established U.S. policy. Rhetorically, however, his speech recognized most of the core elements of the Israeli narrative but virtually none of the Palestinian one. » Read more

Palestinians vent anger at U.S. over statehood issue ATFP World Press Roundup Article from McClatchy News by Sheera Frenkel - (Analysis) September 22, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian protesters burned effigies of President Barack Obama and stomped on U.S. flags Thursday in one of the largest recent displays of anti-American sentiment here, sparked by the United States' pledge to veto any request for U.N. membership for a Palestinian state. Gathered outside the residence of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who's expected to address the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Friday, the protesters denounced Obama, whom they accused of siding with Israel in the lengthy impasse over peace negotiations. » Read more

Et tu Obama? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News (Editorial) September 23, 2011 - 12:00am The United States was presented with a historic opportunity this week to demonstrate it believes in what it preaches and it blew it. President Barack Obama’s UN address on Wednesday will go down in history as one of the most disgraceful examples of a US leader’s self-serving groveling before Israel and abdication of leadership. » Read more

The Wound and the Insult ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Husam Itani - September 23, 2011 - 12:00am President Barack Obama is deepening the Arab disgruntlement, as the wound inflicted by the announcement of his intention to use the veto right against the Palestinian state project was accompanied by an insult carried by his adoption of the worst that is featured in the Israeli tale. » Read more

Abbas and a ‘Civil’ Intifada in International Bodies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Raghida Dergham - September 23, 2011 - 12:00am The traditional rules of the ‘peace process game’ changed this week in New York. This is taking place in the wake of the stances taken by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. While the Palestinian bid for full membership at the United Nations is the form they have taken on, the essence of Abbas’s position essentially involves foreclosing the ‘peace process’ in its anesthetic capacity. The Palestinian-American relationship is now in a different phase, as Abu Mazen has persisted in his pledge to seek membership for Palestine at the Security Council, where the U.S. veto lies in store. » Read more

U.S. Makes Security Preparations for After Palestinian Bid at UN ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Nicole Gaouette - (Analysis) September 22, 2011 - 12:00am The U.S. has laid the groundwork for maintaining security in the aftermath of the Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN, including the possibility of violence. The effort includes discussions with Gulf countries, planning with Israeli and Palestinian security forces, and aid to ensure the Palestinian Authority can pay its personnel. The U.S. has made clear its intent to block a Palestinian request for United Nations recognition. To avoid needing to exercise its veto power, the U.S. has been working with Israel to persuade members of the Security Council to abstain from voting. » Read more