U.S., Palestinians race for votes at UN council ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet by Louis Charbonneau - September 26, 2011 - 12:00am UNITED NATIONS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The Palestinians' initiative to seek U.N. recognition as a state, which goes to the Security Council on Monday, faces an uphill struggle to secure the nine votes needed for approval. Without those votes in the 15-member body, the United States will be spared the embarrassment of having to veto the application, which would be a further blow to its floundering efforts to secure Middle East peace. » Read more

So what’s your plan, Mr. Prime Minister? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Susan Hattis Rolef - (Opinion) September 25, 2011 - 12:00am Immediately after Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) ended his long and tedious speech at the UN General Assembly last Friday, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman described it in a Channel 10 interview as “extremely harsh incitement.” » Read more

Tensions over Palestinian UN bid spur new patrols in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Rebecca Collard - September 21, 2011 - 12:00am As Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas defends his bid for statehood at the United Nations, his people are defending their land. Amid rising tensions between Palestinians and Israeli settlers in the West Bank, who both lay claim to the land, a coalition of local and foreign activists have begun setting up neighborhood watch patrols to monitor key flashpoints. The project highlights a newfound Palestinian boldness on the ground that mirrors Mr. Abbas's determination at the UN – despite American pressure. » Read more

Bibi won, Israel lost ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Orly Azoulay - (Opinion) September 25, 2011 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won: He proved that on the American court, in an election year, political trickery and provoking the Jewish street in the US can make a president capitulate. In his speech at the United Nations, President Barack Obama wholly adopted the Israeli narrative and erased the Palestinian people’s hope. Netanyahu, even if he did not intend to do so, proved that the US can no longer serve as an honest broker in the Middle East; at least not during Obama’s current term in office. » Read more

Israel ponders response to Palestinian U.N. statehood bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - September 24, 2011 - 12:00am Reporting from Jerusalem— As Israel considers its reaction to the Palestinian drive for recognition of statehood at the U.N., officials are weighing calls for swift retaliation against fear that tough measures could be counterproductive. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is evaluating Israel's next step. But key members of his right-wing coalition are pushing for a firm response, which they say would discourage Palestinians from pursuing their strategy of gaining United Nations recognition or taking other unilateral steps away from the negotiating table. » Read more

Issue of Israel as Jewish state sank Quartet moves ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency by Arshad Mohammed - September 26, 2011 - 12:00am WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The issue of whether and how to suggest that Israel should be a Jewish state ultimately sank diplomatic efforts to draft a substantive statement to revive peace talks, sources familiar with the matter said. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel and the Palestinians -- and their effective proxies in the negotiations, the United States and Russia -- remain too far apart on that issue and others. » Read more

Plan for Mideast talks gets mixed reception ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - September 25, 2011 - 12:00am JERUSALEM— With a Palestinian application for UN membership under consideration by the Security Council, a proposal by international mediators to renew peace negotiations has received guarded Israeli approval and a cool reception from the Palestinians. The Israeli government and Palestinian leadership are expected to respond to Friday’s proposal by the Quartet of Middle East mediators — the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia — in the coming days, but early signals suggest different approaches to the initiative. » Read more

Europe must save the two-state solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Carlo Strenger - (Blog) September 24, 2011 - 12:00am The speeches have been given, and each leader pandered to his audiences. Netanyahu scolded the UN for singling out Israel unfairly for decades, quoting the Lubavicher Rebbe calling the UN house of lies. This was obviously not meant to gain him friends in the UN, but to show how connected he was to Jewish tradition. He put the blame on failed negotiations completely on the Palestinians, emphasizing the destructive impact of radical Islam. » Read more

Palestinians Roll Out Hero’s Welcome for Abbas ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - September 25, 2011 - 12:00am RAMALLAH, West Bank — Two days after seeking full membership for a State of Palestine in the United Nations, President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, returned to a hero’s welcome here on Sunday, telling supporters that they were part of a “Palestinian Spring” and that he would resume peace talks with Israel only if it stopped building settlements. » Read more

Netanyahu's speech of lies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) September 26, 2011 - 12:00am Bertolt Brecht wrote, in his poem "The Necessity of Propaganda," "Even the hungry must admit that the Minister of Nutrition gives a good speech." (Translation from the German, Jon Swan. ) It must be admitted that Benjamin Netanyahu gave a good speech at the UN General Assembly. His English was polished, his hand gestures precise and his body language perfect. His propaganda was sweet as honey dripping from his lips. It improves from speech to speech. But the prime minister promised that this time he would feed us the truth, not another campaign speech. A test of this promise seems apposite. » Read more