April 19th

Palestinian UN diplomat: Palestinians prefer peace treaty with Israel by September ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press April 19, 2011 - 12:00am Riyad Mansour, the top Palestinian diplomat at the United Nations, said the Palestinians prefer to have a peace treaty with Israel by September, the month when the Palestinians plan on taking their case for an independent state to the floor of the UN. The Palestinians say that if a peace treaty with Israel isn't reached by September their first choice is to go to the UN Security Council with such strong support and arguments that it would recommend admission of Palestine as a new member of the United Nations. » Read more

Statehood May Be Pyrrhic Victory for Palestinians, Experts Warn ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by David Miller - (Opinion) April 18, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian quest for statehood received seals of approval from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the United Nations in the past week, marking another advance towards the goal of winning United Nations’ endorsement this September. But legal and political analysts warn that the independence campaign may backfire, causing Israeli to dig in its heels on future peace talks, creating problems with the U.S. and perhaps even losing Palestinians the right to make claims on Israel in future negotiations. » Read more

Report: Quartet may formally recognize Palestinian state if peace talks not renewed ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz April 19, 2011 - 12:00am American and European diplomats warned that if peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians are not renewed, the Quartet of Mideast peace makers may formally recognize a Palestinian state, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday. The Quartet, which is comprised of the United States, United Nations, European Union, and Russia, was supposed to meet last week to discuss an initiative by Britain, France and Germany to restart stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks by proposing the outlines of a final settlement to their long conflict. » Read more

A West Bank anachronism ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Ahmad Samih Khalidi - April 19, 2011 - 12:00am Barring unforeseen developments, it appears as if the PLO and its Ramallah-based arm, the Palestinian Authority, it appears, will head to the UN general assembly in September seeking international recognition of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Via a mechanism known as "uniting for peace", the idea is to bypass the stalemated and futile bilateral negotiations with Israel and circumvent an inevitable US veto at the security council by securing general assembly sanction for a Palestinian state. » Read more

Palestinians reject possible U.S. aid deduction ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 18, 2011 - 12:00am A Palestinian official on Monday rejected any possible U.S. reduction of aid if the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) sought an international recognition of independence. The U.S. threats against the Palestinians "reflect a complete U. S. bias to the Israeli policies and arrogance in dealing with the Palestinians and their legitimate rights," said Hanan Ashrawi, a member of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee. » Read more

House Newcomer Defies GOP Leaders on Israel, From the Right Read more ATFP World Press Roundup Article from by Nathan Guttman, Josh Nathan-Kazis - April 18, 2011 - 12:00am For those who know him, it was no surprise when freshman Rep. Michael Grimm broke ranks with his party and became the first House Republican to call for the release of Jonathan Pollard. The freshman member from New York has made Israel a key element of his political work. And while the Republican House leadership has thus far refrained from speaking out in favor of a commutation of Pollard’s life sentence for spying for Israel, Grimm pays small heed to political consensus. » Read more

A needless death in Gaza, and one less witness to its plight ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Charles Glass - April 19, 2011 - 12:00am The spectacle of a European or North American hostage - shackled and blindfolded - has been a recurring sight in the Middle East since kidnapping became a political weapon in Lebanon in 1982. More often than not, the culprits claimed their captives were spies, soldiers or agents of foreign powers. That was usually, though not always, a lie. The reason most foreigners within the grasp of, say, Hizbollah in Lebanon or extremists in Gaza, remained in the danger zone was to help the victims of occupation. Their own humanity was their undoing. » Read more

Abbas arrives in Tunis for three-day visit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 18, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived on Monday in Tunis for a three-day work visit, the official press agency TAP reported. Abbas was met at the airport by senior Tunisian officials including Interim Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi and Foreign Minister Mouldi Kefi. It is Abbas' first visit to Tunisia since former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country on January 14.

Fatah man dies days after Hamas arrested him ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 19, 2011 - 12:00am A Palestinian from Fatah party has died Tuesday in a prison run by rival Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, local sources said. The detainee, Adel Rezeq, has been held at one of Hamas' internal security detention facilities since Thursday, sources from local rights groups added. The sources noted that a call for an investigation would be issued soon, as the circumstances behind the death are still unknown. The 50-year-old man was not suffering from any illness "and was in a very good condition when he was arrested," his brother, Muin, told Xinhua. » Read more

Jewish groups debate ways to thwart U.N. recognition of ‘Palestine’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - April 15, 2011 - 12:00am The path to international recognition of Palestinian statehood by September -- when the Palestinians plan to bring the matter before the U.N. General Assembly -- seems clear. The question before Israel and its supporters who oppose such recognition is how to create a detour. Some say the way to go is through diplomatic suasion. Others say there needs to be a push forward with peace initiatives. Still others believe that threatening counteractions is the best way to derail the Palestinian plan. » Read more