October 24th, 2007

In Raid's Wake, Syria Turns Defensive ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Julien Barnes-dacey - October 24, 2007 - 2:23pm The peace overtures were nuanced and often veiled. But in the months before Israeli jets struck a Syrian military facility in the northeast of the country, Syria had expressed some interest in sitting down with its enemy to the south, Israel, to strike a deal on the status of the disputed Golan Heights. Rime Allaf of Chatham House, a London-based strategic think tank, points to secret negotiations, reported to have been backed by both governments, that became public in January. » Read more

Internal Divisions Make It A Bad Time For Israeli-palestinian Talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Baltimore Sun by Suheir Abu Oksa Daoud - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 2:20pm While Israeli and Palestinian teams seek to iron out conditions for renewed peace talks in Annapolis this fall, deep divisions among the Palestinian and Israeli political leaderships doom any Middle East peace summit to failure. » Read more

Israel Draws Up Plan To Cut Gaza Energy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Laurie Copans - October 24, 2007 - 2:18pm Israeli military experts have formulated a plan to gradually cut off electricity and fuel to the Gaza Strip in response to ongoing rocket fire from the Palestinian area, defense officials said Wednesday. Israel provides more than half of Gaza's electricity, and any power cutoff is sure to make life more difficult for residents of the already impoverished territory. The move is also certain to draw harsh international condemnation. » Read more

The Way To Damascene Conversion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Shlomo Ben-ami - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 11:09am An Arab-Israeli peace requires a comprehensive approach whereby a Madrid-like international peace conference would lay the ground for a resolution of Israel’s conflicts with all its neighbours. Such a regional approach is called for precisely because the problems at stake are so intertwined. Not only are key issues such as Jerusalem and refugees insoluble without an all-Arab consensus, but also any country that is left out of the process is bound to persist in its role as a revolutionary power bent on a strategy of regional destabilization.   » Read more

The Way To Damascene Conversion ATFP World Press Roundup Article from by Shlomo Ben-ami - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 10:52am An Arab-Israeli peace requires a comprehensive approach whereby a Madrid-like international peace conference would lay the ground for a resolution of Israel’s conflicts with all its neighbours. Such a regional approach is called for precisely because the problems at stake are so intertwined. Not only are key issues such as Jerusalem and refugees insoluble without an all-Arab consensus, but also any country that is left out of the process is bound to persist in its role as a revolutionary power bent on a strategy of regional destabilization.   » Read more

Peacemaking Truths And Lies ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 10:48am For 60 years Palestinian and Arab leaders have been lying to their people. Creating and sustaining the lie that the Palestinian refugees of 1948 would return to their original homes and lands makes it almost impossible for President Mahmoud Abbas to reach an agreement with Israel on this, the most central issue in the conflict. » Read more

An Arab Initiative To Avoid A Failed Conference ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by James J. Zogby - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 10:46am In the aftermath of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s fourth recent visit to the region to prepare for a Middle East peace conference, only the meeting’s proposed location has been decided. The situation looks quite bleak, with little to show for the efforts made to date. » Read more

Us Tells Israel To Halt Settlements In West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Barbar Ferguson - October 24, 2007 - 10:44am Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns has asked the Israeli government to stop settlement expansion in the Palestinian territories and reduce its forces in the West Bank. “Israel should halt settlement expansion, remove unauthorized outposts, and reduce its footprint in the West Bank,” said Burns who was the keynote speaker at the recent second annual gala dinner of the Washington-based American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP). “I know the Israelis are serious about peace, but it is important that the Palestinian people know and see that as well.” » Read more

The Us Should Submit A Dop ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Oded Eran - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 10:42am It is too late to question the wisdom of floating the idea of a Middle East "meeting". The challenge now is to manage or minimize the potential liabilities and damages that may result from either holding the meeting in Annapolis without ensuring in advance even a limited success, or postponing it sine dei. » Read more

Middle East Modesty ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Korean Times by Richard N. Haass - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 10:41am "Ripeness is all," concludes Edgar in King Lear. I will leave it to Shakespeare scholars to decipher what he had in mind. But for diplomats and historians, understanding the concept of ripeness is central to their jobs: it refers to how ready a negotiation or conflict is to be resolved. » Read more