International recognition of the Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Essa Bin Mohammed Al Zedjali - (Opinion) January 10, 2011 - 1:00am

The State of Palestine is on the road to becoming a reality, whether Israel likes it or not. The writing is on the wall for the Zionist entity. What has happened in the last few days has been an eye-opener for all those who routinely hum and haw when it comes to the issue of Palestinian independence and sovereignty.

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Al-Maliki: Lieberman takes defense
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 4, 2011 - 1:00am

Israeli foreign ministry officials are working defense on the international stage, PA Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki told Ma'an, saying his Israeli counterpart had taken to visiting the same nations he visits and working to undo advances in Palestinian foreign relations. Traveling with President Mahmoud Abbas on his recent trip to South America, Senegal and Tunis, Al-Maliki spoke of the West Bank government's efforts to push Palestinian statehood on the international stage, and anticipating Israeli diplomatic moves that could seek to quash successful initiatives.

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Today an orchestra, tomorrow a Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Noam Ben Ze'ev - January 4, 2011 - 1:00am

On the night of May 7, 2004, silence reigned in the small, old auditorium of the Friends School in El Bireh. Daniel Barenboim, one of the greatest conductors of his generation, was about to raise his baton before the newly minted Palestine Youth Orchestra. Before the first chord was struck there was a sense of historic import - and the memory of a similar defining moment came to mind.

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Medvedev to visit PA despite canceled Israel tour
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Israel News
by Ronen Medzini - January 4, 2011 - 1:00am

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev will not visit Israel due to disruptions imposed by the Foreign Ministry's workers union but is nonetheless planning to travel to Jordan and the Palestinian Authority later this month. President Shimon Peres spoke to Medvedev Tuesday who told him he intends to visit the Palestinian territories.

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For statehood, Abbas to focus on Israelis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 3, 2011 - 1:00am

During his flight from Senegal to Tunis, President Mahmoud Abbas told journalists he would spend the coming weeks holding meetings with representatives of Israeli civil society organizations in an effort to side-step the Israeli government in the search for a peace deal. "I'm sure the majority of Israelis want peace," Abbas said, adding that it was unfortunate that the current coalition led by right-wing Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu had "thwarted US efforts to broker a peace agreement."

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Now it is Palestine's turn to create facts on the ground
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Simon Tisdall - (Opinion) January 3, 2011 - 1:00am

As unfulfilled hopes of peace in the Middle East in 2010 fade from memory, the spectre of war in 2011 looms large. The collapse of Barack Obama's attempt to broker direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians has created a dangerous vacuum. Men of violence vie to fill it.

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Hundreds in Tel Aviv protest death of Palestinian woman by tear gas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
January 2, 2011 - 1:00am

Hundreds gathered in front of the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest the death of a Palestinian woman who died the day before during a demonstration against a security barrier in the West Bank village of Bil'in. Several protesters in Tel Aviv were detained by police, among them a former Israeli lawmaker, when the rally got out of hand. The Israeli police claimed that Moussy Raz, a former member of the left-wing Meretz party, was arrested after striking a police officer, the local media reported.

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A Third Way to Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Affairs
by Robert Danin - (Opinion) January 1, 2011 - 1:00am

This past September, as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat down in Washington to dine with U.S. President Barack Obama, a barely noticed event took place in Ramallah. With little fanfare, the 13th Palestinian Authority (PA) government, headed by Salam Fayyad, issued its one-year countdown to independence. This brief and understated document is likely to prove far more significant for the future of Palestine than the White House dinner and reflects nothing short of a revolutionary new approach to Palestinian statehood.

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WEST BANK: Palestine National Orchestra has its debut
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Maher Abukhater - (Blog) December 31, 2010 - 1:00am

Today an orchestra, tomorrow a state. With these words, Suhail Khoury, director of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, introduced the Palestine National Orchestra in its debut Friday in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

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Palestinians pursue 'Plan B' after failed talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
December 31, 2010 - 1:00am

Peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis have reached an impasse over the thorny issue of Jewish settlements. As Washington searches for a way forward, the Palestinians are taking things into their own hands by pursuing a "Plan B", asking countries to recognise an independent Palestinian state. The BBC's Yolande Knell reports from Jerusalem. As the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas laid the symbolic cornerstone for a new embassy in Brazil on Friday, he hoped the greater significance of the act would be noted.

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