Trust remains an issue in Obama-Bibi relationship
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - October 20, 2009 - 12:00am

With the major knots that bedeviled U.S.-Israel ties this summer largely behind them, U.S., Israeli and American Jewish leaders say the relationship between the two countries is much improved. But with some misapprehension and mistrust persisting, all sides appear to agree that things could bear further improvement. Among the thorniest issues: a mutual perception between the Obama and Netanyahu administrations that each side is playing the other using leaks.

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Attacks on J Street as parley approaches
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Eric Fingerhut - October 20, 2009 - 12:00am

Days before the inaugural conference of the left-wing pro-Israel group J Street, critics’ attacks on the organization are having an effect on the planned event.

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Goldstone Tests Obama
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Husam Itani - October 20, 2009 - 12:00am

It may be inferred from the statements given by the spokesman for the U.S State Department that Washington will not allow the Goldstone report to be presented before the UN Security Council, and that in case this report made its way there, the United States will use its veto power to nix any possible resolution endorsing the report’s recommendations.

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Israel’s Fear of the Goldstone Report
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Bilal Hassen - October 20, 2009 - 12:00am

The Palestinian and Arab public campaign against the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) withdrawal of the request to discuss Judge Richard Goldstone’s report and to transfer it to the UN Security Council or the International Court of Justice in The Hague had a number of various outcomes. A negative outcome is that it weakened the PA’s reputation and status, and even destabilized its internal status, especially after it was heavily criticised by its own apparatuses and cadres.

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When the Arabs Shut their Ears
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Mohammad Salah - October 19, 2009 - 12:00am

You can close your eyes at will, without falling asleep or becoming unconscious, even if for the only reason that you do not want to see something in front of you. However, you cannot shut your ears at will, and as long as your hearing is unimpaired, and also as long as you are conscious, you can still hear, even if you did not want to.

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What would be at stake in a third intifada?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) October 19, 2009 - 12:00am

As the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially East Jerusalem, is balanced on a knife edge and could erupt at any moment into a new explosion of violence or even a third intifada, it is crucial to review what is at stake for all parties should such a catastrophic turn of events occur. Far too many actors and commentators are casually viewing the present extremely dangerous situation, and even welcoming the prospect of a third intifada or the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, or are calling for less dramatic but also extraordinarily dangerous scenarios.

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Painful Mideast Truth: Force Trumps Diplomacy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - October 19, 2009 - 12:00am

As the Obama administration tries to broker a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there is a dark truth lurking: force has produced clearer results in this dispute than talk. The results of the violence may prove short-lived — and possibly counterproductive; condemnation of Israel and Hamas is likely to grow after the United Nations Human Rights Council voted Friday to endorse a report detailing evidence of war crimes in Gaza.

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Obama's Mistakes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) October 19, 2009 - 12:00am

There are plenty of reasons why the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has not yet been restarted through American mediation. Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu's manipulations and his coalition are one; the weakness of the Palestinian Authority and PLO under Mahmoud Abbas are another. The moderate Arab states have done precious little to help. But right now US President Barack Obama's mistakes are the most glaring.

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The conventional route will not bring us peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) October 19, 2009 - 12:00am

The most recent public opinion poll conducted in the Palestinian territories by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center has shown a dramatic decline in the Palestinian public's evaluation of the Obama administration's role in promoting peace in the Middle East.

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American Jews Rethink Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Nation
by Philip Weiss - October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

This year has seen a dramatic shift in American Jews' attitudes toward Israel. In January many liberal Jews were shocked by the Gaza war, in which Israel used overwhelming force against a mostly defenseless civilian population unable to flee. Then came the rise to power of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, whose explicitly anti-Arab platform was at odds with an American Jewish electorate that had just voted 4 to 1 for a minority president.

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