Political Elites Have Failed Israelis and Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Howard Sumka - (Opinion) July 24, 2011 - 12:00am

Weeks away from the anticipated and highly contentious United Nations General Assembly vote on Palestinian statehood, it's timely to ask what went wrong and what might move the issue in a better direction. Despite fears of the Palestinian streets reacting in frustration, it is appropriate now to look to the street for the solution.

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Palestinian president launches campaign for state recognition
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
July 23, 2011 - 12:00am

ISTANBUL, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas launched an international campaign with his envoys from 93 countries for state recognition on Saturday. Abbas told his envoys at the meeting that Palestinians have been left with no choice other than to apply to the United Nations for statehood after negotiations with Israel have stalled. "This can't be considered a unilateral move, as a unilateral move is settlement construction which Israel continues unabated," Abbas said.

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Palestinians take their case for statehood to Turkey
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Agence France Press (AFP) - July 22, 2011 - 12:00am

ISTANBUL // Palestinian officials said their foreign envoys would meet the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmud Abbas, in Istanbul tomorrow to discuss his efforts to win UN recognition of a Palestinian state.

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Abbas: UN approval will allow us to treat Israel as equals
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by KHALED ABU TOAMEH - July 22, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday the Palestinians were seeking membership in the United Nations so they could enter negotiations with Israel as equal partners. Abbas said during a visit to Barcelona, Spain, that once the Palestinians gain membership in the UN, they would return to the negotiating table with Israel. “We want to go to the UN and the Security Council to ask for membership of Palestine in the UN,” the official Palestinian news agency WAFA quoted Abbas as saying.

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Abbas: UN bid will not affect peace process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 21, 2011 - 12:00am

BARCELONA (AFP) -- Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said his efforts to seek UN membership for the Palestinians would not affect negotiations "that we want to continue to have" with Israel. Abbas is in Spain as part of a foreign tour aimed at drumming up support for United Nations recognition of a Palestinian state amid a long stalemate in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

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Palestinians face a dangerous U.N. clash on statehood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) July 21, 2011 - 12:00am

A potentially dangerous confrontation looms in September over the question of Palestinian statehood, one that threatens significant negative consequences for all parties. It is in the interests of all constructive actors to find a compromise that avoids such a confrontation.

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Palestinians face a dangerous U.N. clash on statehood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) July 21, 2011 - 12:00am

A potentially dangerous confrontation looms in September over the question of Palestinian statehood, one that threatens significant negative consequences for all parties. It is in the interests of all constructive actors to find a compromise that avoids such a confrontation.

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The blunders of Palestinian leader Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Jackson Diehl - (Opinion) July 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Back in May, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas adopted a new and radically different political strategy. Turning his back on the United States and peace talks with Israel, he signed a ”reconciliation” agreement with the Hamas movement and announced his intention to appeal to the United Nations in September for recognition of Palestinian statehood. September is still six weeks away, but already it’s becoming clear that Abbas committed a monumental blunder, one that will leave his movement at a dead end — and possibly lead to an eruption of violence in the West Bank and Gaza.

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Palestinians face a dangerous U.N. clash on statehood
In Print by Ziad Asali - The Washington Post (Opinion) - July 21, 2011 - 12:00am

A potentially dangerous confrontation looms in September over the question of Palestinian statehood, one that threatens significant negative consequences for all parties. It is in the interests of all constructive actors to find a compromise that avoids such a confrontation.

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Spain tells Abbas it backs efforts for Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 20, 2011 - 12:00am

MADRID (AFP) -- Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez told visiting President Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday that Madrid backs efforts to create an independent Palestinian state, the government said. Abbas met with Jimenez and Spain's King Juan Carlos at the start of a two-day visit to the country aimed at drumming up support for United Nations recognition of a Palestinian state.

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