Erekat in Washington: UN bid continues despite pressure
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 7, 2011 - 12:00am

PLO official Saeb Erekat said Wednesday that Palestinians would continue the bid for the UN to recognize an independent Palestinian state, after meeting US officials in Washington DC. The former chief negotiator said the US had demanded they withdraw their appeal, Israeli news site Ynet reported. But in a press conference Erekat stressed that the resolution, planned for September, does not contradict renewing currently stalled peace negotiations with Israel.

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Colonisation, occupation - core problems
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Michael Jansen - (Opinion) July 7, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinians, Arabs and foreign regional players have to admit that all strategies adopted so far have failed to resolve the Palestinian/Arab-Israeli conflict. Armed struggle, the 1988 Palestinian declaration of independence and negotiations have not brought the Palestinian people nearer to liberation.

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Herzog: Vote 'yes' to Palestinian statehood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Lahav Harkov - July 6, 2011 - 12:00am

In exchange for starting negotiations on borders, Israel should offer to vote in favor of Palestinian statehood in the UN General Assembly in September, Labor MK Isaac Herzog (Labor) suggested on Tuesday. “The government’s attitude, which assumes an Israeli loss, is defeatist and unoriginal,” Herzog told reporters outside a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting. The Labor leadership candidate suggested that Israel take two “controlled and responsible” steps.

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Israeli FM threatens tough response to planned Palestinian declaration of independence at UN
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Associated Press - July 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel’s hardline foreign minister says there will be a tough response if the Palestinians follow through on a plan to declare independence at the United Nations this fall. Avigdor Lieberman told reporters on Wednesday that “unilateral steps will force us to take unilateral steps.” He says Israel is considering a variety of responses but declined to elaborate. Lieberman has earlier suggested that Israel could annul past peace agreements or annex parts of the West Bank.

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Palestine UN membership a debate for Council in July
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet
by Megan Davies - July 6, 2011 - 12:00am

The U.N. Security Council plans to discuss in July the possibility of Palestine becoming a United Nations member state, the Security Council president said on Tuesday. The Arab League has said it would request U.N. membership for a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital at the U.N. General Assembly in September. An open debate on the Middle East has been scheduled for July 26 according to a provisional calendar for the Security Council for July.

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A Way To Embrace Palestinian Statehood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Forward
by Leonard Fein - (Opinion) July 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Few issues have so discombobulated the American Jewish community — to say nothing of the Israeli government — as the prospect of a United Nations vote on recognition of Palestine. Students of the matter debate whether such a vote would have any practical significance, but most Jews, as well as most Jewish organizations, have viewed the idea itself as subversive. And indeed, the Obama administration has pledged to veto the matter if it comes before the U.N. Security Council.

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Analysis: Gaza flotilla a foretaste of future diplomatic furor
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Crispian Balmer - (Analysis) July 5, 2011 - 12:00am

The diplomatic maneuvering that snarled the Gaza initiative pales in comparison with the behind-the-scenes tussles surrounding a unilateral drive by the Palestinians to secure United Nations' recognition of statehood this September. While Israel has won this first round, the stakes will be much higher in the months ahead, with the possibility of chaos in the Palestinian Territories if politicians mess it up.

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An Israeli View: Why we are going to the UN
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Blog) July 4, 2011 - 12:00am

The Palestine Liberation Organization has now officially decided to ask the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. Leaving aside speculation as to whether this really will happen in September and what the consequences might be on the ground back home in Palestine and Israel, this is a good occasion to ask how we arrived at this juncture. The conventional wisdom that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's intransigent behavior has driven the Palestinians to adopt the international track is important, but hardly offers a complete explanation.

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A Palestinian View: The consensus was positive
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
(Interview) July 4, 2011 - 12:00am

an interview with Hanna Amireh bitterlemons: When the Palestine Liberation Organization decided last week to go ahead with its plan to seek statehood at the United Nations, was there great discussion about the issue? Amireh: The meeting decided on a general direction of seeking recognition of the Palestinian state on the borders of 1967, first at the Security Council and also at the General Assembly. Of course, there was a discussion and different positions presented, but the general consensus was to support the move. bitterlemons: Was there a discussion of the risks involved?

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Israel, Palestinians hope to avoid fall violence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - July 3, 2011 - 12:00am

Israeli and Palestinian security forces are already taking precautions to avoid an outbreak of violence after an expected U.N. vote for Palestinian independence in September, officials on both sides said Sunday, reflecting shared concerns about the possibility of renewed fighting this fall. For now, Israeli and Palestinian officials said they do not want — or expect — armed hostilities to resume. But both sides fear that one small incident could quickly spin out of control.

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