Livni: Settlement freeze could have stopped PA deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gil Hoffman - May 7, 2011 - 12:00am

Fatah and Hamas would not have reached a reconciliation agreement had Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu immediately agreed to a Palestinian request to extend the 10-month settlement housing start freeze that ended in September 2010, opposition leader Tzipi Livni said on Saturday. Speaking on the Channel 2 program Meet the Press, Livni said Israel needed a prime minister who could persuade the world not to allow a Palestinian state to be declared unilaterally at the UN General Assembly in September, but that Netanyahu did not fit the bill.

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Palestinians should declare their state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Ahmad Majdoubeh - (Opinion) May 6, 2011 - 12:00am

While many are lukewarm about or totally disinterested in the reconciliation between Fateh and Hamas, many have welcomed it warmly, seeing some hope in it for a future Palestinian state. Those who are either lukewarm or disinterested see the reconciliation, at best, as a marriage of convenience - perhaps even inconvenience. Fateh is largely liberal and secular, and Hamas is largely reactionary and theological.

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Overcoming political obstacles in implementing the Palestinian state-building program
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ibishblog
by Hussein Ibish - (Blog) May 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Presented at the UNITED NATIONS SEMINAR ON ASSISTANCE TO THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE: "Mobilizing international efforts in support of the Palestinian Government’s State-building program" Helsinki, 28 and 29 April 2011     Introduction

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Katz: Palestinian state will be an Iranian foothold
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
May 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz spoke out on Friday against a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood. "The unilateral establishment of a Palestinian state with Hamas will strengthen Iran's foothold in the region," Katz said, while visiting the Itamar home of the Fogel family, who were murdered by Palestinians in March. "Hamas and its leaders are the only ones in the world that criticized the killing of Osama bin Laden, and we do not need to be in contact with an organization," that partners with Hamas, he added.

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UK, France may back PA's bid for state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
May 5, 2011 - 12:00am

In a sign of Britain's impatience with Israel British Premier David Cameron told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday that Britain may endorse a unilateral declaration of state by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas if Israel declines to take part in substantive peace negotiations with the Palestinians to create a two state solution. "Britain's clear and absolute preference is for a negotiation to take place between Israel and the Palestinians which leads to a two state solution which everyone endorses," a senior diplomatic source was quoted by the Guardian as saying.

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Security through peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Matthew Gould - (Opinion) May 3, 2011 - 12:00am

Six months is a long time in the Middle East. Since my arrival in September as Britain’s ambassador to Israel, there have been some enormous upheavals in this region. Recent weeks have seen a return of horrendous violence, including a shower of rocket attacks in southern Israel, and horrific attacks in Itamar and Jerusalem.

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Egypt calls on US to recognize Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 2, 2011 - 12:00am

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi on Sunday called on the United States to recognize a Palestinian state, as rival Palestinian factions prepare to sign a reconciliation accord in Cairo. Arabi urged visiting US Congressman Steve Chabot to "press Congress and the American administration to recognise a Palestinian state." Recognition "would correspond with previous statements by the American administration supporting peace based on two states," the official MENA news agency quoted him as saying.

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Israel can redeem itself by recognizing a Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) April 29, 2011 - 12:00am

A ghastly specter has Israel terrified ? the specter of the Palestinian state. More accurately, this specter has been terrifying Israel’s leaders for the past four decades. It has now been replaced by a feeling of perplexity, which grows as we approach the day the Palestinian state is declared in the United Nations, with a sweeping international majority. Despite Israel’s desperate efforts to stall the process, the die appears to be cast ? a Palestinian state will be founded, and soon. Now the question is what Israel should do ? beyond lobbyism, spreading horror and expressing fears.

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Agreement increases pressure on Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - April 29, 2011 - 12:00am

The accord struck between Fatah and Hamas that could end a bitter four-year feud will please a Palestinian public longing for a united leadership. Thousands in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Fatah-dominated West Bank rallied last month to demand that their leaders act, "with one hand". Their protests appear to have succeeded. The factions, after mediation by Egypt's transitional government, agreed on Wednesday to form an interim authority until elections are held within a year. Then, many hope, the Palestinians will once again fall under one government.

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Will Palestine be born this fall?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) April 28, 2011 - 12:00am

The chances for the birth of a Palestinian state this fall appear to be 50-50. The world community, including the US, seems to favour the idea, but there is clearly a lack of political will and muscle that would push Israel to seriously negotiate the emergence of Palestine. At the same time, major countries, especially the US, do not show enthusiasm for a unilateral declaration coupled with a UN birth certificate.

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