Palestinian Billionaire Sees Hope After Arab Spring
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Voice of America
by Luis Ramirez - April 22, 2011 - 12:00am

It is a sight one would not expect in the Israeli-occupied West Bank: An Italian villa complete with ancient Greek statues, Picassos, and manicured gardens reminiscent of Versailles. Palestinian billionaire Munib Al Masri, whose personal wealth represents about a third of the Palestinian economy, has turned his extravagant dream into reality. Al Masri invited correspondent Luis Ramirez to his lavish home near Nablus to talk about his vision for a Palestinian state. A palace on a hill overlooking Nablus, complete with authentic works of art from Europe.

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Palestinian Billionaire Sees Hope After Arab Spring
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Voice of America
by Luis Ramirez - April 22, 2011 - 12:00am

It is a sight one would not expect in the Israeli-occupied West Bank: An Italian villa complete with ancient Greek statues, Picassos, and manicured gardens reminiscent of Versailles. Palestinian billionaire Munib Al Masri, whose personal wealth represents about a third of the Palestinian economy, has turned his extravagant dream into reality. Al Masri invited correspondent Luis Ramirez to his lavish home near Nablus to talk about his vision for a Palestinian state. A palace on a hill overlooking Nablus, complete with authentic works of art from Europe.

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Good morning, Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by David Rosenberg - (Opinion) April 22, 2011 - 12:00am

Sometime in September the United Nations General Assembly will vote (in all probability) in favor of Palestinian statehood. How the vote will be taken and what its significance for the relationship between infant Palestine and the rest of the world and for the day-to-day management of Israel’s occupation is anyone’s guess.

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Above the Fray: The great Mideast chess game
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Alon Ben-meir - (Opinion) April 22, 2011 - 12:00am

Amid the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate, a storm of diplomatic activity is brewing. The Palestinians, Israel and the United States are carefully calculating what moves to make next. Only the Palestinians appear to have a clear-cut strategy: internationalizing the conflict through a United Nations General Assembly Resolution recognizing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, within the 1967 borders.

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Indyk: UN likely to vote in favor of Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
April 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Martin Indyk, former US ambassador to Israel and adviser to US Middle East envoy George Mitchell, said Thursday that if no changes are made between now and September, the UN will declare a Palestinian state. "Unless the US, Israel and the Palestinians have an alternative, the Palestinian plan can not be won," Indyk told Army Radio. "If there isn't anything else, then in September there will be a vote in the UN that will recognize a Palestinian state, just like the UN recognized Israel in 1948."

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Landau: Israel should annex W. Bank if PA get statehood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Mordechai Twerksy - April 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Dr. Uzi Landau, Israel's Minister of National Infrastructure, warns that in the event of a unilateral United Nations declaration of a Palestinian state, he will call upon Israel to annex the Jordan Valley and large, Jewish populated blocs in the West Bank:

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Abbas: We will head to the UN in September
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 20, 2011 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated Tuesday his intention to seek UN recognition of a Palestinian state by September, saying he believed he would have the backing of the US administration. In an interview with the daily newspaper Al-Ayyam, the second in as many days, the president said he would shortly ask his American counterpart, "if he is capable of honoring his promise [for a Palestinian state in September] or not."

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WEST BANK: Palestinian development plan looks at period after state creation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Maher Abukhater - (Blog) April 20, 2011 - 12:00am

When Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met the donor coordination group for the Palestinian territory, the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), on April 13 in Brussels, he presented them with his new National Development Plan (NDP) 2011-2013, titled Establishing the State, Building our Future. In the foreword of the report, Fayyad wrote: “We stand today on the verge of national readiness for the birth of the State of Palestine. … The journey has been long and arduous, but the end is now in sight –- we are now in the homestretch to freedom.”

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As the Palestinians Pursue Statehood, Israel Won’t Take ‘Yes’ for an Answer
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Forward
by J.J. Goldberg - (Analysis) April 20, 2011 - 12:00am

This is a bit complicated, but it’s very important, so try and keep up. We’ll take questions afterward.

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Abbas seeks 'advice' from France on declaring Palestinian statehood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Danna Harman - April 20, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas will travel to Paris on Thursday seeking support for the expected declaration of statehood this September. "We are friends, so he can be sincere with us and to talk to us openly," Abbas said to the AFP last week, talking about French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who he is expected to meet in the afternoon. Abbas said he was planning to ask Sarkozy for “advice,” on the best approach to seeking recognition for an independent Palestinian state.

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