Can Obama make a substantive contribution to peace?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Larry Snider - (Opinion) March 3, 2013 - 1:00am


There are countless traps laid out like a mine field awaiting the return of Barack Obama to substantive engagement in the peace process that will commence with his upcoming visit to Jerusalem, Ramallah and Amman. Peace and the search for peace have failed presidents, prime ministers, diplomats, pundits and activists of every conceivable stripe. What can change in 2013 to make peace achievable?


PA says will take Israel to ICC if tests prove Arafat assassinated
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 28, 2012 - 1:00am


RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority will start legal proceedings against Israel at the International Criminal Court if forensic tests prove that President Yasser Arafat was murdered, chief investigator Tawfiq Tirawi said Tuesday.


Obama in his Second Term: No Escaping the Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Hayat
by George Semaan - (Opinion) November 13, 2012 - 1:00am


The United States cannot quit its responsibilities, regardless of the obstacles and the internal and objective difficulties getting in the way of the performance of its leading role around the world, knowing it does not wish to relinquish this position, which it has occupied since the end of the Cold War.


Yasser Arafat's exhumation may answer questions over his death
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - October 30, 2012 - 12:00am


Within the guarded walls of the Palestinian presidential compound, known as the Muqata, the body of Yasser Arafat lies inside a gleaming limestone and glass mausoleum. It is here that political figures, dignitaries, devotees and tourists come to pay their respects to a man who was revered and reviled across the world as the face of the Palestinian struggle for decades.


Egypt's new envoy to Israel says brings message of peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
October 17, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM -- Egypt's new ambassador to Israel took up his post on Wednesday, assuring the country of Cairo's continued commitment to a 1979 peace treaty. "I came with a message of peace and I came to confirm that we are working for mutual trust and transparency and we are committed to all the agreements we signed with Israel," Atef Mohamed Salem Sayed Elahl said on presenting his credentials to President Shimon Peres.


Israel's West Bank university upgrade escalates row
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - September 9, 2012 - 12:00am


The Israeli cabinet has voted to upgrade an educational institution in the West Bank settlement of Ariel to a fully-fledged university in a controversial step likely to fuel the international boycott movement.


Sleepless in Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Oren Kessler - (Opinion) May 24, 2012 - 12:00am


JERUSALEM – Egypt's first round of presidential voting wrapped up on Thursday with the crop of viable candidates down to just a handful. Official results won't be ready until Tuesday, but next door in Israel, policymakers are already scrambling to sort the bad options from the worse.


The Syrian-Israeli courtship
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq al-Homayed - (Opinion) July 20, 2011 - 12:00am


Confirming what was exclusively reported by Asharq al-Awsat last Friday, the Syrian regime announced the day before yesterday its formal recognition of the Palestinian state. It comes as one of the last Arab states to grant this recognition, and state number 118 internationally. So why has the Syrian regime recognized the Palestinian state now?


The Geneva Accord: a breakthrough model
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Yossi Beilin - April 21, 2011 - 12:00am


Just over a decade ago, Israelis and Palestinians met at Camp David. The weeks leading to the summit were full of expectation. There was a sense that an agreement was within reach. It was the last summer of the Clinton administration, and everyone thought that the president of the United States would not convene a summit that would lead to anything short of a historic triumph. So determined, it seemed, was everyone to succeed, that success almost seemed predetermined. And indeed, some even believed that an agreement had already been secretly reached – that it was a done deal.


Encountering Peace: What does Netanyahu want?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - January 24, 2011 - 1:00am


Understanding what has been leaked, the PM should move forward with current Palestinian leadership as soon as possible.



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