PA: Olmert received an offer, then bombed Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - April 28, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority representatives accused former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of blocking the peace process between Israel and the PA, despite the latter's claims that he had put an offer to the Palestinians on the table that was too good to refuse. According to chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, and as reported by the Palestinian journal al-Ayyam, not only had the prime minister avoided responding to an excellent peace offer, but shortly afterward had bombed Gaza.

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‘All roads lead to Jerusalem'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
April 28, 2009 - 12:00am

His Majesty King Abdullah once again called for American leadership in bringing about serious negotiations to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the two-state solution. In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press”, aired Sunday at the conclusion of his visit to the US, King Abdullah said that, historically, both sides have always come to the negotiating table with an excuse not to go the last mile.

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Change meets challenge
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - April 27, 2009 - 12:00am

At a time when neither Palestinian nor Israeli domestic political conditions are conducive to progress on peacemaking, the region is looking to the new US administration as the only source of hope. It is evident that the strategies and approaches of the previous American administration contributed, at least in part, to an unprecedented deterioration in the region, including for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

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ATFP Senior Fellow Debates ADL’s Dallas Director on Middle East Peace
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - April 27, 2009 - 12:00am

On April 21, ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish debated the Dallas regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, Mark L. Briskman, on the future of peace and conflict between Israel and the Palestinians at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Ibish emphasized the strong need both parties have for a peace agreement and the important role the Obama administration should play in helping them move forward. Ibish said the conflict was driven by the occupation and that ending it was the key to any viable peace agreement. Mr.


Abbas won't be pressured into talks with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Dalia Nammari - April 27, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinians won't be pressured into resuming peace talks with Israel as long as construction in Jewish settlements continues, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday. Abbas said a complete construction freeze is a prerequisite for resuming talks. Israel's new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, supports settlement construction and has not committed to the idea of Palestinian statehood. In his speech Monday, Abbas said he would not give in to possible Israeli or international pressure on the Palestinians to resume negotiations even if settlement construction continues.

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No such thing as a free lunch
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) April 27, 2009 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is busy developing his policy proposals before his upcoming White House meeting with United States President Barack Obama. From statements that the Israeli premier has made, it is apparent that he is seeking to bring to a halt the peace process that his predecessors pursued, which aimed at the establishment of a Palestinian state in the territories and reaching a peace agreement with Syria.

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Israel built, planned 9,000 homes on war-won land
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Karin Laub - April 27, 2009 - 12:00am

Israel's previous government built or issued bids for some 9,000 homes for Israelis in Jerusalem and the West Bank, despite its promise to pursue a peace deal with the Palestinians, settlement monitors said Monday, summarizing Ehud Olmert's three years as prime minister. The Israeli watchdog groups Peace Now and Ir Amim urged President Barack Obama to step in quickly and pressure Israel's new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to halt further settlement expansion, particularly in the areas of Jerusalem the Palestinians want for their future capital.

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Clinton’s Mideast Pirouette
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Roger Cohen - April 26, 2009 - 12:00am

The sparring between the United States and Israel has begun, and that’s a good thing. Israel’s interests are not served by an uncritical American administration. The Jewish state emerged less secure and less loved from Washington’s post-9/11 Israel-can-do-no-wrong policy.

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Lieberman won't accompany Netanyahu to Egypt, says Mubarak
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
April 23, 2009 - 12:00am

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Thursday that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman would not accompany Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on an upcoming visit to Egypt. "Some say... that [Netanyahu] will bring his foreign minister with him," AFP quoted Mubarak as saying during a speech to mark the end of Israel's 15-year occupation of the Sinai peninsula in 1982. "The Israeli prime minister is coming alone. His cabinet chief will come with him. He will not bring any other minister with him," Mubarak said, according to the news agency.

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Netanyahu's Mideast policy damaging EU ties
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - April 23, 2009 - 12:00am

The foreign policy of the Netanyahu government, which deems unacceptable the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict as an outline for negotiations with the Palestinians, has damaged Israel's relations with the European Union.

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