Top Israeli diplomat: Don't rush us back to peace talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from McClatchy News
by Dion Nissenbaum - April 11, 2009 - 12:00am

Ultranationalist Avigdor Lieberman has been Israel's foreign minister for a week, and his blunt, undiplomatic style already is threatening to overshadow the new government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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Abbas to Quartet: Israel must commit for talks to resume
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
April 10, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has made peace talks with Israel's new government conditional on it committing to previous agreements and freezing Jewish settlement growth, aides said on Friday. Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Abbas conveyed that message directly to the so-called Quartet of Middle East mediators -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.

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Blair: Netanyahu will back establishment of Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - April 10, 2009 - 12:00am

International Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair said he estimates Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will promote the establishment of a Palestinian state.  

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Arab FMs to discuss Mideast peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
April 9, 2009 - 12:00am

Jordan will host a "consultative" meeting of six Arab foreign ministers on Saturday to discuss the Middle East peace process, a senior official said on Thursday. The top diplomats of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Syria, the Palestinian Authority and Lebanon in addition to Jordan and the Arab League will hold talks in Amman ahead of a planned visit to Washington by King Abdullah II, a key US ally. "It will be a consultative meeting to coordinate an Arab position towards peace," the official told AFP.

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American Jews Approve of Obama's Handling of Arab-Israeli Conflict
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Voice of America
April 9, 2009 - 12:00am

A new survey of American Jews shows strong support for a more assertive American role in Middle East peace efforts, even if that means exerting greater pressure on Israel to reach a compromise with its Arab neighbors. The poll released by J Street - a Jewish-American political action group that describes itself as pro-peace - has some good news for President Barack Obama.

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With ‘Annapolis,’ a Warning to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Helene Cooper - April 9, 2009 - 12:00am

Watchers of Middle East politics were quick to take note of a line in President Obama’s address before the Turkish Parliament on Monday in Ankara, in which he mentioned “Annapolis.” By bringing up the word, Mr. Obama was sending a warning to the government of new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that reneging on the goals outlined during the Annapolis Middle East peace conference in 2007 would put Mr. Netanyahu on the wrong foot with the Obama administration.

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Palestinian negotiator says peace talks hit deadlock
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 9, 2009 - 12:00am

The head of the Palestinian negotiation team, Ahmed Qurei, on Thursday said peace talks with Israel have reached an impasse. "The talks are no longer making anything; they are a waste of time and they hit a deadlock due to the rigid Israeli mentality," said Qurei, who headed the negotiation team since the resumption of the peace talks in November 2007.

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Netanyahu's 2nd Chance
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Alon Ben-meir - (Analysis) April 9, 2009 - 12:00am

ew Israeli government led by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu has raised many conflicting feelings among those concerned about the fate of the Arab-Israeli peace process. Will Netanyahu scuttle the little progress that was made under his predecessor Olmert, or will he engage the Palestinians anew?

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Netanyahu and Barak won't get an American free ride
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Amnon Lord - (Opinion) April 8, 2009 - 12:00am

The second government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is centered on the Likud's partnership with Labor party leader Ehud Barak. This new and seemingly unlikely collaboration between rivals Netanyahu and Barak was born out of their mutual recognition that, regarding the two major challenges facing Israel, they think alike.

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Abdullah holds ‘productive’ talks with Obama’s envoy to Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Erika Niedowski - April 8, 2009 - 12:00am

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, held talks on Monday with the Obama administration’s special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, in a meeting the Minister of Foreign Affairs described as “productive”. “America, Europe and Arab nations must continue to work together towards a practical solution that will ensure the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations,” Sheikh Abdullah said in a statement after the session. “Today we had a productive discussion that confirmed our two countries’ mutual commitment to regional peace and stability.”

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