Palestinian official: Peace possible in days, but Israel isn't interested
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
May 16, 2011 - 12:00am

The Palestinian Authority on Monday rejected statements Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made at a parliament session, which he described as pre-conditions for peace. Netanyahu said that the Palestinians have to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, solve the refugee problem outside Israel and accept a permanent Israeli army presence in a demilitarized Palestinian state in parts of the West Bank that does not include Jerusalem.

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Mideast middleman quits _ but does it matter?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Dan Perry - (Opinion) May 16, 2011 - 12:00am

The question of whether mediators matter took on acuity this weekend with the resignation of U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell, a move that came exactly as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict he was asked to help resolve seems about to retake center stage. For all the hand-wringing in diplomatic circles, reaction on the ground in the Middle East itself, was uncharacteristically muted. That reflected the fact that peace talks have been largely frozen since 2008, with the exception of a brief span in September, a Mitchell-mediated effort that quickly ran aground.

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What would Netanyahu do for peace?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by David Makovsky - (Opinion) May 16, 2011 - 12:00am

Just a few weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to Washington had the makings of a confrontation amid U.S. dissatisfaction over peace policy. Then Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas signed a power-sharing arrangement with Hamas. Although Washington cannot easily demand that Netanyahu make major concessions on peace as Abbas joins forces with a group sworn to Israel’s destruction, the Israeli prime minister should still arrive this week with a plan for renewed peace talks.

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Netanyahu: Palestinian unity govt not a peace partner
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Jeffrey Heller - May 16, 2011 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, setting the stage for a high-profile U.S. visit, said on Monday a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas Islamists could not be Israel's peace partner. But in what could be a departure from long-held positions, the right-wing leader appeared to hold out the prospect of future territorial compromise if his peace terms -- which have drawn Palestinian rejection in the past -- are met.

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Israel has to choose: Mideast peace or apartheid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Saeb Erakat - (Opinion) May 13, 2011 - 12:00am

Having all Palestinian political factions come together for national reconciliation was an emotional experience for all Palestinians who witnessed the events taking place in Cairo. The Arab Spring has finally reached Palestine. The left, the religious right, and the nationalist camp ? across the Palestinian political spectrum ? with the support of the new Egyptian government, reached an agreement to establish a technocratic administration in order to hold elections within one year and rebuild the Gaza Strip. This is a critical step in our path toward freedom and independence.

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Talks with Hamas not impossible: Israeli president
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
May 10, 2011 - 12:00am

The possibility of talks between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas should not be entirely ruled out, Israeli President Shimon Peres told Ynet news in an interview published Tuesday. Peres said it was important to remember that Palestinian former president Yasser Arafat was regarded with suspicion and even hatred by many Israelis when he was engaged in the negotiations that yielded the Oslo Accords. "Even when I began negotiation with Arafat, they said: 'There's no chance'," Peres told the Israeli website in an interview published on the Jewish state's Independence Day.

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Abbas ‘absolutely’ still our partner, Peres tells ‘Post’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Greer Fay Cashman, David Horovitz - May 9, 2011 - 12:00am

PA President Mahmoud Abbas is “absolutely” still a peace partner for Israel, despite his signing of a reconciliation agreement with Hamas, President Shimon Peres has told The Jerusalem Post. In an interview conducted to mark Israel’s 63rd Independence Day, the president described the Fatah-Hamas accord signed last week as “a temporary bridge.” Peres said he “criticized” Abbas over it, but “that doesn’t free me of the need to talk with him.... I have no intention of turning my back on the Palestinian peace camp, even if I criticize it.”

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Israel's obstacles to peace hurt U.S.
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The San Francisco Chronicle
by Richard North Patterson - (Opinion) May 8, 2011 - 12:00am

Once again, we read, the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians are dead. So it is imperative that, at last, Americans and Israelis alike face some very hard truths about this impasse - including the fact that the current policies of Israel damage the national interests and moral stature of both countries.

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Netanyahu says only negotiation can achieve peace with Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel won't accept UN diktat to resolve disputes with Palestine, but believed only negotiations can achieve regional peace, Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Thursday after meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace. "A serious quest for peace can only happen through negotiations, through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, and not through a UN diktat," he told reporters.

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Netanyahu: Israel could support Palestinian state before September under right conditions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Danna Harman - May 5, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel could support a Palestinian state before September under the right conditions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Thursday. Addressing a Palestinian plan to bring the issue of an independent Palestinian state forward at the United Nations General Assembly in September, Netanyahu said many things could be passed by the UN.

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