Israel mulls interim peace plan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Yahoo News
by Laura Rozen - (Blog) March 3, 2011 - 1:00am

Amid the stalled Middle East peace process, the Israeli government is considering proposing an interim arrangement with the Palestinians. But Palestinian leaders said they would not accept such a provisional arrangement that stops short of settling on final borders for the creation of a Palestinian state.

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Israel mulls interim peace plan
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In Yahoo News - March 3, 2011 - 1:00am

Amid the stalled Middle East peace process, the Israeli government is considering proposing an interim arrangement with the Palestinians. But Palestinian leaders said they would not accept such a provisional arrangement that stops short of settling on final borders for the creation of a Palestinian state.

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Israel: No Palestinian peace deal possible now
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Amy Teibel - March 3, 2011 - 1:00am

Israel has concluded that a final peace deal with the Palestinians cannot be reached at this time and is weighing alternatives to try to prove that it is interested in keeping peacemaking with the Palestinians alive, officials said Thursday. With popular protests shaking up the Mideast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under fierce international pressure to prove he is serious about getting peacemaking moving again, especially after the U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israel's West Bank settlement construction last month.

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Barak reveals doubts Israeli cabinet can make peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
March 3, 2011 - 1:00am

Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Thursday he thought Israel's right-wing dominated government was "not really conducive to making diplomatic progress" with the Palestinians." In an interview with Israel's Channel 10 television, Barak said he feared what he called "a tsunami approaching," or "growing international pressure to delegitimise Israel" over a six month stalemate in U.S.-brokered talks with Palestinians.

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Israelis Float an Interim Peace Plan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - March 2, 2011 - 1:00am

There were signs on Wednesday of a new effort to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process after months of stagnation, but chances of a resumption of talks looked slim, and Israel appeared to be stepping back from the stated goal of reaching a framework agreement resolving the core issues of the conflict by September. Instead of a final accord on Palestinian statehood by fall, Israel is now floating the idea of an interim arrangement as a step toward a two-state solution, even without Palestinian agreement.

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Palestinians reject Israeli interim plans for peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 2, 2011 - 1:00am

A senior Palestinian official on Wednesday announced rejection of any Israeli proposal for interim or partial solutions to the stalled peace process. The Palestinians only want the end of the Israeli occupation in the areas that were occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem, and a fair solution to the issue of refugees, said Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee.

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Is the administration in retreat on the peace front?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by D. Bloomfield - (Editorial) March 2, 2011 - 1:00am

It wasn’t a white flag of surrender, but it sure seems like the Obama administration is beating a retreat from the Middle East peace process it once embraced with great enthusiasm. Administration officials still talk about working to bring the parties together, but the truth is that neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians seem much interested, and officials here have finally gotten the memo.

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Settlement evacuation not a sign of Israeli new policy
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In Xinhua - March 2, 2011 - 1:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday told a member of his Likud party that Israel cannot ignore world pressure over its construction of settlements in the West Bank. Netanyahu said his government is trying to maintain the current pace of building, but Israel now faces a new international reality. The comments were made one week after the United States used its veto in the UN Security Council to block a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank, while the 14 other members of the council voted in favor.

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In Mideast, peace map is in sight
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Boston Globe
by H.d.s. Greenway - March 1, 2011 - 1:00am

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM has it that with the Arab world in turmoil, this is a time for Israel to batten down the hatches, and put any talk of peace with the Palestinians on ice for awhile. But there are Israeli voices, both in and out of government, who say this is exactly the time, with the old Arab order changing, to lance the Palestinian boil and go for a two-state solution.

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Israel might seek interim Palestinian peace deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Maayan Lubell - March 1, 2011 - 1:00am

Israel is considering pursuing an interim peace agreement with the Palestinians, a senior official said on Tuesday, signalling the government might abandon efforts to secure a single, comprehensive accord. The official, who declined to be named, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might seek a "phased path" towards a permanent deal rather than a treaty that resolved all the core issues as envisaged by the United States and European allies. "Obviously Israel would prefer a final-status agreement but the consistent Palestinian refusal makes that difficult," the official said.

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