On peace process: Time not to act
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico
by Aaron David Miller - (Editorial) February 8, 2011 - 1:00am

The pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace didn’t need another nail in the coffin. But in the wake of political changes sweeping through Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and perhaps elsewhere, you can almost hear the hammer.

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Netanyahu must advance peace if he wants a stable Mideast
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Opinion) February 8, 2011 - 1:00am

The upheaval in Egypt is sowing anxiety in Israel. President Hosni Mubarak's government adhered strictly to the peace treaty, functioned as a stabilizing force in the region and supported expanding the circle of peace agreements to the Palestinians and neighboring states. The eight Israeli prime ministers who served over the course of Mubarak's 30-year reign could depend on him for strategic support, even when they waged wars on other fronts and deepened the occupation and the settlement enterprise.

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A search for common ground, against the odds
In Print by Hussein Ibish - NOW Lebanon (Blog) - February 8, 2011 - 1:00am

Since its inception in 2003, the American Task Force on Palestine, where I am a senior research fellow, has been trying to help lay the groundwork for an American alliance for a two-state solution. Such an alliance would bring Jewish-American supporters of Israel and their allies, and Arab-American supporters of Palestine and their allies, together to pursue the mutual interests of both peoples – and of course of the United States itself – in a stable peace agreement.

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News Analysis: Israel fears Islamist takeover in Egypt
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Adam Gonn - February 8, 2011 - 1:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday expressed concern that the demonstrations in Egypt may lead to Islamist groups taking over if President Hosni Mubarak were to step down. Netanyahu outlined three possible scenarios for the future of Egypt, ranging from a secular democracy to an Iranian-style theocracy. There is also another possibility: that the Islamists will exploit the situation to gain power over the country and lead it backwards, Netanyahu added.

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Middle East peace process at risk, William Hague says
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
February 8, 2011 - 1:00am

William Hague, who is touring the region, said it could "lose further momentum" if international focus shifts to countries like Tunisia and Egypt. He urged Israel to avoid "belligerent language" and called for "bold leadership" from the United States. Protests are continuing in Egypt with the aim of ousting the president. Last month, Tunisia's President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali stood down after weeks of anti-government demonstrations.

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Israeli prime minister says peace can come apart
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
February 7, 2011 - 1:00am

Israel's prime minister is warning that peace treaties can be canceled, hinting at his concern over the turmoil in Egypt over anti-government protests. Benjamin Netanyahu said peace is not necessarily permanent. He said, "It can be unraveled from without; it can be unraveled from within." He did not mention Egypt by name in a speech Monday before European Parliament members, but he has expressed concern about a takeover by Islamic radicals who might cancel the Israel-Egypt peace treaty signed in 1979.

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Return to negotiations now
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Smadar Peri - (Blog) February 7, 2011 - 1:00am

AN ISRAELI VIEW - Now, especially now, when the intifada in Egypt projects out to streets and rulers' palaces throughout the Arab world and the virus of demonstrations could land at any moment in another country--this is precisely the right time to return to the negotiating table with the Palestinians. Yes, we have demonstrated maturity and political loyalty to President Hosni Mubarak. Nor do we miss an opportunity to explain how volatile and worrisome the situation is. But this is not enough.

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Why are peace talks secret?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Jessica Brandt - (Opinion) February 7, 2011 - 1:00am

Op-ed: Israel, PA must do better job of preparing public opinion for necessary concessions The recently released Palestine Papers make for juicy reading, but they aren’t really news. They tell us what any close observer of the conflict already knows: that an agreement will require both sides to ease their grip on long-held taboos and come to compromise that meets the long term national interests of both peoples.

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Peres: Israeli-Palestinian peace urgent in light of Egypt crisis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - February 6, 2011 - 1:00am

President tells 11th annual Herzliya conference that the sluggish pace of the peace process means that the conflict is being 'exploited to the detriment of all sides'. President Shimon Peres urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to move quickly toward a solution in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in light of the crisis that has wracked Egypt over the last two weeks.

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Palestinians welcome Mideast Quartet's role in peace process
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 6, 2011 - 1:00am

The Palestinian leadership on Sunday welcomed the Quartet of Middle East negotiators to engage in reviving Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. The Quartet's call for separate discussions between its members and the concerned parties in the Middle East "is an unprecedented development that cannot be bypassed," said Saeb Erekat, the top Palestinian negotiator. The Quartet, which comprises the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia, made the call following its meeting in Munich, Germany, on Saturday.

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