Middle East Modesty
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Korean Times
by Richard N. Haass - (Opinion) October 24, 2007 - 10:41am


"Ripeness is all," concludes Edgar in King Lear. I will leave it to Shakespeare scholars to decipher what he had in mind. But for diplomats and historians, understanding the concept of ripeness is central to their jobs: it refers to how ready a negotiation or conflict is to be resolved.


Mideast Agreement Must Pass Israeli Vote
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Mark Lavie - October 24, 2007 - 10:29am


Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has pledged to seek parliamentary approval for any significant agreement with the Palestinians, including the joint declaration of principles he is trying to reach ahead of a U.S.-sponsored Mideast conference later this year, according to a letter released Monday. Approval would be far from automatic if the declaration commits Israel to giving up parts of Jerusalem or other main concessions sought by the Palestinians. Hawkish parties in Olmert's coalition have threatened to bring his government down if he agrees to such steps.


Israel: Missile Shield Before West Bank Pullout
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
October 23, 2007 - 11:05am


Defense Minister Ehud Barak says Israel must have a missile defense system in place to protect it from Palestinian rocket fire before it could carry out a large-scale pullback in the West Bank, an official said Wednesday. Military experts said it would take between two and a half and seven years to develop a system that would protect Israel from the type of crude rockets that Palestinian militants use.


Don't Miss This Opportunity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
(Editorial) October 23, 2007 - 11:01am


After seven bad years - years of terror, a diplomatic freeze, Hamas' victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections and its takeover of Gaza - empty words about a "diplomatic horizon" and barren meetings between representatives of the parties are giving way to genuine diplomatic processes and practical plans for solving the conflict.


Israel Owes The U.s. A Blunt Word Or Two On Iraq
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) October 22, 2007 - 2:43pm


Sometime in the next two years, the United States will begin removing its armed forces from Iraq. Whether next month’s anticipated Petraeus report hastens or delays that departure, the rhetoric of virtually all leading presidential candidates appears to ensure the ultimate outcome. Israel, located barely 300 miles from Iraqi’s border with Jordan, is certain to be affected by an American pullout at the most profound strategic level. So, of course, will other Middle East states, both Arab and non-Arab.


Mideast Two-step
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Baltimore Sun
(Editorial) October 22, 2007 - 2:42pm


To advance a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, President Bush needs the support and involvement of Saudi Arabia. The Saudis last week cautiously expressed interest in attending a regional peace conference Mr. Bush had proposed for the fall, provided the meeting tackles the core issues dividing Israel and the Palestinians.


Saudi Says Palestinian State Should Be "viable"
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
October 22, 2007 - 2:37pm


Saudi Arabia voiced support on Tuesday for a U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference and said a future Palestinian state should be "viable" on contiguous territory, apparently backing Washington's stand on the issue. Washington backs Israel in its rejection of a withdrawal from all of the lands it occupied in the 1967 Middle East war, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal appeared to endorse that position in a statement that did not call for full withdrawal but used U.S. language about a "viable" state.


Decades In Limbo
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al Jazeera English
October 22, 2007 - 2:35pm


Nearly six decades after the creation of Israel, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are still living as refugees in neighbouring Arab countries. The vast majority of Palestinians in the world today are stateless - that is, there is no state that recognises them as their nationals. The most vulnerable group are so called non-ID refugees, not registered by either the UN Relief and Works Agency or the Lebanese authorities. Zeina Khodr reports on those who are not only stateless, but also without a legal identity.


Back To The Iranian Arena
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Aluf Benn, Shmuel Rosner - (Opinion) October 22, 2007 - 1:28pm


Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona began his remarks with a joke about erstwhile movie star Zsa Zsa Gabor. After her wedding to her fifth husband, the guests had gone home and the husband was perplexed. I know what I am supposed to do now, he said to her, but as husband No. 5, I'm not certain I can do it in an interesting way.


Skepticism, Anger On Both Sides Of Mideast Conflict
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Rebecca Harrison - October 22, 2007 - 1:10pm


Israeli cable technician Elram Weitzman thinks the Palestinians deserve a state of their own. But he doesn't spend too much time thinking about it. "They should have their own country -- as long as it's not ours," said the 22-year-old from Jerusalem between drags on a cigarette. "To be honest I don't really watch the news."



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