The Deal On The Table
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Jackson Diehl - (Opinion) October 22, 2007 - 1:08pm

An enduring paradox of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that the outline of a two-state peace settlement -- that is, the points Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is pressing the two sides to write down in time for a November conference -- is readily apparent to anyone with a commitment to pragmatism and a good map. In fact, various groups of Israelis and Palestinians have already spelled them out and agreed to them on multiple occasions in the past 15 years. An Israeli cabinet voted to endorse the basic deal nearly seven years ago.

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A Borderless State Is No Solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
(Special Report) October 22, 2007 - 11:41am

For weeks now, America and Israel have talked up the idea that, contrary to all appearances, a peace initiative may be afoot in the Middle East. Last week Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, announced a $63bn package in military aid to the Middle East, aiming to counter Iran's growing influence in the region, but also shoring up Arab support for a peace initiative. Yesterday the Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert met the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Jericho.

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Nakba Debate Shows Israel's Divisions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Matthew Wagner - October 22, 2007 - 11:38am

The Israeli Education Ministry's decision last week to approve a textbook for state-run Arab schools that uses the Arabic word for "catastrophe" to describe Israel's victory in its 1948 War of Independence has sparked intense debate.

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Gaza Jobs Meltdown: An Ice-cream Firm's Tale
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Dan Murphy - October 22, 2007 - 11:34am

When the mercury soars and the cloying humidity of the Mediterranean coast makes heading outside a shirt-drenching ordeal, Mazen Masri is usually one of the few Gazans wearing a smile. But today, Mr. Masri casts a dejected look around his mostly idle ice-cream factory. "This should be the best time of our year," he says. "But I go into the factory and my heart almost breaks."

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If Hamas Isn't In The Game
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Danny Rubenstein - (Opinion) October 22, 2007 - 11:28am

The Olmert government in Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, are in the midst of renewed political activity, encouraged by intensive American efforts. There have been frequent meetings, discussions of an agreement of principles and plans for a regional conference. Although there still are many problems in the field, like the amnesty agreement for wanted men that the two sides haven't managed to finalize, there certainly has been progress.

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Family Reunification
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Miftah
(Opinion) October 22, 2007 - 11:14am

Since the beginning of Israeli occupation in 1967, all policies towards curbing the process of Palestinian family reunification have greatly threatened normal and stable family life for many. This has been especially true for residents of Jerusalem, whose linkage with the West Bank has been severed, not only geographically but also socially. Families have had to establish two homes, one in Jerusalem and one in the West Bank, which is disruptive to children’s educational process to say the least.

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Analysis-us Peace Effort Faces Middle East Credibility Gap
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Alistair Lyon - October 22, 2007 - 10:52am

A U.S. plan to host a Middle East peace conference is intended to signal a new commitment to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But many in the region doubt President George W. Bush can muster the perseverance and evenhandedness in his last 17 months in office to deliver the two-state solution he evoked in 2002. Others fear an exercise in futility if the idea is to forge peace between Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction without the consent of the elected government led by Hamas Islamists who have seized control of the Gaza Strip.

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By Attending Peace Talks, Saudi Arabia Will Be Putting Its Credibility On The Line
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
(Editorial) October 22, 2007 - 10:38am

Even the most optimistic analysts did not expect to see US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice make major headway this week in prodding the Palestinians and Israelis toward peace negotiations. Everyone knows that Rice's last-minute peace mission comes in the final stretch of the Bush administration's second term in office, when the secretary of state has just 17 months to try to do what a host of world leaders have spent decades trying to achieve.

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Israel Ready To Discuss Creation Of Palestinian State, Says Rice
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times
by James Hider - October 22, 2007 - 10:36am

Israel is willing to discuss “fundamental issues” with the Palestinians about the creation of their future state, Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, said yesterday. With the Palestinian leadership demanding that fresh talks focus on vital issues such as borders, the status of millions of refugees and the status of Jerusalem, Dr Rice held out new hope that talks could go beyond the modest trust-building measures that the Jewish state has so far put on the table.

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Arming Its Friends And Talking Peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Economist
October 22, 2007 - 10:35am

In short, a new sort of cold war stalks the region

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