Obama’s Middle East trip: Lessons from Bill Clinton
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Arabiya
by Joyce Karam - (Opinion) March 14, 2013 - 12:00am

U.S. President Barack Obama has set low expectations for his upcoming trip to the Middle East, which seems devoid of any peace initiative or strategy for negotiations. Tactically, however, the trip will re-introduce Obama in a Clintonesque fashion as he tries to build credibility among Israelis, and get directly involved with the Palestinians.

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Israel and the Palestinians Gearing up For Obama Visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Diana Atallah, Linda Gradstein - March 13, 2013 - 12:00am

Security and Kosher for Passover Food Preparing for a US presidential visit is a huge job. Preparing for a US presidential visit the week before Passover is an almost insurmountable task. While in Jerusalem, the President will be staying at the historic King David hotel, which used to be the site of the British headquarters during the pre-state period. In 1946, an extremist Zionist group bombed the hotel, killing 91 people.

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Politics clouding Obama's coming visit to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Daniel Estrin - March 13, 2013 - 12:00am

A week before President Barack Obama is set to arrive in the region, Middle East politics are already casting a cloud over the visit as Israeli and Palestinian officials plan a series of events to promote their agendas.

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Abbas to push PA prisoner issue during Obama visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - March 12, 2013 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to place the issue of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel at the top of his agenda during the planned meeting with US President Barack Obama, a PA official in Ramallah said Monday. The official’s announcement came as families of Palestinian prisoners stepped up their protests in the West Bank, staging demonstrations and rallies calling on Abbas not to resume the peace talks unless Israel released their sons.

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The Old Peace Is Dead, but a New Peace Is Possible
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ari Shavit - March 12, 2013 - 12:00am

HERE is the bad news: the Old Peace is dead. It was first wounded in 1994 when, a year after the Oslo accords, Israel let Yasir Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, return to the West Bank, and a result was a deadly bus bombing in central Tel Aviv.

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The Case For Incrementalism
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Week
by Martin Raffel - (Opinion) March 12, 2013 - 12:00am

Secretary of State Kerry and President Obama are hitting the road to the Middle East this month, and, among other important strategic objectives, they will try to revive Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that can lead expeditiously to a permanent peace agreement.

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Analysis: Iran, Palestinian talks, Netanyahu ties to dominate Obama trip to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
(Analysis) March 11, 2013 - 12:00am

Three goals will dominate President Barack Obama’s coming visit to Israel, his first as president: Convincing Israel and its leadership he means what he says about stopping Iran from building a nuclear weapon, mending a deeply troubled relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, in return, enticing Israel back to negotiations with the Palestinians.

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Kerry's Impromptu Meeting With Abbas
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In The Daily Beast - March 11, 2013 - 12:00am

John Kerry’s unscheduled meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Monday during his first official trip abroad was anything but a rogue moment for the new secretary of State.

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Obama tells Arab-American leaders trip will show commitment to statehood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - March 11, 2013 - 12:00am

President Obama told Arab-American leaders that his trip to Israel and the Palestinian areas would demonstrate U.S. commitment to partnering with the Palestinian Authority to bring about a state. "The President noted that the trip is not dedicated to resolving a specific policy issue, but is rather a chance to consult with Jordanian, Israeli, and Palestinian Authority officials about a broad range of issues," a White House official said after Monday's meeting with an array of Arab-American organizational leaders.  

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Is Obama Bringing a Peace Plan?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Linda Gradstein - March 11, 2013 - 12:00am

Over and over, American officials insist that President Obama has no new Israeli-Palestinian peace plan hidden in his pocket, ready to be whipped out during next week’s meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. But Palestinians hope and Israelis fear that he will try to restart a peace process that has been moribund for the past four years.

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