Middle East News: World Press Roundup

President Obama announces that he will travel to Egypt next month to deliver his address to the world's Muslims (1). The New York Times reports on how Israel is using park development projects to fortify its claims to Jerusalem (2). Pope Benedict XVI continues his Mideast visit, and announces his support for peace based on two states (3) (12) (16). In an interview with the Times of London, Jordan's King Abdullah warns of potential Mideast warfare if movement towards a peace agreement does not begin this year (5). A report by the UN Office for Coordination on Humanitarian Affairs finds that Israeli settlements and outposts have reduced the available land for Palestinians in Bethlehem to 13% (8). The UN Security Council is set to hold talks today on reviving the Mideast peace process (9). In a Damascus press conference exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshal rejects the idea of a peace based on two states (10).

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Obama's speech in Egypt to reach out to Muslims ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times by Christina Bellantoni, Barbara Slavin - May 9, 2009 - 12:00am President Obama next month will travel to Egypt to address the world's Muslims in a major speech, seeking to strengthen U.S. relations with the Islamic world and fight extremism, the White House said Friday. Mr. Obama chose Egypt as the venue for the long-promised speech, to be delivered June 4, because the country "in many ways represents the heart of the Arab world," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. He said a city had not been chosen yet. » Read more

Parks Fortify Israel’s Claim to Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner, Isabel Kershner - May 9, 2009 - 12:00am Israel is quietly carrying out a $100 million, multiyear development plan in some of the most significant religious and national heritage sites just outside the walled Old City here as part of an effort to strengthen the status of Jerusalem as its capital. » Read more

Pope Underlines Support for a Palestinian State ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Rachel Donadio - May 11, 2009 - 12:00am On the fourth day of his first trip to the Middle East as pope, Benedict XVI arrived Monday in Israel and immediately called for a solution to the conflict that would yield a “homeland of their own” for both Palestinians and Israelis. While he did not use the word “state,” he made clear in a brief speech that he was underscoring the Vatican’s previous support for the creation of a Palestinian state, albeit with a stronger resonance imparted by the setting and timing of his remarks within minutes of arriving in Israel. » Read more

Israel's Netanyahu: Taking a Turn Toward Pragmatism? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Time by Tim McGirk - May 18, 2009 - 12:00am Israel is a nation of worriers. No matter how pleasant the evening, at a certain point, after the jokes and well into the merlot from the Judaean hills, the worrying starts. No doubt, Israelis have plenty to worry about. They live between wars and must contend with Hamas, Hizballah and--the biggest anxiety of all--Iran, whose President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has said Israel should be "wiped off the map." » Read more

King Abdullah of Jordan's ultimatum: peace now or it’s war next year ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times by Richard Beeston, Michael Binyon - May 11, 2009 - 12:00am America is putting the final touches to a hugely ambitious peace plan for the Middle East, aimed at ending more than 60 years of conflict between Israel and the Arabs, according to Jordan’s King Abdullah, who is helping to bring the parties together. » Read more

Taboo broken in US Middle East offensive ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times by Harvey Morris - May 10, 2009 - 12:00am A period of high-level diplomacy on the Middle East opens in New York on Monday, promising further insights into an emerging strategy from Barack Obama’s administration that is already raising concerns among Israel’s supporters. On Monday, King Abdullah of Jordan said the US was promoting a “57-state solution” in which the entire Muslim world would recognise Israel. But he also warned that the new US administration had little time, before fresh violence erupted, to promote a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. » Read more

Hostage to Israel’s far right ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Le Monde Diplomatique by Joseph Algazy, Dominique Vidal - May 1, 2009 - 12:00am David Rotem’s leitmotif is allegiance to the state, but he never spells it out. So much so that, before leaving, we put it to him: “Imagine yourself in Nazi Germany. Where would your loyalty lie?” “To the state,” he replied, without blinking an eye. That retort, given in the Knesset building in Jerusalem, left us stunned, particularly since he went on to tell us how his father left Germany when Hitler came to power. » Read more

Only 13% of Bethlehem land available for Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times of India May 8, 2009 - 12:00am Continued expansion of Israeli settlements and their outposts, along with other measures, have significantly reduced the availability of land for Palestinians restricting their livelihoods and development, a new report by the UN humanitarian affairs agency has said. Israeli expansionist measures have reduced to 13 per cent the availability of land in Bethlehem for Palestinian use, limited the area's access to resources and restricted its potential for development, said the report by the UN Office for Coordination on Humanitarian Affairs (UCHA). » Read more

UN to Debate How to Revive Flagging Mideast Peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) May 11, 2009 - 12:00am The UN Security Council on Monday is to hold talks on reviving the stalled Middle East peace process and creating an independent Palestinian state living side-by-side with a secure Israel. Although Israeli and Palestinian representatives will not take part in the UN talks, Russia called for the debate saying that "vigorous" diplomacy was needed to resolve the issue of Middle East peace. Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who chairs the 15-member Security Council this month, called the Council meeting to stress the "urgency of reaching comprehensive peace in the Middle East." » Read more

Hamas leader rejects two-state solution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) May 9, 2009 - 12:00am Hamas will accept no less than a fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, the group's political leader in exile said Saturday. Khaled Meshal, who lives in Syria, called a two-state solution unacceptable because Hamas cannot envision living with Israel in peace and security. Meshal spoke Saturday at a news conference, following a gathering of several Palestinian factional leaders in exile, reported KUNA, the Kuwait news agency. » Read more

Between Egypt and Hizbullah, a crisis just waiting to happen ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Gamal A. G. Soltan - (Opinion) May 11, 2009 - 12:00am The current tension between Egypt and Hizbullah is a crisis that has been waiting to happen for years. The causes of tension between the two sides are multifaceted. This is a conflict between nationalism and supra-nationalism, between Egypt and Iran, between moderation and radicalism, between Sunnis and Shiites and between status quo and revisionist forces in the Middle East. Hizbullah's ideology, its nature as a non-state armed actor and its strong alliance with Iran are sufficient to generate heavy doubts and concerns among mainstream Arab states regarding the movement. » Read more

A Papal Visit and Then It's Over! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Elias Harfoush - (Opinion) May 10, 2009 - 12:00am I read a comment made by a reporter for an American Catholic newspaper about the visit of Pope Benedict XVI's to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, saying: "If he simply manages to get back to Rome without starting a war, some might declare the trip a success!" » Read more

Netanyahu to meet Egyptian leader ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Vita Bekker - May 11, 2009 - 12:00am Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president today, for the first time since being re-elected Israel’s prime minister amid differences between the two countries on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and tensions stirred by Israel’s ultranationalist foreign minister. The Israeli leader will meet Mr Mubarak in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh. The trip marks Mr Netanyahu’s first official visit abroad since being sworn in on March 31, and comes just a week before he holds a key meeting with Barack Obama, the US president, in Washington. » Read more

Barack Obama’s promising push for peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National (Editorial) May 10, 2009 - 12:00am Quietly, momentum has been building in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian peace process. You could be forgiven for missing it amid the diplomatic flurry that defined Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office. But given the signs, Mr Obama appears to be planning a major push to get peace efforts back onto a productive path. The most encouraging development is that after seven years, the Saudi-authored Arab Peace Initiative appears to be gaining traction in Washington. » Read more

To gain a true affinity for Arab Jerusalem, visit it ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Sultan Al Qasemi - (Opinion) May 10, 2009 - 12:00am This year Jerusalem was chosen as the Unesco Arab capital of culture. What Unesco doesn’t understand is that Arabs only honour Jerusalem in their minds and with their rhetoric, and that there is no real support for the Holy City. » Read more

PA says in charge of pope's east J'lem visit ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Erfat Weiss - May 11, 2009 - 12:00am Several hours before the pope's visit, the question of east Jerusalem's status has been put to the test once again: The Jerusalem Police on Monday morning sealed off a conference hall at the Ambassador Hotel in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood following the Palestinian Authority's plan to hold a briefing for foreign and Palestinian journalists ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Israel. A senior PA official told Ynet in response that "when the pope arrives in east Jerusalem, he and his visit are our responsibility." » Read more

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