Israel agrees to release 20 Palestinian women and girl prisoners in exchange for a video of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. The Israeli Air Force again attacks tunnels in southern Gaza after militants launch a project to into southern Israel. VOA profiles Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Speculation continues about the prospects of a third intifada. Prime Minister Netanyahu says Israel will not investigate its conduct during the Gaza war, but several commentators defend the Goldstone report. Nathan Guttman examines new "PA only" visas Israel is issuing mainly to Arab-Americans. Asharq Al-Awsat interviews Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman about Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Hussein Ibish looks at the reasons behind the new US re-engagement in Israel-Palestinian diplomacy.

Goldstone's Gaza probe did Israel a favor
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Gideon Levy - (Opinion) October 1, 2009 - 12:00am

Israel should thank Judge Richard Goldstone and his commission's important report. After subjecting him to useless, automatic mudslinging, Israel suddenly realized that it should finally investigate the events of Operation Cast Lead. Why? What happened? The ground has started to tremble under the feet of a number of Israeli statesmen and officers.

»

Report: Shin Bet foot-dragging keeping Gazans from doctors visits
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - October 1, 2009 - 12:00am

The slow response of the Shin Bet security service to requests by Palestinians seeking to leave the Gaza Strip for medical care via the Erez crossing was the main reason that more than one third of such applicants missed their medical appointments between January and August 2009, according to a new report.

»

Netanyahu nixes call for Israeli inquiry into Gaza war
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - October 1, 2009 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has nixed the idea of setting up an inquiry committee into alleged Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip as a means of dealing with the Goldstone Commission's report.

»

A new US perspective on Middle East peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Common Ground News Service
by Hussein Ibish - October 1, 2009 - 12:00am

Under US President Barack Obama's Administration, the United States has vigorously re-engaged in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and made commitment to Palestinian statehood a national security and foreign policy priority. Obama has said that it is "absolutely crucial" to American interests to resolve the conflict, and appears determined to persist despite all difficulties and obstacles. There are several crucial reasons for this intensification.

»

Violence between Palestinians, Israelis may spread
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Xu Gang, David Harris - September 30, 2009 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Violence between Palestinian Muslim prayers and Israeli troops and Jewish worshippers on Sunday at the holy site of al-Haram al-Sharif in East Jerusalem, or known as Temple Mount to the Jews, may spread in the near future, analysts said.

»

False symmetry
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Daoud Kuttab - October 1, 2009 - 12:00am

One of the most frustrating things about the American policy towards the Middle East is how Israel seems to always be able to get away with it or at least treated symmetrically with the Palestinians, whether there is cause for such symmetry or not.

»

Creating new reality?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Michael Jansen - (Opinion) October 1, 2009 - 12:00am

Sunday’s clashes at Jerusalem’s Haram Al Sharif between Palestinians and armed Israeli police and soldiers have been either misrepresented or underestimated by the world media. But not by the Palestinian Authority. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad summoned all the foreign representatives to a crisis meeting in Ramallah where he warned of the dangers posed by such events. The Israelis arrested at least 50 Palestinians they said had taken part in the violence that spilled out of the compound into the narrow streets of the Old City.

»

MIDEAST: Riots May Point to Third Palestinian Uprising
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Inter Press Service (IPS)
by Mel Frykberg - September 30, 2009 - 12:00am

EAST JERUSALEM, Sep 30 (IPS) - Palestinian politicians and Israeli political analysts are warning of a third Palestinian Intifadah following serious rioting in East Jerusalem last Sunday. Clashes broke out between Palestinians protesters and Israeli security forces after a group of extremist Israeli settlers, escorted by Israeli soldiers and police, tried to enter the compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine which is situated in Jerusalem's old city.

»

Accounting for Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Mary Robinson - (Opinion) October 1, 2009 - 12:00am

This week, the United Nations Human Rights Council will debate the report of the fact-finding mission led by Judge Richard Goldstone on human rights violations in the Gaza conflict. Let us hope it is a full and fair examination based on the report’s findings and recommendations.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017