October 22nd

Ex-U.S. envoy: Livni told Palestinians to reject Olmert peace offer
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
October 22, 2009 - 12:00am

uring her tenure as foreign minister, Tzipi Livni advised the Palestinian Authority to reject then-prime minister Ehud Olmert's proposals for a peace agreement, former U.S. ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk said on Thursday. "The prime minister was about to have an indictment filed against him and the foreign minister herself specifically told both the Americans and the Palestinians: Don't you dare sign the agreement," Indyk said, during a panel discussion at President Shimon Peres' Presidential Conference in Jerusalem.

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Wexler’s Move May Lead to More Active Role for Think Tanks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - October 21, 2009 - 12:00am

Florida Democrat Robert Wexler’s recent decision to leave Congress and join a Washington policy center dealing with Middle East peace left many in this status-crazed city baffled. It is not every day that a successful politician chooses to resign midterm. An aftershock was also felt in the smaller think-tank community, where the entry of a new player could scramble the hierarchy of those struggling to shape American policy toward the region.

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Israeli warplanes strike Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from
October 22, 2009 - 12:00am

Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Israeli military said its warplanes bombed two smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip and a building that it alleged was used to produce weapons near Gaza City early on Thursday morning. No injuries were reported in the strikes. The Israeli military spokesperson also said that it verified that the targets were accurately hit.

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Israel joins US for defence drill
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
October 22, 2009 - 12:00am

The exercise will focus on providing a joint defence against a simulated co-ordinated missile attack on Israel. Up to 2,000 joint military personnel are believed to be taking part, along with at least 15 American ships. The Israeli army said the exercise was not a "response to any world events" but had been planned for a while. It is thought that a highly sophisticated new American radar, based in the Israeli desert, will be central to the exercise. Two-fold significance

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US envoy: Lip service for Mideast peace not enough
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Josef Federman - October 22, 2009 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — The Obama administration's ambassador to the United Nations told Israelis on Wednesday that it is not enough just to pay "lip service" to peace and urged the government to immediately relaunch negotiations, without preconditions, aimed at creating an independent Palestinian state. Ambassador Susan Rice, in an address at a high-powered conference hosted by Israeli President Shimon Peres, assured Israelis — many of whom are wary of Obama's Mideast agenda — that her government is committed to their security.

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No way home: The tragedy of the Palestinian diaspora
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Judith Miller, David Samuels - October 22, 2009 - 12:00am

It is a cynical but time-honoured practice in Middle Eastern politics: the statesmen who decry the political and humanitarian crisis of the approximately 3.9 million Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and in Gaza ignore the plight of an estimated 4.6 million Palestinians who live in Arab countries. For decades, Arab governments have justified their decision to maintain millions of stateless Palestinians as refugees in squalid camps as a means of applying pressure to Israel.

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Goods Flood Gaza’s Tunnels, Turning Border Area Into a Shopping Mecca
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Rafah Journal
by Taghreed El-Khodary - October 21, 2009 - 12:00am

RAFAH, Gaza — Dusty sacks filled with cans of Coca-Cola were being loaded onto trucks by young boys, headed for supermarkets in Gaza City. Thousands of motorcycles were lined up on display in a nearby stadium, ranging in price from $2,000 to $10,000.

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Press Release: The PLO, the Hijab, the Government, Security and Elections.
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from AWRAD
by Nader Said - (Analysis) October 17, 2009 - 12:00am

Margin of error: +3 % Field work dates: September 31 – October 3, 2009 Publication Date: Saturday - October 17, 2009 (1200 questionnaire in the West Bank and Gaza)

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October 21st

J Street and the ATFP are norm breakers
Media Mention of ATFP In The Daily Star - October 21, 2009 - 12:00am

In “Transforming America’s Israeli Lobby,” Dan Fleshler argues that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is not helping Israel’s long-term interests and it is not properly reflecting the progressive sentiments of the American Jewish community. Fleshler explains the complexity of the Jewish lobby in America and urges congress to listen to all shades of Jewish opinion, not only to AIPAC.

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Israel hardens its stance on the Goldstone report and will seek to change the international laws of war, although its cabinet is split on an internal independent inquiry. China joins Russia and the US in pledging to block consideration of the report at the Security Council. Goldstone writes that Israel could defuse the crisis by launching its own internal investigation. Pres. Abbas says that he will announce elections for Jan. 24, despite objections from Hamas. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says the US should blame Israel for stalled peace talks. Prime Minister Fayyad reiterates that the occupation must end. The JTA analyzes the tense Obama-Netanyahu relationship. An original ATFP translation of an article printed in several Arab newspapers by Khairallah Khairallah and another from the Arab News profile last week's ATFP Gala.

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