November 13th

Under Lieberman, Foreign Ministry drops peace initiatives as goal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - November 13, 2009 - 1:00am

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has set priorities for his ministry that apparently are at odds with those of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While Netanyahu is trying to convince U.S. President Barack Obama that he is sincere about advancing the peace process on the principle of two states for two peoples, the foreign ministry's written goals don't even mention the word "Palestinians." The ministry has also dropped assisting Israelis abroad from its list of goals.

»

IDF Chief: Israel will fight in Gaza again if needed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
November 13, 2009 - 1:00am

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said Friday that the army would not hesitate to respond if Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip continued to fire rockets at Israel. "We are prepared to contend with the whole arc of threats," Ashkenazi told students during a visit to a Be'er Sheva high school, citing both the local defense situation as well as Iran's contentious nuclear program.

»

Hamas, Fatah spar over elections delay
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 13, 2009 - 1:00am

The Central Elections Commission does not have the capacity to hold elections on 24 January, the body's chairman Hanna Nasser announced on Thursday. Nasser said in a Ramallah news conference that the commission sent a letter to President Mahmoud Abbas explaining the situation, and noting that it is not up to the commission to decide when to hold elections, if they are not held on the 24th. The decision will effectively postpone Palestinian presidential and legislative elections to an unknown date.

»

Palestinian killed by Israeli fire in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 13, 2009 - 1:00am

Israeli forces killed a young Palestinian man and injured three others in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday. Among the injured were two brothers, according to medics, who said the shooting occurred in the Johr Ad-Dik area and that another Palestinian was hospitalized. There were conflicting reports on what led to the incident. Palestinian witnesses said the group was on a hunting trip near the border east of Al-Bureij refugee camp when Israeli forces opened fire. Local medics said the fire was directed at the youths.

»

Israelis seen backing possible talks with Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
November 13, 2009 - 1:00am

More than half of Israelis would support peace talks with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas if it recognised Israel, a poll published on Friday said. The results of the survey conducted by the Israeli Dialog Institute seemed to suggest Israelis were blaming Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a Hamas rival, for a deadlock in peace talks, more than Israel's rightist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Haaretz newspaper wrote.

»

Fayyad plan for Palestinian state is risky
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI)
(Analysis) November 11, 2009 - 1:00am

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has a plan to establish a de facto Palestinian state in the West Bank by 2011, throwing 16 years of futile peacemaking out the window. This is a risky business because it frightens the Israelis as well as his Palestinian opponents. When Fayyad first unveiled his plans in August, U.S. President Barack Obama's administration gave it the green light and deposited $200 million into the Palestinian Authority's treasury, which Fayyad controls.

»

Mideast radicals fill space left by peace impasse
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Marjorie Olster - November 13, 2009 - 1:00am

Iran's closest allies in the Middle East are seizing on a deadlock in U.S.-backed peace efforts to try to sway a frustrated Arab world to their side.

»

Israel challenged on Gazan's ejection from West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Howard Schneider - November 13, 2009 - 1:00am

Gaza-born Berlanty Azzam, 21, was two months from receiving her bachelor's degree from Bethlehem University when the past caught up with her. During a routine stop at a West Bank checkpoint on Oct. 28, an Israeli guard noticed Gaza City as the town of residence on her ID, placed her under arrest for being in the West Bank without permission and, within hours, had her deported back to the Gaza Strip, blindfolded briefly and in handcuffs.

»

Palestinian Officials Push for Delay in Elections
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - November 12, 2009 - 1:00am

Palestinian presidential and parliamentary elections cannot be held on their scheduled date in January, Palestinian Authority election officials said Thursday. The announcement removed some of the immediate uncertainty surrounding the future of the current president, Mahmoud Abbas, who said recently that he would not run for a second term.

»

November 12th

At Arafat memorial, Pres. Abbas reaffirms Palestinian determination for statehood, lays out strict conditions for talks. French leaders voice doubts about Israeli interest in peace. Hamas may sign Egyptian reconciliation proposal by end of the month, and Fatah leaders say the scheduled election may be postponed. Israeli settlers go on tree felling spree, build fences to keep Palestinians off of their own land in the occupied West Bank. The Guardian highlights the plight of Palestinian student Berlanty Azzam deported by Israel from the West Bank to Gaza and the implications of this practice. Reports suggest Pres. Obama asked PM Netanyahu at their meeting to take steps to bolster Abbas in light of his possible resignation. Numerous commentaries argue that the peace process is hopelessly deadlocked. Ameen Estaiteyeh says that ATFP deserves more recognition as a pro-Palestine, pro-peace organization. The Media Line interviews ATFP President Ziad Asali.

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