ATFP President to Testify at House Committee Hearing on Gaza
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - February 9, 2009 - 1:00am

Washington, DC, Feb. 9 – American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) President and Founder Dr. Ziad Asali will testify before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia at a hearing entitled "Gaza After the War: What Can Be Built on the Wreckage?" In his testimony, Dr. Asali will focus on the need for political progress towards a two-state solution, the human and political impact of the war in Gaza, ways to ensure that such events do not recur, and mechanisms and modalities for the efficient and expedited reconstruction of Gaza.


The Washington Post reports on the various obstacles delaying rebuilding in Gaza (1). With Israeli elections only two days away, a still-tight race prompts discussion (2) (3) (9). The UN resumes delivery of aid to Gaza after Hamas returns the food it had seized last week (4). An op-ed by Thomas Friedman speculates on where Middle East peace will fit amongst President Obama’s priorities (5). A pair of articles discuss the challenges ahead for Mideast envoy George Mitchell (6) (12) Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says that a broader ceasefire agreement may be achieved in the next week (10). A new poll published in Haaretz shows that only a quarter of Gazans are in support of Hamas (13).

A Hard-Liner Gains Ground in Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - February 8, 2009 - 1:00am

Last year, he suggested publicly that Egypt’s president “go to hell.” In the Israeli parliamentary elections, to be held Tuesday, he is running on a vow to require Arab citizens to sign a loyalty oath. As his campaign slogan asserts with a sly wink at Jewish voters, Avigdor Lieberman “knows how to speak Arabic.”

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Good Luck George Mitchell - You'll Need It!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times
by Reema I. Ali - February 9, 2009 - 1:00am

It appears that George Mitchell, who has everyone's respect, has been dealt in the Middle East conflict as good a hand as U.S. President Barack Obama has in the U.S. economic crisis. The stakes are high, yet the players would like to continue the game in the good old ways! Just as the president would need all the brain power to assist him in negotiating the tough turns so does Mitchell.

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Playing With Fire
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times
February 9, 2009 - 1:00am

Both Israel and Hamas are playing dangerous games, the outcome of which could lead to a major confrontation in the Middle East. First, Hamas: Encouraged by their "victory" in the last confrontation with Israel, Hamas continues to lob the occasional rocket on Israel. Perhaps it's their way of reminding the Israelis that they remain a force to contend with. However, it would benefit Hamas to study carefully Israel's last two wars - the war with Hezbollah in 2006 and the recent war with Hamas in Gaza.

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Israeli election: the settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Peter Beaumont - February 9, 2009 - 1:00am

The settlements on the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law, a stumbling block to successive peace proposals. On the day I see Beni Raz I traverse the spine of Israel's settlements in the West Bank from west of the Palestinian town of Qalqilya to Jerusalem. There are the Jerusalem settlements that probe into the Arab neighbourhoods in the city's Arab east, pushing between the towns and villages. Prising them apart.

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UN to resume aid supplies to Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC World News
February 9, 2009 - 1:00am

The UN's Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) halted aid on Thursday, saying Hamas had taken hundreds of tonnes of aid from shipments of flour and rice. An Unrwa spokesman said deliveries were not expected to resume until after Tuesday's Israeli elections. The Gaza Strip is facing a humanitarian crisis following Israel's recent three-week offensive. About half of Gaza's population is dependent on UN food aid. Israel intensified a blockade on the Gaza Strip 19 months ago when Hamas took over the territory.

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Beyond the Banks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Thomas L. Friedman - February 7, 2009 - 1:00am

Visiting Israel, I’ve been peppered with questions from Israelis and Palestinians about where their peace process will fit in among President Obama’s priorities. My guess, I’ve answered, is that President Obama has three immediate priorities: banks, banks and banks — and none of them are the West Bank.

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Can Obama envoy George Mitchell kick-start Mideast peace?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Mark Rice-Oxley - February 9, 2009 - 1:00am

Few people can kick off a résumé like this: "1995-99: solved one of the world's most durable and intractable conflicts." So when President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were casting around for a peace envoy for the Middle East, George Mitchell was the obvious choice. Who better to deploy than someone experienced in the tortuous dealmaking that defused a comparable crisis and steered Northern Ireland toward a (sometimes frosty) civility?

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A Hard-Liner Gains Ground in Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - February 8, 2009 - 1:00am

Last year, he suggested publicly that Egypt’s president “go to hell.” In the Israeli parliamentary elections, to be held Tuesday, he is running on a vow to require Arab citizens to sign a loyalty oath. As his campaign slogan asserts with a sly wink at Jewish voters, Avigdor Lieberman “knows how to speak Arabic.”

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