February 11th

ATFP to Testify in Congressional Hearing on Gaza, Warned in June Against Looming War Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - February 11, 2009 - 1:00am Washington, DC, Feb. 11 – American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) President Dr. Ziad J. 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?" The hearing will be held Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 9:30 AM in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington DC. It hearing will be streamed live online and can be seen at: http://www.internationalrelations.house.gov/ Read more

February 10th

Abbas, Bush stress need for peace push Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Jerusalem Post - September 25, 2008 - 12:00am Sep. 25, 2008 AP and HILARY LEILA KRIEGER , THE JERUSALEM POST US President George W. Bush told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday that the United States has not given up hope on an agreement to create a Palestinian state. "I appreciate your determination and your desire to have a Palestinian state," Bush told Abbas in front of reporters before a White House meeting. "I share that desire with you. It's not easy." » Read more

Israel’s Political Situation Dims Hopes for Peace Deal Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The New York Times - August 1, 2008 - 12:00am WASHINGTON — The official line in Washington, Jerusalem and Ramallah is that the decision by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel to resign will not affect American efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians before the end of the year. » Read more

Olmert departure makes Mideast peace more elusive Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In Reuters - July 31, 2008 - 12:00am By Arshad Mohammed - Analysis WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's decision to step down makes the already improbable U.S. goal of achieving a comprehensive Israel-Palestinian peace deal this year even more elusive, analysts said on Thursday. But it might create a little more space for negotiating a partial deal or, perhaps, a document marking any progress that may have been made by Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and their negotiating teams. » Read more

Amid Pessimism on Peace Prospects, Rice Meets Parties in Last-Ditch Push for Accord Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Jewish Daily Forward - July 30, 2008 - 12:00am By Nathan Guttman Washington — As top Israeli, Palestinian and American negotiators prepared for a July 30 meeting in a last-ditch attempt to reach an agreement on the establishment of a Palestinian state by the end of the year, expectations of a breakthrough are decidedly low in their respective capitals. » Read more

Making Sense of the Arab-Israel Nightmare Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In - June 28, 2008 - 12:00am On June 27th, the New America Foundation and the Century Foundation co-hosted “Making Sense of the Arab-Israel Nightmare”, an event which aimed to investigate the status quo, the future available to the Bush Administration, and a measure of “crystal ball gazing” into what one can hope for from the next Administration Special Assistant to Ambassador Morton Abramowitz at the Century Foundation, Jonathan Kolieb, hosted a Q&A-style session with three former practitioners in a lively discussion that explored the lessons to be learned from the current » Read more

In Search for Peace, a Shrinking White House Role Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Washington Post - March 3, 2008 - 1:00am Ghaith al-Omari, a former adviser to Abbas and now advocacy director for the American Task Force on Palestine, faulted the Bush administration for not nurturing a process that it started. He noted that the administration has appointed three generals to assess various aspects of the issue, but that few people in the region understand their roles. Rice's two-day visit this week is her first substantive trip since the conference in November. » Read more

Egypt opens its borders Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Washington Post - January 3, 2008 - 1:00am By ELLEN KNICKMEYE and GLENN KESSLER, The Washington Post CAIRO, Egypt – Egypt opened its main crossing into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to allow more than 2,000 Palestinian pilgrims – including at least one official of the armed Hamas movement – to return to their homes there, outraging Israel in a growing dispute over border security. » Read more

U.S. to free up aid to Palestinians In balancing act, millions go to Abbas, needy in Gaza Strip Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Chicago Tribune - June 21, 2007 - 12:00am WASHINGTON - The Bush administration promised direct financial aid Monday to a new WestBank-based Palestinian government that is amenable to peace with Israel, whileoffering indirect humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza following theterritory’s takeover by the militant Hamas organization. » Read more

U.S. Lifts Embargo To Help Abbas Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Washington Post - June 19, 2007 - 12:00am Palestinian Leader Wins Support Amid Turmoil By Glenn Kessler Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, June 19, 2007; A01 » Read more