September 3rd

In Israel's Sderot, a reprieve from rockets, but not fear
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

During nearly a decade of intermittent attacks from Gaza, Mivtzah Kadesh Street became infamous in this battered town as a frequent target for rockets as well as a bombed-out backdrop for visits from foreign VIPs expressing solidarity. Now, eight months after Israel's Gaza offensive to punish Hamas for attacks, Sderot's wrecked homes have been largely rebuilt. But after eight years of being on constant alert for unpredictable rocket attacks, it has not been as easy for Sderot's 19,000 residents to restore their peace of mind.

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Israelis and Palestinians talking again after months-long freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Richard Boudreaux - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

Reporting from Jerusalem - In a limited thaw of a frosty relationship, Israeli and Palestinian officials held their first high-level meeting in months Wednesday and discussed ways to bolster a promising economic recovery in the West Bank. The encounter was part of a shift by the West Bank-based Palestinian leadership, which previously shunned contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. That position was out of step with the Obama administration, which is seeking to bring the sides together.

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Low Expectations May Be Helpful for Mideast Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

For a process that evokes little optimism on either side, there is an awful lot of diplomatic activity just now aimed at restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Two high-level Israeli officials are in Washington trying to finalize a modified settlement freeze with the American Mideast envoy George Mitchell. The Israeli national security adviser just visited the Jordanian capital to meet with King Abdullah. Hamas officials are in Cairo talking about what they want to release an Israeli soldier they are holding.

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Low Expectations May Be Helpful for Mideast Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

For a process that evokes little optimism on either side, there is an awful lot of diplomatic activity just now aimed at restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Two high-level Israeli officials are in Washington trying to finalize a modified settlement freeze with the American Mideast envoy George Mitchell. The Israeli national security adviser just visited the Jordanian capital to meet with King Abdullah. Hamas officials are in Cairo talking about what they want to release an Israeli soldier they are holding.

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U.S., Israel Grow More Confident of Talks with Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal
by Charles Levinson, Jay Solomon - September 3, 2009 - 12:00am

Optimism is growing within the U.S. and Israeli governments that direct peace talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the Palestinian Authority could begin as early as this fall, said diplomats involved in the process. Negotiations between the U.S. and Israel over freezing Israel's settlements in Palestinian territories remain contentious, and it isn't certain a compromise will emerge that will allow the three parties and Israel's Arab neighbors to move forward on other issues.

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September 2nd

ATFP Senior Fellow Remarks at Middle East Peace Civic Forum
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - September 1, 2009 - 12:00am

ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish speaking at an August 5, 2009 press conference at the National Press Club organized by the Middle East Peace Civic Forum, a group that promotes Israeli - Palestinian conflict resolution through an interfaith alliance of peace leaders in the U.S. and the Middle East.


US Middle East envoy George Mitchell is due to meet with Israeli diplomats today to discuss a possible settlement freeze, but an Israeli cabinet minister says Prime Minister Netanyahu has pledged not to make any such commitment. Palestinian and Israeli ministers hold economic talks in Jerusalem. Amira Hass argues that the outcry over violent crimes in Israel obscures the deeper violence of the occupation. Hamas and Israel continue to bicker over a possible prisoner exchange involving captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. A senior Israeli rabbi declares that Jews who sell land to Arabs are “enemies.” Israeli and West Bank mayors pitch a joint economic development plan. Moment magazine tracks the evolution of Palestinian identity among some Arab citizens of Israel.

From Arab to Palestinian Israeli: One family's changing identity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Moment Magazine
by Dina Kraft - September 2, 2009 - 12:00am

It’s been almost three years since Shams Kalboni renamed herself. She grew up with the modern Hebrew name Revital, which means “quenched thirst.” It was given to her by her Arab parents in the hope it would pave her way to an easier life in Israeli society. And as Shams walks past blossoming purple bougainvillea plants, up the stairs and onto the veranda of her grandmother’s house in Jaffa, calls of “Revital” and “Revi” still greet her as she is embraced by aunts and cousins.

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Moment of truth for Obama
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Osama Al-Sharif - September 2, 2009 - 12:00am

The moment of truth is approaching for President Barack Obama’s much hyped initiative to re-launch the Middle East peace talks with the objective of creating an independent Palestinian entity based on the two-state solution. He is expected to present the outline of his plan at the UN’s General Assembly meetings in New York this September.

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A promise to keep with Gaza’s people
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
September 2, 2009 - 12:00am

Six months after the world’s top diplomats met at Sharm el Sheikh to pledge massive amounts of assistance to war-torn Gaza, there is little on the ground to show that their commitment has had any effect. The magnitude of the devastation that descended upon the Gazan people earlier this year is difficult to overstate. The UN estimates that as many as 14,000 homes and 240 schools have been destroyed and too little has been done to alleviate the suffering of the nearly 1.5 million Palestinians who overcrowd the tiny strip of territory.

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