October 16th

Israeli envoys stay on in US for talks
Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Jerusalem Post - October 15, 2009 - 12:00am

Two top Israeli officials in town for talks with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell extended their stay Thursday to continue discussions on a potential settlement freeze and the restarting of peace negotiations. Yitzhak Molcho, an envoy from the Prime Minister's Office, and Defense Ministry chief of staff Michael Herzog spoke with Mitchell Wednesday and Thursday but decided to remain in town Friday - an indication that the sides have determined further conversations could be productive following several rounds of US-Israeli talks that failed to yield results.

»

Gen. Jim Jones Reiterates US Commitment to Peace, Palestinian State at ATFP Gala
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - October 16, 2009 - 12:00am




October 14th

The PA pushes a strongly worded UN resolution condemning Israel for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza and provocative steps in Jerusalem, but Ha’aretz argues that the more extreme the resolution is, the better it is for Israel. Prime Minister Fayyad expresses concern that Israel is contemplating a Palestinian “Mickey Mouse state.” 3 Palestinians are wounded in an Israeli air strike on Gaza tunnels. Reports suggest that Fatah officials may already have signed an Egyptian brokered national reconciliation deal. The JTA asks whether or not Israeli ambassador Oren will attend the upcoming J Street conference. In the Washington Post, Former Israeli Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh argues that PM Fayyad’s plan for building de facto Palestinian statehood could bring about “real progress toward a two-state solution.”

Fatah signs reconciliation plan, placing onus on Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

Ramallah – Ma’an – Fatah signed an Egyptian-backed deal for reconciliation with its archrival, the Hamas movement, in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday, senior officials said. Jamal Muheisin, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, told Ma’an that they signed the deal because of the movement’s “positive” outlook on the plan. He also said Fatah official Azzam Al-Ahmad will hand over the signed document Wednesday or Thursday.

»

Palestinian UN draft / The more extreme, the better for Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

We should not get unnerved by the heartbreaking cries coming from Jerusalem regarding Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to appeal to the UN Human Rights Council with an upgraded Goldstone report. Wise men have said in the past, "the worse it is, the better it is." The more extreme the Palestinian offer gets, the chance of it winning support in the West dwindles.

»

Israeli air strike on Gaza tunnels wounds three
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

GAZA, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Israeli warplanes attacked two smuggling tunnels along the Gaza Strip border with Egypt on Wednesday, wounding three tunnellers, Palestinian medical sources and the Israeli army said.   An Israeli army spokeswoman said the attack came in response to a rocket fired by Gaza militants into southern Israel late on Tuesday. It landed in an open field causing no casualties, the army said.

»

Palestinian PM fears Israeli offer of 'Mickey Mouse' state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said on Wednesday he feared Israel intended to create a "Mickey Mouse" Palestinian state on only limited parts of the occupied West Bank.   "You cannot but wonder what it is that Israel has in mind when it talks about a Palestinian state," Fayyad told a press briefing in the West Bank town of Ramallah. "By all appearances, it looks like they have a Mickey Mouse state in mind, and that is not what we are looking for."

»

The Third Mideast Option
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Ephraim Sneh - October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

The difficulties surrounding preparations for the Obama-Netanyahu-Abbas meeting in New York last month should bring the U.S. administration to one conclusion: There is no sense in pressing for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks now. That is not because there is no urgent need of a negotiated agreement -- there certainly is. It is because the political constraints of both leaders, the Palestinian Authority's Mahmoud Abbas and Israel's Binyamin Netanyahu, prevent any progress at the negotiation table.

»

Will Israel’s ambassador attend J street parley?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

J Street has lined up plenty of high-profile speakers for its first major conference, but the new and controversial self-described "pro-Israel, pro-peace" lobby is looking to add one more prominent name to the guest list. The organization -- which has backed U.S. pressure on Israel (and the Palestinians), criticized Israel’s invasion of Gaza and criticized more established pro-Israel groups -- wants Michael Oren, the U.S.-born and raised Israeli ambassador to Washington, to attend and address its first major conference at the end of this month. Oren is undecided.

»

Palestinians urge Israeli punishment over Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Edith M. Lederer - October 14, 2009 - 12:00am

UNITED NATIONS — The Palestinians called Wednesday for global action to punish Israel for alleged war crimes during its military assault on Gaza last winter, warning that the credibility of the United Nations and international human rights law was at stake. The demand was based on the findings of a commission headed by former South African judge Richard Goldstone.

»


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