April 16th

Palestinians see return of Israeli military rule in eviction order
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 15, 2010 - 12:00am

A senior Palestinian official on Thursday said the recent Israeli decision to evict people from the West Bank aimed to exert Israeli military rule on the Palestinian- controlled territory again. "The real context of the decision is the return of the Israeli military rule, which has ended according to Oslo peace accords between Israel and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1993, " said Tayeb Abdul Rahim, secretary general of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

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Gaza executions condemned
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 16, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups have denounced Thursday's executions of two collaborators in Gaza. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights reiterated in a statement its position rejecting the death penalty, which it called "a grave and unjustified violation of the right to life and a form of torture and cruel and inhumane treatment." The Ministry of the Interior in Gaza executed by firing squad Nasser Salama Abu Fraih, 35, from Jabaliya and Mohammed Ibrahim Isma'il (As-Sabe), 36, from Rafah.

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Israeli fire kills 1 east of Gaza City
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 16, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian operative in the Gaza Strip on Friday morning, Palestinian and Israeli security sources said, following witness accounts of heavy fire. Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades said its operatives clashed with Israeli forces along the Gaza-Israel border on Friday. In a statement, the armed wing reported that at 6am, its forces acted defensively against an undercover Israeli force that entered Gaza. Israeli forces reportedly opened fire at the Al-Aqsa fighters, killing one. Another affiliate remained missing Friday afternoon, the group said.

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'Collaborator' executions heighten political tensions in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Janine Zacharia - April 16, 2010 - 12:00am

The Gaza Strip's Hamas-led government on Thursday executed two Palestinians convicted of aiding Israel in the assassination of Palestinian militants, a move that highlighted the deep divisions that endure between the two main Palestinian political factions.

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Hussein Ibish Debates As'ad Ghanem on the One-State Agenda at U. of Maryland
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - April 16, 2010 - 12:00am

ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish debated Prof. As'ad Ghanem of Haifa University on the two-state versus one-state agenda at the University of Maryland on April 14, 2010.


King Abdullah II of Jordan with Chicago Tribune Editorial Board
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Chicago Tribune
April 16, 2010 - 12:00am

King Abdullah II of Jordan visited the Tribune's editorial board Thursday to discuss challenges in the Middle East and the peace process. Excerpts: Tribune: What should the United States be doing to advance the Middle East peace process?

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April 15th

Secretary Clinton Reaffirms US support for two-state solution
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - April 15, 2010 - 12:00am

In remarks delivered at the Daniel S. Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strongly restated US support for “two tracks in the Middle East - negotiations between the parties aimed at reaching a two-state solution and also institution building that lays the necessary foundations for a future state.” She emphasized that "the only people who benefit from continued conflict are those who traffic in hate and violence, who exploit and inflame old enmities to advance their own goals at the expense of real progress for the region.


ATFP Senior Fellow Lectures at George Washington University
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - April 15, 2010 - 12:00am

ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish lectured on internal Palestinian politics and the dynamics of Palestinian-Israeli peace at George Washington University on April 13, 2010. Ibish traced the development of the present Palestinian national consensus on pursuing a negotiated two state peace agreement with Israel from the origins of the revivified Palestinian national movement in the late 60s. He told the students that the Palestinian national movement was largely dormant after the obliteration of all Palestinian institutions following the 1948 war and the establishment of the state of Israel.


A US representative to the UN strongly reaffirms US commitment to a two state solution and Pres. Obama declares this "a vital national security interest." Hamas denies closing Gaza tunnels and Egypt opens the Rafah crossing. Hamas executes two Palestinians. Israel is considering more settlement construction in occupied East Jerusalem. WJC President Lauder questions US commitment to Israel's security. Ha'aretz reports that Obama is skeptical about Netanyahu's willingness and ability on peace. Settlers uproot 300 olive trees. David Axelrod says a two state solution is in Israel's interests. Israel prepares soldiers for more settler violence. Palestinians increasingly adopt nonviolent protests. Carlo Strenger says any new US peace plan must deal with theological problems. George Hishmeh says Netanyahu's intransigence undermines Obama. Michael Jansen says Israel's new expulsion orders in the West Bank are another violation of international law. Daoud Kuttab describes how Palestinians are affected by Israeli military rule.

Israel's intransigence undermines Obama
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) April 15, 2010 - 12:00am

Benjamin Netanyahu has done it again. The Israeli prime minister dug his head deep into the sand on the eve of the international conference on nuclear security held in Washington, for fear that Turkey, Egypt and others would raise the issue of Israel's unmonitored nuclear arsenal.

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