May 10th

Camp committees: UNRWA reduced aid by 70%
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 9, 2010 - 12:00am

West Bank refugee camp committees have accused UNRWA of reducing food aid to Palestinian refugees by 70 percent. Following an emergency session of Nablus and northern West Bank refugee camp committees, Nablus-area refugee camp coordinator Ibrahim Saqr said UNRWA had not adhered to its duties laid out in previous agreements. "After two months, the emergency support program failed to cope with the demands of needy families in refugee camps and has several shortcomings which were reported to more than one UN official on several occasions," said Saqr.

»

Israeli air force strikes Gaza tunnels
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 10, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli warplanes struck what a military spokesman described as "two terror sites" in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday morning, destroying two smuggling tunnels with no injuries reported. The spokesman said the strikes were in response to projectile fire from Gaza on Saturday night. The Jerusalem Post reported a single home-made projectile landed in Israel at approximately 11pm on the night in question, but no Gaza factions have claimed the assault. The last time a projectile hit Israel, a Thai worker was killed just outside of Ashkelon, over one month ago.


ISRAEL: Netanyahu's government reaches out in Arabic
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Batsheva Sobelman - May 10, 2010 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bureau is upgrading its public diplomacy efforts with the appointment of an Arabic-language spokesman. Ofir Gendelman, formerly the Arabic media spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign affairs, will from now on be entrusted with getting Israel's message out in Arabic too. A news release from the prime minister's office last week said the appointment was important in order to deal with "recent media developments in the Arab world and especially in light of global developments regarding Arabic language television stations."

»

U.S.-Brokered Mideast Shuttle Talks Begin Again
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - May 9, 2010 - 12:00am

The Obama administration announced Sunday that indirect, American-brokered talks had resumed between Israel and the Palestinians, capping a year of efforts by Washington to revive the peace process. The American special envoy to the region, George J. Mitchell, is expected to shuttle between the two sides over the next four months as mediator of the so-called proximity talks. They are aimed at forging a joint vision of the outlines of a solution based on the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

»

A Conversation with President Mahmud Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Ali El-saleh - May 10, 2010 - 12:00am

Asharq Al-Awsat- This interview- the sixth of its kind with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas (Abu-Mazin) since he assumed the presidency in 2005- took place away from the presidential headquarters, or what is called Al-Maqataah in Ramallah, which witnesses most of the interviews conducted by Asharq Al-Awsat whether with Abu-Mazin or his predecessor the late Yasser Arafat.

»

May 7th

Advocacy Director Ghaith Al-Omari participates in "The Jerusalem Old City Initiative: Sustainable Governance Solutions" panel
Press Release - Contact Information: Ghaith al-Omari - May 7, 2010 - 12:00am

On May 5th, ATFP Advocacy Director Ghaith Al-Omari participated in a panel discussion entitled "The Jerusalem Old City Initiative: Sustainable Governance Solutions".


Roger Cohen says Israelis are trapped between security and anxiety. The Washington Post profiles Israeli settlement activity in Jerusalem. In a new poll, 60% of Palestinians favor proximity talks, huge leads for Fatah over Hamas. The Arab Bank closes two out of three Gaza branches due to Hamas policies. Bethlehem prepares for the second Palestine Investment Conference. Special Envoy Mitchell meets PM Netanyahu. Hamas condemns Pres. Abbas for opposing violence. Ha'aretz analyzes the list of goods banned from Gaza by Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry is working closely with an ultra-right wing organization on Palestinian "incitement." Israel's Vice-Premier says talks are doomed to failure. Avi Shlaim and Simon Mohun say the OECD must put conditions on Israel's membership. An Israeli general is accused of a cover-up in the death of Rachel Corrie. Patrick Seale says the US extracted valuable concessions from Israel but Palestinians may squander them. Rami Khouri looks at the debate on the pro-Israel lobby. George Hishmeh says Walt and Mearsheimer disagree about the viability of a two-state solution. Daoud Kuttab says Arabs are pessimistic about Israel but see hope in the US. Alon Ben-Meir says Arab states should re-prioritize the Arab Peace Initiative.

Israel lobby part of the debate
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) May 7, 2010 - 12:00am

One of the fascinating aspects of recent tensions between the American and Israeli governments over Washington’s Middle Eastern diplomacy has been a sea change in the public posture of what is usually called “the Israeli lobby” in the United States. This phrase refers to a very sophisticated, extensive and successful web of American organisations and individuals working to shape American foreign policy so that it favours the prevalent Israeli rather than Arab view of things.

»

Mitchell's moment of truth
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Patrick Seale - (Opinion) May 7, 2010 - 12:00am

George Mitchell, US President Barack Obama's special envoy to the Middle East, deserves a modest round of applause. His patient coaxing of Israelis and Palestinians over the past 15 months is about to bear fruit: indirect talks between the parties are due to begin within days. There is no denying, however, the intense distrust with which both sides view the coming negotiations or the yawning gap between their positions. Mitchell's hard work is about to begin.

»

Put conditions on Israel's OECD entry
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Avi Shlaim - (Opinion) May 7, 2010 - 12:00am

In the absence of any last-minute objections, Israel will be welcomed as a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development at its annual ministerial council in Paris on 26-28 May. A successful outcome to the long-standing Israeli campaign to be admitted to the OECD would be hailed by Israeli government ministers as a major diplomatic triumph at a time when they have come under growing global criticism for the policy of building settlements on occupied Palestinian land.

»


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