July 9th

Verbal Testimony of Dr. Ziad J. Asali - U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Speech by Ziad Asali at - March 4, 2010 - 1:00am

Back to Press Release VERBAL TESTIMONY OF DR. ZIAD J. ASALI President, American Task Force on Palestine U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) March 4, 2010 Mr. Chairman, I wish to thank you and the esteemed members of your Committee for the privilege of testifying before you.


ATFP Senior Fellow on VOA's Encounter Program on the Gaza Flotilla attack
Interview with Hussein Ibish - Voice of America - June 15, 2010 - 12:00am

Topic: Gaza Blockade Controversy


Goodwill moves likely upon PM’s return
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Yaakov Katz - July 9, 2010 - 12:00am


The Defense Ministry is drafting a comprehensive list of confidence-building measures that it anticipates it will be asked to implement after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu returns to Israel on Friday from his meeting with US President Barack Obama, The Jerusalem Post has learned.


PM Netanyahu vows to “take risks," and says peace is possible within one year if direct talks begin, but Palestinians call this a “ploy.” Roger Cohen looks at the deterioration in Israel-Turkey relations. The UN says the West Bank separation barrier is still harming Palestinians and the Guardian profiles an affected village. A leader of protests against the wall remains incarcerated by Israel. Palestinians expect to face US pressure. Pres. Obama urges Israelis to seize the opportunity for peace. Netanyahu indicates he will not extend the settlement moratorium. About 4 million Palestinians are estimated to be living in the occupied territories. A Fatah leader says there has been no progress in proximity talks. Zeev Sternhell says Israel is losing its moral compass. Israelis expect “confidence building measures” to be enacted shortly. A study suggests a link between trauma and violence in Gaza. The Jerusalem Post welcomes Obama's outreach to Israelis. Zuheir Kseibati says Netanyahu made progress with Obama. George Hishmeh says Obama and Netanyahu should read a new book by Susan Abulhawa. Hussein Ibish looks at the ongoing tensions lurking beneath the smiles at the Obama-Netanyahu meeting.

ATFP Senior Fellow on All Things Considered: Israeli Raid Presents Opportunity For Palestinians
Interview with Hussein Ibish - National Public Radio (NPR) - June 7, 2010 - 12:00am

Full transcript below: GUY RAZ, host:Now, the pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC, is proud of its reputation as one of the most powerful advocacy groups in Washington, D.C.


Fatah leader says no progress in proximity talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
July 9, 2010 - 12:00am


A senior Fatah leader said here on Thursday that the Israeli-Palestinians proximity talks did not yield any progress that meets previously set conditions. The meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Tuesday did not provide any good signs, Nabil Shaath, a Fatah Central Committee member, told reporters in Cairo after meeting with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa.


Netanyahu: Mideast deal possible in year if direct peace talks start
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - July 9, 2010 - 12:00am


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Thursday that if direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority begin, it would be possible to reach a peace deal within a year. In his speech to the prestigious foreign-policy think tank, Netanyahu stressed that he did not return to the post of prime minister in order to do nothing and said he was willing to make unprecedented concessions.


Beyond the Occupation: Palestine and the Two-State Solution
Interview with Hussein Ibish - In These Times - July 6, 2010 - 12:00am

In the wake of the Israel Defense Force’s violent interdiction of the Free Gaza movement’s “peace flotilla” on May 30, and Israel’s decision to ease the blockade of Gaza as a result, we present a pro-Palestinian viewpoint that favors peaceful co-existence with the Jewish State.


A society falling apart
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Zeev Sternhell - (Opinion) July 9, 2010 - 12:00am


Among the regimes in the Western world, Israel stands out with certain characteristics that generally do not indicate a strong democratic system. Its parliament is paralyzed, the opposition is nonexistent, and contempt for the law is becoming more pronounced. This not only refers to the unrest caused by the ultra-Orthodox, but also to something much more dangerous, the unrest caused by the settlers.


Study: Trauma influences Gazan terror
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Judy Siegel - July 9, 2010 - 12:00am


An international study of Gazan teens has found that those who most supported terrorism have at least one family member who was wounded or killed by IDF action against terrorism. The team, led by human aggression expert Prof. Jeff Victoroff at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, said that the most militant and aggressive youth are more closely linked to “past trauma and perceived political injustice, rather than to aggression.”



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