October 7th

U.S. giving away too much, too early in Mideast peace talks, some say
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Paul Richter - October 7, 2010 - 12:00am

Reporting from Washington Only a month into a new round of peace talks, the Obama administration is drawing criticism from allies and veteran diplomats that it is giving away too much just to keep negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians from collapsing. Administration officials have offered an assortment of inducements to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend a freeze on Jewish construction in the West Bank for two months. Palestinian officials have threatened to break off the talks unless Israel extends the freeze that expired Sept. 26.

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They Need to Talk
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
(Editorial) October 6, 2010 - 12:00am

Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians are in danger of unraveling unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, show more political courage and sense.

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US seeks ways to support Fayyad plan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
(Analysis) October 6, 2010 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON (Ma'an) -- As American-lead efforts to push forward peace talks continue, officials made clear on Wednesday that continued support for the PA was part of the agenda. Meetings between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Middle East Quartet Envoy Tony Blair were used both as a platform for updates on the peace-talk push, but also to review "how to increase support for the Palestinian Authority and the ongoing institutional efforts."

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October 6th

ATFP Hosts Gaza Business Delegation in Washington DC
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - October 6, 2010 - 12:00am

On Friday, October 1, 2010, the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) hosted a delegation of


The New York Times looks at the costs and benefits of the US engagement with Middle East peace. PM Netanyahu is considering a US offer on settlements, but may want more concessions. The Washington Post looks at the role of Dennis Ross. Rabbis from nearby settlements replace Korans at a torched West Bank mosque. Palestinian police run soccer clinics. Hamas militants threaten the PA leadership. Farmers complain they have not been compensated by the PA as promised. International activists help Gazans harvest olives. Amira Hass says Israel "is punishing Palestinians shamelessly." An imam from Nazareth is arrested on various charges. 350 new settler housing units are under construction. Palestinians say the US is working on a three-month settlement freeze extension. Shlomo Ben-Ami says the Palestinian leadership is facing a crisis of legitimacy. Former president Clinton says peace would be a serious blow to terrorism.

Bill Clinton: Mideast peace would undercut terror
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Yahoo News
by Paul Schemm - October 5, 2010 - 12:00am

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said Tuesday that solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would take away much of the motivation for terrorism around the world. He described the long-running conflict as the key problem in the region and said resolving it would have a knock on effect that could result in Syria ending its support for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iran turning back its controversial nuclear program.

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ATFP Senior Fellow Joins APN Spokesman at Peace Event at The Washington Center
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - October 6, 2010 - 12:00am

ATFP Senior Fellow Joins APN Spokesman at Peace Event at The Washington Center On Sept. 20, ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish joined Ori Nir, the spokesman for Americans for Peace Now, at an event hosted by the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars entitled “The Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Why it is a Win-Win for Israelis, Palestinians and the United States.” More than 200 students, interns and others listened to the two explaining why all responsible parties have a vested interest in a two-state peace agreement.


For Netanyahu to accept new freeze, U.S. might have to sweeten the deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Leslie Susser - (Analysis) October 5, 2010 - 12:00am

Following reports of an unprecedented U.S. offer of a host of assurances in return for a 60-day extension of the freeze on building in West Bank settlements, some political analysts are wondering why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not grabbed the deal with both hands. According to the reports, President Obama is offering Netanyahu pledges that the United States will: * Not ask for additional extensions on the partial ban on settlement building, which expired Sept. 26;

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Netanyahu, Abbas and the legitimacy deficit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Shlomo Ben-Ami - (Opinion) October 6, 2010 - 12:00am

Since its inception in Oslo almost two decades ago, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been stymied by the dysfunctional political systems of both sides. Hostage of an impossible coalition and of a settlement movement of freelance fanatics, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu's leadership is seriously compromised. His Palestinian counterparts are hardly in a better position.

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PA: US working on 3-month freeze extension to save talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh, Ruth Eglash - October 5, 2010 - 12:00am

The Palestinian Authority said on Tuesday that it had won the backing of Egypt, Jordan and several other Arab countries for its refusal to return to the negotiating table unless Israel extended the moratorium on settlement construction. The announcement was made following a meeting in Cairo between PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. A senior PA official in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post that the US administration was now talking about the possibility of extending the moratorium by an additional three months to avoid the collapse of the peace talks.

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