January 28th

Arab MK slams Holocaust denial, wins praise from Jewish colleagues ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jonathan Lis - January 27, 2010 - 1:00am Israeli Arab MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List - Ta'al), one of the most vocal critics of government policy in the Palestinian territories, evoked praise from his fellow lawmakers after delivering what Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin called "one of the best speeches he has ever heard in the plenum" about the Holocaust. » Read more

Israel names new chief military rabbi ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ben Hubbard - January 27, 2010 - 1:00am Israel on Wednesday appointed a new chief military rabbi to replace a polarizing figure critics say injected a militant mix of religion and nationalism into the secular institution. The new cleric is seen as more moderate than his predecessor, but he's clearly no liberal. Lt. Col. Rafi Peretz is a former Jewish settler in the Gaza Strip and opposed Israel's 2005 withdrawal from the territory. » Read more

Netanyahu sees Israel image boost in Haiti relief ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Jeffrey Heller - January 28, 2010 - 1:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday an Israeli army field hospital that treated earthquake victims in Haiti had given Israel an image boost, after allegations of war crimes in the Gaza conflict. "Especially at a time when there are those plotting against us, distorting facts and slandering us, you showed the real face of the Israel Defence Forces," Netanyahu said at an airport ceremony welcoming home the military medical team. » Read more

Hamas clears itself of UN Gaza war crimes charges ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) January 27, 2010 - 1:00am The Islamist Hamas movement said Wednesday it has investigated allegations in a UN report into last winter's Gaza war and absolved Palestinian armed groups of any atrocities. The UN Human Rights Council report authored by the respected former international prosecutor Richard Goldstone accused both Israel and Palestinian groups of war crimes during the devastating 22-day conflict. » Read more

Palestine must be a secular state ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) January 27, 2010 - 1:00am As Palestinians press the international community to live up to its commitment to ensuring the establishment of an independent Palestine alongside Israel, conversation is intensifying about the character of this new state. In their own interests, Palestinians should buck the regional trend towards religious politics and ensure, from the outset, that it is firmly and irrevocably a secular state. » Read more

Palestine must be a secular state In Print by Hussein Ibish - The Washington Post (Opinion) - January 27, 2010 - 1:00am As Palestinians press the international community to live up to its commitment to ensuring the establishment of an independent Palestine alongside Israel, conversation is intensifying about the character of this new state. In their own interests, Palestinians should buck the regional trend towards religious politics and ensure, from the outset, that it is firmly and irrevocably a secular state. » Read more

PA issues 2010 state-building budget Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In Politico - January 27, 2010 - 1:00am The Palestinian Authority has issued a 2010 budget document laying out a state-building plan. Palestine: Moving Forward: Priority Interventions for 2010, issued this week by the Palestinian Authority finance and planning ministries, is a Palestinian state and institution building program that complements the diplomatic process the Obama administration is trying to revive, the American Task Force for Palestine's Hussein Ibish told POLITICO. » Read more

Clinton urges Israel, Palestinians to plunge into talks Media Mention of Ziad Asali In The Los Angeles Times - January 9, 2010 - 1:00am Reporting from Washington-- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday urged Palestinians and Israelis to plunge into negotiations over the most difficult issues dividing them as a way of breaking an impasse in peace talks. Clinton said negotiations on major issues, such as the borders of a future Palestinian state or the status of Jerusalem, would help defuse the dispute over the growth of Jewish settlements in the West Bank that has obstructed progress toward peace. » Read more

January 27th

ATFP Welcomes, Supports Congressional Letter to Administration on Gaza Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - January 27, 2010 - 1:00am Jan. 27, 2010, Washington DC -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) formally supported and welcomes a letter sent by 54 members of Congress to the administration urging immediate action to ease humanitarian suffering in Gaza. The dear colleague letter was circulated in Congress by Reps. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) and supported by ATFP along with numerous other organizations. The full text of the letter follows and it can also be viewed in its original form here. Read more 1 attachment

PA cabinet expresses 'regret' for not holding elections ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency January 27, 2010 - 1:00am During its weekly cabinet meeting, chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad held on Monday, members said that elections could be held in June, if the Egyptian document is signed immediately. Cabinet members expressed regret for not holding presidential and legislative elections on the constitutionally set date. Members called for a swift national reconciliation that would allow for elections to be conducted, in accordance with the constitution as well as the Egyptian proposal, considering it the guarantee for protecting the Palestinian democratic system and national achievements. » Read more