April 29th

Abbas meets Israeli Peace Initiative delegates
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 29, 2011 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas met Thursday with the leadership of the Israel Peace Initiative at his government headquarters in Ramallah, where he heard their presentation of a regional peace initiative. The group met a day after officials in Cairo announced a unity "understanding" between rival parties Fatah and Hamas, which will see the creation of a technocratic government to oversee the transition to the first government elections since 2006.

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Egypt sends invites for signing ceremony
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 28, 2011 - 12:00am

The Egyptian government sent invitations on Thursday to Palestinian political parties for the signing of the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement, in a ceremony to be held next Tuesday in Cairo. The event will be used to set an implementation mechanism for the unity deal, to be approved by all political groups. Factions welcomed the invitations, and prepared to send delegations to Egypt.

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Arab spring pushes Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah to reconcile
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Kristen Chick - April 27, 2011 - 12:00am

Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah say they've agreed to end a four-year rift. If the agreement holds, it could pave the way for the first Palestinian elections since 2006 and end a period of simmering hostilities that have weakened both the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas government in Gaza. In a deal brokered by Egypt, the two sides agreed in principle to form an interim government made up of “independents” and to hold elections in a year, officials said at a press conference. Officials said they would formally ink the deal within weeks.

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Palestinian unity deal gives Netanyahu new line of attack
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - April 28, 2011 - 12:00am

After months of playing defense against a Palestinian campaign for international recognition of statehood, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may now have a new line of attack. The Palestinian reconciliation deal announced in Cairo yesterday would pave the way for a unity government between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party and Hamas, considered a terrorist group by Israel, the US, and the European Union.

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Obama and 'the Jewish lobby of one'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) April 29, 2011 - 12:00am

Among the most durable pieces of conventional wisdom circulating in Washington these days is that President Obama would never risk a confrontation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (when he comes to town in May) out of fear of angering Israel's supporters in America a year before the U.S. presidential election. The notion that domestic politics and the pro-Israel community hold the president's Middle East policy hostage seems to bind Washington like a hard-and-fast political law of gravity. The only problem is it's dead wrong and dangerous.

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Abbas seeks to allay fears on accord with Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Joel Greenberg - April 28, 2011 - 12:00am

A day after his Fatah movement initialed a reconciliation agreement with militant Islamist group Hamas, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sought Thursday to counter warnings from Israel and suggestions in Washington that the accord would undermine peace efforts. Meeting at his headquarters with a group of Israeli businessmen and former security chiefs advocating an Israeli peace initiative, Abbas gave assurances that the Palestine Liberation Organization, which he heads, would still be responsible for handling negotiations.

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In Shift, Egypt Warms to Iran and Hamas, Israel’s Foes
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by David Kirkpatrick - April 28, 2011 - 12:00am

Egypt is charting a new course in its foreign policy that has already begun shaking up the established order in the Middle East, planning to open the blockaded border with Gaza and normalizing relations with two of Israel and the West’s Islamist foes, Hamas and Iran.

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Palestinian Factions Give Differing Views of Unity Pact
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - April 28, 2011 - 12:00am

A day after the two main Palestinian factions announced surprise plans for a unity government, the challenge of bringing together two rival parties with distinct ideologies burst into view, with each side presenting a different picture of what the accord means and what produced it. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, said Thursday that because he was also chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization he remained in charge of peace efforts with Israel. The future unity government, he said, will have only two functions, to rebuild Gaza and set up elections within a year.

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April 28th

Fatah and Hamas announced the outlines of a possible national reconciliation agreement. The US may be reconsidering aid to Palestinians as a consequence, key members of Congress warn. The White House says any new Palestinian government must renounce terrorism and recognize Israel. Jackson Diehl says if the agreement is implemented it will mean the Palestinians are walking away from the peace process. Pres. Abbas' office dismisses criticism from PM Netanyahu. FM Lieberman says Israel will not negotiate with a unity government, and a Hamas leader says negotiations will not be conducted by a new government. Israel launches a nationwide war drill. Israel worries about the future of security cooperation with the PA. Ha'aretz says the agreement may work to PM Netanyahu's advantage. Aluf Benn concludes Hamas has taken over the Palestinian movement. Israel prepares to block the next Gaza flotilla. Israel anticipates and plans for political changes in Syria. Hamas disperses a pro-unity rally in Gaza. Abbas reiterates conditions for resuming negotiations with Israel. Israeli forces arrest settlers trying to enter a holy site in the occupied territories which was the scene of a recent shooting. Larry Derfner criticizes Israel's treatment of Arab air travelers. Daoud Kuttab says chances for the birth of a Palestinian state this fall are about 50-50.

Fatah and Hamas announced the outlines of a possible national reconciliation agreement. The US may be reconsidering aid to Palestinians as a consequence, key members of Congress warn. The White House says any new Palestinian government must renounce terrorism and recognize Israel. Jackson Diehl says if the agreement is implemented it will mean the Palestinians are walking away from the peace process. Pres. Abbas' office dismisses criticism from PM Netanyahu. FM Lieberman says Israel will not negotiate with a unity government, and a Hamas leader says negotiations will not be conducted by a new government. Israel launches a nationwide war drill. Israel worries about the future of security cooperation with the PA. Ha'aretz says the agreement may work to PM Netanyahu's advantage. Aluf Benn concludes Hamas has taken over the Palestinian movement. Israel prepares to block the next Gaza flotilla. Israel anticipates and plans for political changes in Syria. Hamas disperses a pro-unity rally in Gaza. Abbas reiterates conditions for resuming negotiations with Israel. Israeli forces arrest settlers trying to enter a holy site in the occupied territories which was the scene of a recent shooting. Larry Derfner criticizes Israel's treatment of Arab air travelers. Daoud Kuttab says chances for the birth of a Palestinian state this fall are about 50-50.

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