January 4th

Abbas 'always ready' for talks after settlement freeze
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 4, 2011 - 1:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that he was "always ready" to continue peace talks with Israel as soon as it freezes settlement building. "We are always ready to continue negotiations in the event that Israel comes to accept the stopping of its settlement plans," Abbas said in Tunis after talks with Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. "The United States has not succeeded in resolving this problem," Abbas said, adding that he was undertaking a "broad diplomatic campaign" in a bid to restart the peace talks and freeze settlement building.

»

Israel arrests staff from British consulate
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 4, 2011 - 1:00am

Israeli authorities have arrested two locally hired workers at the British consulate general in Jerusalem who were reportedly linked to a plot to attack a stadium, the Foreign Office in London said. "I can confirm that two members of the local staff at the consulate general in Jerusalem have been arrested by Israeli authorities," a Foreign Office spokesman said. "We understand from reports that they have been charged with the illegal sale of weapons and we are seeking confirmation of these charges. It is an ongoing legal process."

»

Al-Maliki: Lieberman takes defense
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 4, 2011 - 1:00am

Israeli foreign ministry officials are working defense on the international stage, PA Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki told Ma'an, saying his Israeli counterpart had taken to visiting the same nations he visits and working to undo advances in Palestinian foreign relations. Traveling with President Mahmoud Abbas on his recent trip to South America, Senegal and Tunis, Al-Maliki spoke of the West Bank government's efforts to push Palestinian statehood on the international stage, and anticipating Israeli diplomatic moves that could seek to quash successful initiatives.

»

Israel's Lieberman tweaks Turkey. Is he flanking Netanyahu?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - December 27, 2010 - 1:00am

A recent attempt to mend Israel-Turkey ties appears to be on the rocks, with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman lobbying against apologizing to Ankara for the killing of nine Turkish citizens on the Gaza aid flotilla when they challenged Israel's naval blockade of the territory in May.

»

Israel's Netanyahu goes on the defensive
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - January 3, 2011 - 1:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to deflect rising criticism at home over stalled peace talks Monday by telling Israeli lawmakers that it was the US, not Israel, that rejected a settlement freeze extension this past fall. "There was an American decision not to follow the track,'' said a government official who confirmed the remarks but was not authorized to speak for attribution. "The reporting out there that Israel rejected the American package is simply erroneous.''

»

January 3rd

Honesty and hypocrisy in facing terrorism
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Ziad Asali, Hussein Ibish - (Blog) January 3, 2011 - 1:00am

The murderous bomb attacks against Christian communities in Egypt and Iraq have been roundly condemned by most political and religious leaders, commentators and public opinion in the Arab world. They have also been met with an outpouring of passionate condemnation by ordinary people who have taken to the streets to express anger and demand justice. People have sensed the danger to their whole society inherent in such atrocities.

»

Israeli forces kill a Palestinian man at a checkpoint and a woman at a protest in the West Bank, which produces protest in Tel Aviv. Pres. Abbas calls for new peace talks with international engagement, and says a deal could be reached in two months and he will reach out to Jewish Israelis. The Palestine National Orchestra makes its debut. Ramallah is booming. Refugee camps in Lebanon are producing less militancy. Israel warns rocket attacks could provoke a new war in Gaza. Abbas says he's not afraid of wikileaks. Hamas says the PA detained 3,000 of its members last year. A Labor minister says it may bolt the Israeli government. Hamas stages a mock Israeli attack to commemorate the Gaza war. PM Netanyahu says he agreed to a settlement freeze moratorium but the US reneged. Palestinians and other Arabs seek to bring the settlement issue before the UN Security Council. Simon Tisdall says Palestinians should declare independence. The Forward Says FM Lieberman is making it extremely hard to support Israel.

The Lieberman Question
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
(Editorial) December 29, 2010 - 1:00am

What are Diaspora Jews to make of Avigdor Lieberman? In his latest outburst before 170 of Israel’s senior diplomats, the pugnacious, rebellious foreign minister called the Palestinian Authority illegitimate, the Turkish prime minister a liar, and ridiculed the central policy of his own government.

»

Now it is Palestine's turn to create facts on the ground
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Simon Tisdall - (Opinion) January 3, 2011 - 1:00am

As unfulfilled hopes of peace in the Middle East in 2010 fade from memory, the spectre of war in 2011 looms large. The collapse of Barack Obama's attempt to broker direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians has created a dangerous vacuum. Men of violence vie to fill it.

»

Abbas backs UN attack on Israeli settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Donald MacIntyre - January 1, 2011 - 1:00am

The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, has voiced his personal backing for the first time for a draft UN resolution condemning Israeli West Bank settlements, which he said had been worded in an effort to attract US support. The Ramallah-based Palestinian leadership is promoting the UN resolution as part of a diplomatic effort to secure international declarations of support in the absence of progress towards direct negotiations with Israel.

»


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