New Year Commitment and Appeal from ATFP
Press Release - Contact Information: Ziad Asali - January 1, 2013 - 1:00am

  Dear friend:   On behalf of the American Task Force on Palestine, I wish you a happy and prosperous new year.   2013 marks the second decade of our advocacy for the vital cause of peace. ATFP has been unwavering in our commitment to helping achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rather than operating from an ethnic perspective, our policies are informed by the American national interest, with the understanding that peace is also in the vital interests of Palestinians, Israelis, and the whole world.  


NEWS: Occupation forces clash with Palestinian protesters after Israeli troops raid a West Bank village. Villagers are still trying to recover from the spasm of violence. Israel says it has "yet to decide" whether to transfer Palestinian tax revenue to the PA this month or not. An Israeli NGO says settlement construction in occupied East Jerusalem reached a new high in 2012. Israel orders dozens of Bedouins to leave their villages in the occupied West Bank so it can conduct military exercises. Israel has finished most of its barrier along the Egyptian border. Pres. Abbas will visit Egypt on Jan. 11. The PA cancels electricity debts for all West Bank residents. Israeli settlers are farming privately-owned Palestinian land while the military keeps the owners away. Likud party members are increasingly calling for annexation of occupied Palestinian territories in the run-up to the election in Israel. The JTA profiles Netanyahu aide Ron Dermer. COMMENTARY: Ari Shavit says the settlers are trying to politically occupy Israel. Amira Hass says Palestinian "threats" to Israel are driven by fears that the status quo could remain permanent, but Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid says Palestinians really should consider dissolving the PA. Shimon Shiffer says the attack by Israeli officials on diplomats who question the timing of the E1 settlement expansion announcement is bewildering. A.B. Yehoshua says Israelis have to demand an end to the settlement project in order to save Israel as a Jewish state, but the Washington Post dismisses the significance of settlements. Ariel Katz says both Israelis and Palestinians are driven by self-preservation. Geoffrey Aronson harshly criticizes PM Fayyad's policies, but Hussein Ibish says his account is fundamentally wrong.

A Serious Look at Fayyad
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) December 31, 2012 - 1:00am


 


Salam Fayyad: Obstacle to Peace?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Geoffrey Aronson - (Opinion) December 26, 2012 - 1:00am


 


Self-preservation affects Israelis as it does Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Ariel Katz - (Opinion) January 3, 2013 - 1:00am


 


Overheated rhetoric on Israeli settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
(Editorial) January 1, 2013 - 1:00am


 


The heart of the conflict
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by A.B. Yehoshua - (Opinion) January 1, 2013 - 1:00am


With elections just around the corner, now is a good time to define the heart of the conflict between the "hawks" and "doves" in Israel. The heart of the conflict today is not so much about the peace process.


Not Baron Netanyahu's clerks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Shimon Shiffer - (Opinion) January 3, 2013 - 1:00am


The speech delivered by Israel's UN Ambassador Ron Prosor ahead of the recognition of the Palestinian Authority as a non-member observer state a month ago was impressive and echoed the sentiments of many Israelis. Netanyahu called Prosor and praised him with warm words.


Will Abbas hand over the key to the Israelis?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed - (Opinion) January 3, 2013 - 1:00am


This is how Mahmoud Abbas, commonly known as Abu Mazen, threatened Israelis, when he said that he would dismantle the Palestinian Authority (PA) and “give the keys to the Muqata’a” — his government complex in Ramallah — to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, effectively dumping responsibility for the Palestinians on the Israeli leader.


Season of Palestinian threats
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - (Opinion) January 3, 2013 - 1:00am


  The Palestinian threat season is in full swing, although what sounds like a threat to Israeli ears is a promise to anyone who has had his fill of the occupation: to turn weakness into an advantage in the asymmetric balance of power. It's a promise of something that will shake up and disrupt the violent complacency with which Israel continues to dominate the Palestinians.



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