March 11th, 2009

Senators quash bill seen against Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Barbara Ferguson - March 11, 2009 - 12:00am

Anti-Palestinian amendments were quashed Monday in the Senate and, for now, have come to an end. The amendments that would have made it illegal for US budget funds to be used to resettle Gazans in the US was withdrawn before it could be brought to a vote. Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, who, as Senate minority whip, is the second-most important Republican in the Senate, put the bill forward.

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For Israel, Sderot Symbolizes Conflict's Toll
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Howard Schneider - March 11, 2009 - 12:00am

Sderot, hard by the Gaza Strip and the frequent target of rocket attacks, has become central to Israel's telling of its conflict with the Palestinians. From a hill on the outskirts of town, one can easily see the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, the launching point for many of the rockets and mortar shells that have landed here with nerve-racking regularity in recent years. Perhaps a quarter of Sderot's population has moved away in recent years. Of the 20,000 or so residents left, anxiety and other signs of post-traumatic stress are widespread.

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2 rockets hit south Israel; no injuries
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ilana Curiel - March 11, 2009 - 12:00am

Two Qassam rockets fired from the northern Gaza Strip Wednesday morning landed in open areas within Eshkol Regional Council limits. There were no reports of injuries or damage. "We heard the Color Red siren (warning of incoming projectiles) and entered a secure room; then we heard two explosions," Negev resident Rivka said. Shlomi, another local, said "the anxiety level is beginning to rise again."

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Gaza family that lost 29 relatives drops lawsuit against Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - March 11, 2009 - 12:00am

A Gaza family that lost 29 relatives to Operation Cast Lead, which also left 45 family members injured and their home destroyed, on Tuesday asked that a lawsuit that had been filed in their name for NIS 851 million be withdrawn. The lawsuit names Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi as respondents. The suit was filed in the Nazareth District Court by attorney Mohammed Fukra on behalf of the Samouni family.

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U.S. official: Obama won't cut military aid to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA)
March 11, 2009 - 12:00am

U.S. President Barack Obama will not cut the billions of dollars in military aid promised to Israel, a senior U.S. administration official said Wednesday. The $30 billion in aid promised to Israel over the next decade will not be harmed by the world financial crisis, the official told Israel Radio. He spoke on condition of anonymity. The Obama Administration however expects the next government of Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu to continue peace negotiations with the Palestinians, he said.

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Dr. Ziad Asali discusses ATFP with the Media Line
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
(Interview) March 5, 2009 - 1:00am

Media Line: I am speaking with Dr. Ziad Asali who is the founder and currently heads the organization called the American Task Force on Palestine. Dr. Asali, let’s start with the very beginning the [American] Task force on Palestine appears to say what it does in its name, are you geared towards educating the American public, the American Congress, everybody, what exactly is your role?

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March 10th

An Israeli human rights organization petitions the High Court for an immediate halt to Israeli mining operations in the West Bank (1). Two former North American Ambassadors to the Middle East propose a “special regime” be charged with administering Jerusalem (2). Intra-Palestinian talks on forming a consensus government are underway in Egpyt (3). Mel Frykberg looks at the tense relationship between Israeli settlers and West Bank villagers (4). Israel reportedly grants amnesty to 20 Fatah members (5). Two rockets are fired into southern Israel from Gaza, resulting in some property damage but no injuries (8).

Encountering Peace: Political dead ends
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) March 10, 2009 - 12:00am

There are those who want and can't, those who don't want and can, those who don't want and can't, and there are those who want and can. Mahmoud Abbas has been one of those who wanted and couldn't, as was Ehud Olmert. Binyamin Netanyahu is probably one who doesn't want but can. A Palestinian national unity government, should it come to life, will also be one that doesn't want but could. The Obama administration is definitely one that wants and can, but what will it do in the face of those in the Middle East who so clearly don't want?

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'Netanyahu to focus first on PA'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - March 10, 2009 - 12:00am

Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu has no intention of sidelining the Palestinian track in favor of a Syrian one, Dore Gold, one of Netanyahu's top foreign policy advisers, said Monday. Gold's comments came the same day that Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview published in the United Arab Emirates daily Al-Khaleej that while a peace deal with Israel was possible, normal relations would only come about if Israel ended its conflict with the Palestinians.

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2 rockets fired from Gaza; damage caused
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Shumlik Hadad - March 10, 2009 - 12:00am

Two Qassam rockets were fired Monday morning from the Gaza Strip into the western Negev. One rocket landed in an open area in the Sdot Negev Regional Council, without causing injuries or damage. The second rocket hit an open area near a kibbutz south of Ashkelon. There were no injuries, but the kibbutz fence sustained damage. On Monday, a senior Islamic Jihad source told Ynet that the Hamas government in Gaza arrested 10 al-Quds Brigades gunmen recently for allegedly firing rockets at Israel.

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