October 22nd

Clinton: We promise not to 'turn our backs' on Palestinians or Israelis ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Paul Rogin - October 21, 2010 - 12:00am In a rousing 30-minute speech Wednesday night, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton implored attendees at the annual gala for the American Task Force on Palestine not to give up on the struggling Middle East peace process, despite past, current, and future obstacles. » Read more

The Palestinians' Ploy ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National Interest by Paul Pillar - (Blog) October 21, 2010 - 12:00am Whatever is your opinion about the issues that divide Israelis and Palestinians, you have to give the Palestinians credit for having hit upon a clever idea to inject into the current impasse. That idea, currently a subject of discussion among Palestinian leaders in the West Bank, is to appeal to international bodies for some kind of affirmation of Palestine as a state on land Israel conquered in the 1967 war. » Read more

Clinton calls for release of Gilad Shalit—Palestinian American audience applauds ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Ron Kampeas - (Blog) October 21, 2010 - 12:00am This moment, at about 23 minutes into the video* was not an extraordinary one, to those familiar with the American Task Force on Palestine. It's a group that works closely with the Mahmoud Abbas Palestinian Authority, that rejects Hamas, that engages Jewish groups that also embrace two states. Here it is from the transcript of the secretary of state's remarks to the group's dinner: » Read more

October 21st

Israeli-Arabs fear for their future ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Rachel Shabi - October 19, 2010 - 12:00am Like other Arab citizens of Israel, Leyla Ahmoud is anxious about her future. A young mother of two girls with another on the way, Ahmoud says recent moves by the Israeli government are making it increasingly obvious that the Arabs are not welcome in their own country. "I feel like my life is not in my hands," said 24-year-old Ahmoud, who lives in Umm al-Fahm, a mountain-ridge town of some 43,000 inhabitants in northern Israel. "The government decides how I live and where I live. We exist in fear, from one day to the next." » Read more

Last rapper in Gaza struggles to make voice heard ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - October 20, 2010 - 12:00am Mothafar Assar's spell in the limelight lasted only 30 minutes before the Hamas security forces came to break up his inaugural gig. A crowd of 450 people had crammed into the hotel venue for Gaza's first rap party, scheduled to last for three hours. As the audience left, the police confiscated video cameras, returning them later with the subversive images of Assar's Street Band Rappers removed. » Read more

Clinton: Talks only way forward ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews October 21, 2010 - 12:00am US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Israel and the Palestinians on Wednesday there was no "magic formula" to break an impasse over peace talks, but said hard work could still yield a deal. Clinton, speaking to a Palestinian advocacy group that supports a peaceful end to the conflict, said both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas remained committed to a two-state solution despite a standoff that threatens to torpedo the US-brokered peace talks less than two months after they were launched. » Read more

Clinton: Talks the only way to move forward toward peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post October 21, 2010 - 12:00am US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said that a deal that would save peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians could still be worked out, however there exists no "magic formula" for breaking the impasse in negotiations, Reuters reported. Clinton, speaking at a banquet hosted by the American Task Force on Palestine, said that both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas were still committed to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. » Read more

However wonderful they may be, settlers are an insurmountable obstacle to peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - (Analysis) October 20, 2010 - 12:00am Last week I was invited to visit the Hayovel neighborhood in the West Bank settlement of Eli (erected on the 50th anniversary of Israel's establishment). This neighborhood includes several structures that were likely built on Palestinian land and are slated for demolition, pending a court ruling. » Read more

Clinton: Two-state solution still possible for Israel, Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya - October 21, 2010 - 12:00am United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that Israelis and Palestinians have not abandoned peace negotiations and that a two-state solution was still possible. Clinton. Clinton spoke at an annual gala of the American Taskforce for Palestine at in Washington, DC. "We remain convinced that if they persevere with negotiations, the parties can agree on an outcome that ends the conflict; reconciles the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps." » Read more

Settlers have broken ground on nearly 550 West Bank homes since end of freeze, survey shows ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz October 21, 2010 - 12:00am Israeli settlers have begun building new homes at a quick pace since the government lifted its moratorium on West Bank housing starts - almost 550 in three weeks, more than four times faster than the last two years. And many homes are going up in areas that under practically any peace scenario would become part of a Palestinian state, a trend that could hamper U.S.-brokered peace talks. According to an Associated Press count, ground has been broken on 544 new West Bank homes since September 26, when Israel lifted its 10-month freeze on most new settlement building. » Read more