December 12th

Gingrich calls Palestinians an ‘invented’ people Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Washington Post - December 12, 2011 - 1:00am Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich said in a cable TV interview that Palestinians are an “invented” people with no apparent right to their own state, a rejection of a decade of bipartisan U.S. foreign policy. In the interview, which was taped Wednesday in Washington and will be broadcast Monday on The Jewish Channel, Gingrich spoke about his mistrust of Palestinian leaders, his admiration for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his view that the Obama administration is “favoring the terrorists” with its foreign policy. » Read more

Gingrich: Palestinians 'invented,' promises Netanyahu-style foreign policy Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In Politico - December 12, 2011 - 1:00am Former Speaker Newt Gingrich dismissed the Palestinian bid for statehood as the effort of an "invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, and were historically part of the Arab community." Gingrich also said the Palestinian Authority, which has typically represented the moderate wing of Palestinian leadership and formally accepts Israel's right to exist, is motivated by "an enormous desire to destroy Israel." » Read more

November 17th

Palestinians Rethink Statehood Bid Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In The Jewish Daily Forward - November 17, 2011 - 1:00am Israelis warned of a “diplomatic tsunami,” Palestinians promised a game changer that would reshape Middle East peacemaking, and the White House and Congress geared up for an all-out battle inside and beyond the United Nations. But on November 11, the Palestinians’ initiative to gain statehood recognition from the U.N. Security Council ended finally not with a bang, but with a whimper. » Read more

November 16th

The Great Debate: Middle East Peace Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In Boston University - November 16, 2011 - 1:00am Achieving meaningful peace in the Middle East has become one of the most contentious issues facing the international community. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, centered largely on issues of borders, control of Israeli settlements, and freedom of movement for Palestinians, remains a stalemate, despite efforts by the Obama administration to bring both sides back to the table for revived peace talks earlier this year. » Read more

November 8th

Despite UNESCO victory, Palestinian statehood push running aground Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In - November 8, 2011 - 1:00am They may have scored a victory at UNESCO, but the Palestinians are running into new obstacles on their push for statehood recognition at the United Nations. The effort to pursue the issue at the U.N. Security Council has encountered a stumbling block in Bosnia, where the country’s Serbian co-president appears to have helped cost the Palestinians a crucial ninth vote. Meanwhile, U.N. officials are sending a strong message regarding any further efforts to get U.N. agencies to follow UNESCO’s lead in granting the Palestinians membership: Please stop. » Read more

October 21st

Palestinian Leader Says Time ‘Not Ripe’ for Mideast Peace Talks Media Mention of ATFP In Bloomberg - October 21, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said there is little chance for a prompt renewal of peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis that the Obama administration seeks. “My own assessment” is that “conditions are not ripe at this juncture for a meaningful resumption of talks,” Fayyad told a Washington audience yesterday. He made his remarks as the U.S. and its allies in the so- called Quartet -- the United Nations, the European Union and Russia -- are trying to restart talks between the two sides to head off a Palestinian push for statehood recognition at the UN. » Read more

Conditions not ripe for dialogue with Israel: Fayyad Media Mention of ATFP In FOCUS News Agency - October 21, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinians are not ready to resume dialogue with Israel as sought by the Mideast diplomatic Quartet, Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said Wednesday, AFP reported. "Our own assessment is that the conditions are not ripe at this juncture for a meaningful resumption of talks," he said at the annual gala for the American Task Force on Palestine, a pro-Palestinian lobby. » Read more

Palestinian PM Fayyad: Time is not right for serious peace talks Media Mention of ATFP In Haaretz - October 21, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Thursday that Palestinian-American relations are currently strained, and that many Palestinians are very disappointed with the yields of diplomacy, but he stressed that the Palestinians are committed to the peace process. "We want to see an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967. We want the Palestinian people to live with dignity. Fayyad said the Palestinians are committed to resolving the conflict, but that "the conditions are not right to resume talks." » Read more

Inside the tiny Washington group that is 'mainstreaming Palestine' Media Mention of ATFP In Foreign Policy - October 21, 2011 - 12:00am Tonight, when Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad comes to Washington to speak at the annual gala of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP), he will be endorsing an organization that is punching well above its weight in the U.S. policy debate over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. » Read more

October 14th

Freij to be honored for distinguished service in philanthropy Media Mention of ATFP In The Arab American News - October 14, 2011 - 12:00am Deputy Executive Director of ACCESS Maha Freij will be honored this month in Washington by the American Task Force for Palestine (ATFP) for the key role she played in raising funds to create the nation's only Arab American National Museum. » Read more