September 16th, 2011

Q&A on Palestinian statehood at the UN Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In The Guardian - September 16, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinians are set to appeal to the United Nations in September for recognition of statehood. Despite opposition from Israel and the United States, a UN vote now looks inevitable. The Guardian and the Forward have brought together two experts to take part in an online Q&A to answer your questions about what may prove a game-changing development in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. » Read more

Palestinian officials foresee secular, pluralistic state Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In USA Today - September 16, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian leaders say a future Palestinian state would be secular and open to all religions — even Jews — if they are willing to follow their laws as Palestinian citizens. The Palestinians say they'll seek a vote on Palestinian statehood in the United Nations this month. » Read more

September 14th

Ten reasons Palestine is right to bring its case to the UN Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In Haaretz - September 14, 2011 - 12:00am There's a certain implied danger in the idea of playing darts in the dark. Particularly when there are numerous players in a crowded room, and not one has a well-defined target. For Mahmoud Abbas' Palestine, for Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel, and no less, for the Obama administration, the effort to bring Palestinian statehood to the United Nations for endorsement has raised profound fears, prompting internal debates fully as bitter as they have been largely fruitless, with no dependably favorable outcome in sight – for anyone. » Read more

September 12th

Obama and Abbas: From Speed Dial to Not Talking Media Mention of Ziad Asali In The New York Times - September 12, 2011 - 12:00am WASHINGTON — Among the very first foreign leaders President Obama called after entering the Oval Office on Jan. 21, 2009, was the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. The last time the two men spoke was in February, when Mr. Obama failed, in an awkward, 55-minute phone conversation, to persuade Mr. Abbas not to go to the United Nations to condemn Israel for building Jewish settlements. » Read more

September 8th

Palestinians Seeking Statehood at UN May Get Same Rights as Pope Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In Bloomberg - September 8, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas won’t walk away from the United Nations General Assembly this month with the sought-after statehood. More likely, he’ll get parity with the world’s smallest state led by Pope Benedict XVI. Support for the upgrade in Palestinian status at the UN from “entity” to “non-member state” is likely if the matter is brought to a vote in the 193-member assembly, where a two- thirds majority, or 129 votes, is required. » Read more

July 27th

Palestinian UN Vote No Longer A Certainty Media Mention of Ziad Asali In ATFP - July 27, 2011 - 12:00am As the Palestinians prepare to unveil Thursday a draft of their resolution requesting United Nations’ recognition next month of an independent Palestinian state, many analysts believe such UN action is not inevitable. » Read more

Israel's Foreign Ministry Borrows From the Settlers for Its Propaganda Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In The Jewish Daily Forward - July 27, 2011 - 12:00am Israel’s deputy foreign minister and Twitter warrior, Danny Ayalon, recently released a video over YouTube that is doing quite well — posted on July 11, it now has nearly 180,000 hits. In it, Ayalon tries to explain why he thinks the West Bank should not be referred to as “occupied” and that settlements are not in effect settlements. » Read more

July 22nd

What Obama needs to do Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In The Jordan Times - July 22, 2011 - 12:00am These are not the best of times for Americans, especially their leaders in government, President Barack Obama and Congress, in view of the bad state of the economy (i.e., the federal debt) and foreign policy, particularly towards the Arab world. Many here and there are pointing a finger at the president, or as one headline pointed out, “the too-quiet president”. An unidentified Republican, who expects Obama to win a second term in office next year, asked much-respected Washington Post columnist David Ignatius: “Why does he so often seem to react rather than lead?” » Read more

Demography as Destiny: Israel's Growing Right Shapes Law, Military Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In The Jewish Daily Forward - July 21, 2011 - 12:00am The increasingly progressive Atlantic Monthly correspondent and former Forward staffer Jeffrey Goldberg (for the last time, no, we’re not the same person) posted a link on his blog Tuesday to an online essay — which he called “hard to disagree with” — by senior research fellow Hussein Ibish of the American Task Force on Palestine. Here’s the excerpt Goldberg posted on his blog: » Read more

July 11th

Israel 1967 Borders Are Central in Mideast Talks Restart Effort Media Mention of ATFP In Bloomberg - July 11, 2011 - 12:00am President Barack Obama’s proposal to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by starting with the 1967 borders will likely be adopted by the international group trying to find a peace agreement. The meeting today in Washington by the “Quartet” -- the U.S., European Union, United Nations and Russia -- has taken on added urgency as Palestinians plan to ask the UN to recognize their state in a September vote. Israel and the U.S. oppose the move, which would raise political and legal questions. » Read more