Diplomacy | The American Task Force on Palestine

Israeli-Egyptian relations still stable after rocket bombardments: official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 14, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, March 13 (Xinhua) -- A senior Israeli military official on Tuesday said that last week's targeted assassination of an Islamic militant headed off a cross-border attack with " strategic implications" for already-tense relations with Cairo. "Always -- in our constellation -- the peace between us and Egypt is very important, and the national security of Egypt is very important as well," Maj.-Gen. (res) Amos Gilad, the Defense Ministry's Director of Policy and Political-Military Affairs, told reporters in a conference call focusing on the targeted assassination.

Until the Next Round
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Yaakov Katz - (Analysis) March 14, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel and Islamic Jihad reached a tenuous cease-fire on Tuesday, which both sides know will likely not last longer than a few months. In a week or so, Palestinian terror groups will again begin firing rockets sporadically into Israel and the IDF will respond with the bombing of tunnels and so-called terror targets. The price in such a case would be far too high for what Israel is willing to pay.

Hamas May Become Viable Negotiating Partner
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'ariv
by Nachman Shai - (Opinion) March 14, 2012 - 12:00am

In the present confrontation between Israel and the Popular Resistance Committees, Israel has been treading very carefully. As of the writing of these lines, we have been very fortunate. The cutting-edge technological systems developed by Israel have been doing their jobs in the best possible manner. Regarding the offensive-attack perspective, Israeli drones have struck targets on the ground with surgical precision based on reliable intelligence information. They have succeeded in stopping missiles from being fired with minimal harm to innocent bystanders.

Zahhar: Fatah’s Cooperation With Israel Stalling Unity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 9, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar on Thursday said Fatah's cooperation with Israel was stalling national reconciliation. Hamas does not recognize Israel while Fatah, which leads the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, coordinates with Israel under agreements signed in the 1990s. Zahhar, speaking at a conference on the Arab Spring in Gaza City, said Fatah's security coordination had delayed the implementation of an agreement signed by the rival factions last May.

Israelis, like United States, wary about strike on Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Karin Brulliard - March 8, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM — As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from a visit to Washington this week, much of the discussion here centered on traffic-light hues. Had the Israeli leader been given a red light or a green light about attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities? The general assessment was that President Obama’s signal — his appeals to give diplomacy more time and his pledges of support for Israel — fell somewhere on the spectrum between yellow and red. To many here, that probably came as a relief.

Between Damascus and Tehran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Uri Savir - (Opinion) March 8, 2012 - 1:00am

On February 22, a good friend of mine, the courageous Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin, who reported from almost every war zone in the world to present the readers with the horror, brutality and futility of war, was killed by Syrian forces in the city of Homs.

Ex-Mossad Chief Halevy: Romney’s Iran Talk is Irresponsible
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
March 7, 2012 - 1:00am

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy said Mitt Romney's gibes at President Obama's Iran policy were irresponsible. "This means to an Iranian, if you will wait until another few months and there is a change in the White House, then maybe there will be trouble, so the lesson is, let's redouble our efforts to do it as quickly as we can," Halevy said in an interview with The Huffington Post posted Wednesday. "In the effort to demolish the president he is making the situation worse."

Hamas Unclear about Role in Israel-Iran Fighting
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Karin Laub - March 7, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza's ruling Hamas on Wednesday sent conflicting signals on whether it would stay on the sidelines if war breaks out between Israel and Iran. A Hamas spokesman said the group didn't have enough firepower the enter a regional war, while a senior official later reportedly threatened "retaliation with utmost power."

Palestinians taken aback by Obama embrace of Israel, but expect little in US election year
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
March 5, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians say they are disappointed in President Barack Obama but not surprised by his especially warm embrace of Israel in an election year. Still, his weekend speech to the powerful pro-Israel lobby AIPAC was perceived in the West Bank as unprecedented in its show of support for Israel. It raised eyebrows even among hardened skeptics who have lost faith in Washington’s ability to serve as an honest Mideast broker.

Move over, Egypt, Iraq and Syria
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) March 1, 2012 - 1:00am

For the better part of the last century, three Arab states — Egypt, Iraq and Syria — dominated Middle East politics in matters of war and peacemaking and shaped the region's relations with the great powers. The kings of Jordan and Morocco — and, of course, Saudi Arabia (and the Persian Gulf states) when it came to oil — had their say too. But it was the three pseudo-republics, authoritarian military regimes really, that threw their collective weight around.

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