A Bittersweet Homecoming
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Miftah
by Joharah Baker - (Editorial) October 3, 2007 - 6:30pm

In a perfect world, little could be comparable to the joy of receiving a son, daughter, father or husband from the clutches of Israeli incarceration. Even in the terribly distorted world of Palestine where absolutes do not exist and every political move is dissected, analyzed and reanalyzed, the release of a handful of Palestinian political prisoners from Israeli prisons is still a joyous event.

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ATFP Carnegie Briefing Explores Issues of Palestinian Unity, Hamas and Fall Mideast Meeting
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - October 2, 2007 - 12:00am

Washington, D.C., October 3 -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) held a briefing today at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The briefing, moderated by Ambassador Samuel Lewis, was titled "Palestinian Unity: The Question of Hamas". ATFP Advocacy Director Mr. Ghaith Al-Omari and Dr.


Rockets Launched From Gaza Are Only Hurting Palestinian Civilians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
(Editorial) September 28, 2007 - 12:00am

As miserable as conditions have become in the Gaza Strip, there is plenty of potential for the situation to get even worse. Straining under the weight of a collapsed and besieged economy, the civilian population is already heavily dependent on foreign aid for basic foodstuffs, and the United Nations warns that drugs and other medical supplies are at dangerously low levels. To make matters worse, the continuation of rocket strikes into Israel produces a steady stream of violent responses from the Jewish state that often claim the lives of innocents.

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Sense, Nonsense and Strategy in the New Palestinian Political Landscape
Issue Paper by Hussein Ibish - September 6, 2007 - 12:00am

The catastrophic division that has recently developed in Palestine, with the national leadership split between two fiefdoms and in a state of open conflict, has left Palestinians and their allies around the world dismayed, and struggling to reformulate a viable strategy for ending the occupation. As people search for guidance and try to make sense of a shocking turn of events, misleading and overwrought polemics have become more prevalent than sober analysis.

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Let's Conspire To Defuse Religious Conflict
In Print by Ziad Asali - The Daily Star (Opinion) - August 9, 2007 - 12:00am

Those who define the war on terrorism as a religious conflict between Islam on the one hand and Christianity and Judaism on the other play right into the hands of Al-Qaeda and the present leadership of Iran. The ultimate success of the planners of the September 11, 2001, attacks was to initiate such a religious conflict and to define themselves as the true Muslims fighting the "infidels," in other words Christians and Jews. A Holy War is what Al-Qaeda wanted in order to achieve power and a Holy War is what it should be denied. Its adherents should be isolated, discredited and defeated.

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ATFP Expressed Deep Concern Over Palestine Split, Urges Preserving of Palestinian Unity and Statehood Goal
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - June 21, 2007 - 12:00am

Washington, D.C., June 22 – The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today expressed deep concern over the serious implications from the military take-over in Gaza. ATFP declares its full support for President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad as they pursue Palestinian unity, independence and statehood. ATFP urges the Bush administration to initiate prompt implementation of political and economic policies that help lay the foundation of a future state of Palestine.


U.S. to free up aid to Palestinians In balancing act, millions go to Abbas, needy in Gaza Strip
Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Chicago Tribune - June 21, 2007 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration promised direct financial aid Monday to a new WestBank-based Palestinian government that is amenable to peace with Israel, whileoffering indirect humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza following theterritory’s takeover by the militant Hamas organization.

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U.S. Lifts Embargo To Help Abbas
Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Washington Post - June 19, 2007 - 12:00am

Palestinian Leader Wins Support Amid Turmoil By Glenn Kessler Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, June 19, 2007; A01

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Palestinian National Unity: The Question of Hamas
Policy Focus by ATFP - June 16, 2007 - 12:00am

Two months into the Hamas violent takeover of the Gaza Strip (GS), one thing has become clear: for all practical intents and purposes, the West Bank (WB) and GS represent two separate spheres of control for the foreseeable future. While ultimately, for political, economic and geopolitical reasons, the WB and GS must be one territorial unit, the prospects for reunification at the short or even medium term are very slim.   The Buildup

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ATFP Donates $45,000 For Emergency Humanitarian Relief in Palestine
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - August 1, 2006 - 12:00am

Washington, D.C., August 2, 2006 -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today announced the donation of $45,000 for Palestinian humanitarian relief, with grants going to Al-Makassed Hospital in Jerusalem, St. Luke's Hospital in Nablus, and the Washington, D.C.-based United Palestinian Appeal (UPA). ATFP launched an appeal in May 2006 to collect donations for urgent humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people. ATFP will donate all funds it raises from the Palestinian Humanitarian Appeal to medical facilities in the West Bank and Gaza.



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