Amid settlements impasse, signs peace talks may continue
Media Mention of ATFP In Politico - September 27, 2010 - 12:00am

Despite intense American negotiations going on into the night, a partial Israeli West Bank settlement freeze expired Sunday with no apparent deal reached. Yet there were signs Monday that the U.S.-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace talks might continue in spite of the current settlements impasse.

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PM Fayyad has Broad-Ranging Conversation with ATFP Board of Directors
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - September 27, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met and had a two-hour long conversation with the Board of Directors of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) in Washington, DC on Friday, Sept. 24. PM Fayyad addressed 25 ATFP Board and staff members. The Prime Minister spoke for about a half hour, and then took questions and comments for an additional hour and a half from the Board members in a broad-ranging and frank conversation about numerous issues.


Survey: Palestinians Believe Peace Talks Are Best Strategy
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In Voice of America - September 24, 2010 - 12:00am

A new survey shows a majority of Palestinians believe peace negotiations are the best way to achieve their goals. The survey released Thursday by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center showed 53 percent of those polled said peace talks were the best strategy.  That compares with 26 percent who said violent resistance is the best method, and 16 percent who supported non-violent resistance.

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Barely months into talks, will the freeze freeze a peace deal?
Media Mention of ATFP In Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) - September 22, 2010 - 12:00am

When the fat lady sings on Sept. 26, it may only be an intermission. That’s the word from an array of Mideast experts across the political spectrum. They are predicting that the seeming intractability between Israel and the Palestinians over whether Israel extends a settlement moratorium beyond its end date will not scuttle the peace talks. Instead, the observers say, the sides are likely employing the brinksmanship that has come to characterize Middle East peacemaking.

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Beyond optimism or pessimism: the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
In Print by Hussein Ibish - Common Ground News Service - September 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Washington, DC - While the build up to the renewed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations – the first direct talks in almost ten years to be brokered by the United States – was largely greeted with an excess of pessimism on the part of many observers, the fact that they have been resumed is, on its own, something of an achievement for US President Barack Obama and his administration. Indeed, it took almost a year of intensive diplomacy in order to get to these direct negotiations to get them going.

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Netanyahu’s subtle, insidious, unworkable demand
In Print by Hussein Ibish - NOW Lebanon (Opinion) - September 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently been reiterating the demand he has focused on since regaining power that Palestinians and other Arabs recognize Israel as not only a “Jewish state” but specifically as “the nation-state of the Jewish people.” This demand has been flatly rejected not only by the Palestinian leadership, but more recently by the Arab League.

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Finding an optimist in the Middle East peace process
Media Mention of ATFP In PBS - September 15, 2010 - 12:00am

U.S.-mediated talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials moved to Jerusalem on Wednesday, a symbolic gesture designed to lend credibility to the budding peace process. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t seem to have worked. Islamic militants are still lobbing mortars, and Israeli jets are still bombing tunnels. An expiration date on a settlement moratorium looms, and there seems to be little hope for a breakthrough.

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Hillary Clinton headed to Mideast for talks
Media Mention of ATFP In Politico - September 14, 2010 - 12:00am

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launches an intense week of Middle East diplomacy in Egypt Tuesday, joining Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for their next round of face-to-face peace talks. She begins in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, then plans to move on to Jerusalem on Wednesday and the West Bank and Jordan on Thursday.

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ATFP Board Member Daoud Kuttab Named as One of 60 World Press Heroes
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - September 13, 2010 - 12:00am

On Monday the International Press Institute will honor ATFP Board Member and journalist Daoud Kuttab as one of 60 world press heroes as part of its 60th annual celebrations held in the Austrian capital, Vienna. Kuttab will be joined by other regional journalists Mai Chediack from Lebanon and Nizar Nayouf from Syria as well as Israeli journalist Amira Hass.


How the Palestinian Authority is fighting Hamas attacks
In Print by Hussein Ibish - The Washington Post (Opinion) - September 11, 2010 - 12:00am

The Sept. 8 editorial "The Hamas murders," on the drive-by attacks against Israeli settlers in the West Bank by Hamas, was exceptionally unfair to the Palestinian Authority. Demanding that the authority "fight terrorism," the editorial ignored the fact that the shootings occurred in an area under full Israeli security control.

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American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017