In Print | The American Task Force on Palestine

Building an alliance towards the historic compromise
In Print by Ziad Asali - The Jordan Times (Opinion) - November 19, 2004 - 1:00am

A consensus about the contours of a genuine and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians is well known. Its essential elements have been expressed in Clinton's Taba proposal, the Geneva and Nusseibeh- Ayalon plans, and the roadmap. Surveys of Palestinians, Israelis, American Jews and Arabs indicate support for a two-state solution. However, an opposing minority in each camp has exercised its power predictably and effectively to thwart the will of the majorities. These forces are opposed to peace because they think time is on their

Where do we go from here?
In Print by Ziad Asali - The Baltimore Sun (Opinion) - November 18, 2004 - 1:00am

You would have thought that now that he is gone, we would not have Arafat to kick around anymore, but you would be wrong. The sheer volume of words uttered and written to vilify him and define his legacy in the worst light surly seems excessive for a dead person who was considered irrelevant and “ not a partner.” Having criticized him publicly and clearly in both Arabic and English, I feel that this persistent attention, may have more to do with hurting the image of the Palestinian people rather than that of their departed leader.

Time for Palestinians to take charge of their destiny
In Print by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) - June 9, 2004 - 12:00am

The cautious President Mubarak has overcome Egyptian reticence to get involved in Gaza. His initial concerns about the risk of getting Egyptian personnel targeted by Palestinians and enhancing the risk of direct confrontation with Israel after four decades of peace, have given way to accepting to take on an active security role in Gaza. It seems that Egypt’s concerns about the ensuing anarchy, or fundamentalist take over in Gaza after the withdrawal, and Egypt’s strategic choice to play the regional power broker in coordination with the US, have all overweighed other considerations.

A Palestinian View: In search of a Palestinian strategy
In Print by Ziad Asali - Bitterlemons - April 26, 2004 - 12:00am

The foundations of the historic compromise have been shaken in this cruelest month of April. The president of the United States, publicly and clearly, redefined the right of return to mean the return to the yet-to-be-born Palestine. He questioned the "sanctity" of the 1967 borders and sanctioned "reality on the ground" as a determining factor for the future of settlements and borders.

Gaza: Gateway to Palestine or Anarchy?
In Print by Ziad Asali - Arab News (Opinion) - March 12, 2004 - 1:00am

After initially reacting with caution, the Bush Administration is now taking the Israeli proposal for unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip more seriously. The initial reaction of tepid interest has gradually given way to a highly engaged conversation.

Of Image and Peace
In Print by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) - January 9, 2004 - 1:00am

Newspaper headlines on the day after Christmas read: “12-Week Lull in Mideast Ends,” on the cover of the Los Angeles Times; “Attacks broke a lull that had lasted more than two months,” reported the Chicago Tribune; “Lull in Violence Ends,” was the headline in the San Francisco Chronicle and 3,000 miles away The New York Times reported, “The suicide bomb attack…broke a relative calm that existed on both sides since October.”

Remembering Edward Said - Worth a Thought. And Many more
In Print by Ziad Asali - United Press International (UPI) (Blog) - September 26, 2003 - 12:00am

A university professor of literature at Columbia University has died. He was witty, elegant and powerful, passionate about his field of study and a man of aristocratic bearing. He loved opera and art and wrote lovely, erudite books. What made him especially important, however, was none of the preceding. Edward W. Said was one of the architects of all reasonable discussion on the question of Palestine and commanded the moral authority to discuss the subject honestly and outside the rhetoric of hatred and violence. He was a brilliant man who sought to improve the world through the

Wall and Peace
In Print by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) - August 20, 2003 - 12:00am

The long struggle to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians is at a crossroads that will almost certainly determine the direction of future events for decades, if not indeed for generations.

Time for better decisions to be made on Palestine-Israel
In Print by Ziad Asali - The Daily Star (Opinion) - May 21, 2003 - 12:00am

The Palestine-Israel conflict has become a hostage to fundamentalists and ideologues of every description, to people who advocate a clash of civilizations and religions in pursuit of their own warped visions of history and mythology. These fanatics, whether Jews, Christians or Muslims, can best be called “clashists” (to rhyme with fascists.) The sad fact is that the issue of Palestine has become the latest “last refuge of scoundrels.” The rest of us, unencumbered by divine certitude about the future and open to reason and compromise, have found it harder to have a public voice and space.

Breaking the Gordian knot
In Print by Ziad Asali - Al-Ahram (Opinion) - May 1, 2003 - 12:00am

As tension persists in the Arab world over the Iraq war, it is imperative to act quickly to repair the political and diplomatic damage to US-Arab relations and our reputation in the Middle East.

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