Washington, D.C., August 1 – The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) is happy to announce the appointment of Mr. Ghaith Al-Omari as the new ATFP Advocacy Director. Mr. Al-Omari and the newly established ATFP Advocacy Department will focus on further developing and institutionalizing contacts and networks within the U.S. official and unofficial policy community and will be part of the policy formation process in ATFP.

Mr. Al-Omari has previously served as member of the Palestinian negotiating team throughout the permanent status negotiations including the Taba (2000) and Camp David (2000) rounds. He served as foreign policy advisor to Palestinian president Abbas and head of the International Relations Department of the Palestinian presidency. In addition, Mr. Al-Omari was the chief Palestinian drafter of the Geneva Initiative, an official model Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement. He is currently a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation.

Mr. Al-Omari is a law graduate from the universities of Oxford and Georgetown. Prior to his involvement in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, he was a university lecturer, a private lawyer, and a human rights activist.

ATFP president Dr. Ziad Asali explained the significance of the new position by saying: “The creation of a new Advocacy Department headed by someone of the caliber and experience of Mr. Al-Omari adds critical depth and scope to ATFP as we continue the process of institutional growth.”