International Community | The American Task Force on Palestine

PA: UN still goal for September
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
May 25, 2011 - 12:00am

The Palestinian leadership reaffirmed its goal to take the issue of statehood to the United Nations after a speech by the Israeli premier which failed to offer any new incentive to talk peace. In a 45-minute address to the US Congress, Benjamin Netanyahu laid out his vision of peace in a speech which pundits said contained nothing to deter the Palestinians from plans to seek UN recognition for their state later this year or to revive the moribund peace process.

Cairo: Some names for new govt selected
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 24, 2011 - 12:00am

Several names have been agreed on for the new technocrat government being compiled by Fatah and Hamas officials in Cairo, a party member told Ma'an on Tuesday. From Gaza City, Fatah national relations official Diab Al-Loh assured that progress was being made in the now nearly three-week long wait for the announcement of a new government, following the signing of a unity deal on 4 May. Al-Loh said none of the names would be announced until the government was set, and meetings between all factions were concluded.

Russia announces unequivocal support for unity deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 24, 2011 - 12:00am

Russia supports Palestinian unity efforts as a step toward regional stability, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavarov told Palestinian factional representatives in Moscow on Monday evening. The statement came at a meeting with seven faction leaders, many of whom recently refused to appoint members to a new technocrat government saying they were being left out of the reconciliation process and would prefer not to lend it legitimacy.

'Jordan is Palestine,' MK Eldad declares at embassy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Ben Hartman - May 24, 2011 - 12:00am

A handful of Israelis marked Jordanian Independence Day on Tuesday by attempting to present the Jordanian embassy in Ramat Gan with a petition to make the country the official national homeland of the Palestinian people. The initiator of the petition, Arye Eldad (National Union) said that the petition "requests that King Abdullah declare Jordan as the national homeland of the Palestinian people. His father said Jordan is Palestine, Palestine is Jordan. Unfortunately Abdullah doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps on this."

Moussa: Israel 'not serious' about peace negotiations
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
May 24, 2011 - 12:00am

Egyptian presidential likely Amr Moussa said that the Israeli refusal to negotiate a peaceful settlement with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas is illegitimate. He said that the current Israeli leadership "is not serious" about negotiating with any Palestinian faction. Speaking to CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Moussa said that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has to "take into consideration that the Arab world is changing," and that the new Arab leadership will not represent the old status quo. He said now is the time for the Israeli government to "seize this opportunity."

Quartet, EU back Obama plan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 23, 2011 - 12:00am

Members of the Middle East Quartet and the EU's foreign policy chief came out in full support of statements made by US President Barack Obama this week, urging Israel and Palestine back into direct talks. The Quartet members, including the US, EU, UN and Russia, issued a statement saying all were "in full agreement about the urgent need to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians." The body "expressed its strong support" for the vision laid out by Obama.

Arab Spring Spurs Israel to Ice Peace Plan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg
by Jonathan Ferziger - May 19, 2011 - 12:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been preparing to greet President Barack Obama at the White House tomorrow with a proposal to resurrect Middle East peace talks, advisers said. That was until Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas this month signed a reconciliation accord with Hamas -- classified as a terrorist group by Israel and the U.S. -- and dozens of Palestinians from Syria breached a border May 15, with similar efforts on three other fronts. Netanyahu decided, his advisers said, that peace talks can wait.

Egypt, Israel and the prospects of war
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed - (Opinion) May 19, 2011 - 12:00am

Last week, Egyptian armed forces stopped demonstrators demanding the liberation of Jerusalem and trying to cross the Sinai desert from continuing their advance to the border with Israel, while also preventing the demonstrators from advancing toward the Israeli Embassy in Cairo.

Mofaz: EU support for Palestinian state will lead to violence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Attila Somfalvi - May 19, 2011 - 12:00am

The chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Shaul Mofaz, met with ambassadors of the European Union in Israel and told them that the EU's function is "to break the freeze" and encourage direct negotiation between Israel and the Palestinians. Mofaz added that the EU should not back a Palestinian unilateral declaration of state as this would only engender "another round of violence"

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