International Community | The American Task Force on Palestine

Egypt urges cancellation of pro-Palestinian march
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
May 12, 2011 - 12:00am

Egypt is urging activists to cancel a rally aimed at crossing from Egypt into the Gaza Strip to show support for the Palestinians. In a statement Thursday, authorities called on activists to give priority to internal issues and "to prevent any repercussions that might result from this march." The 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty and Egyptian sales of natural gas to Israel have come under criticism since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak's regime in February, but Egypt's military rulers are concentrating on local issues.

Right of Reply: Sensible statecraft
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Matthew Gould - (Opinion) May 11, 2011 - 12:00am

This paper’s recent editorial “Befuddled Britain” (May 6) was based on the understandable fear of many Israelis that the world will go misty-eyed about Hamas and let wishful thinking triumph over judgment. Britain understands that fear, and has been clear that it will not suddenly go soft on Hamas. Britain understands the threat Hamas poses to Israel, and the hate-filled ideology that pervades Hamas’s charter. But while the editorial was right to set out the importance of moral clarity, it was wrong to misrepresent Britain’s position on the issue on the basis of innuendo and falsehoods.

Arab League chief: Hamas not a terror group
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - May 10, 2011 - 12:00am

Arab League Secretary-General and one of Egypt's leading presidential candidates Amr Moussa does not believe Hamas is a terrorist organization. In an interview with the Washington Post, Moussa said: "The view that Hamas is a terrorist organization is a view that pertains to a minority of countries, not a majority. Being a terrorist is not a stigma forever."

The wisdom of “conspicuous silence”
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon
by Hussein Ibish - (Blog) May 10, 2011 - 12:00am

On numerous occasions during the ongoing turmoil in the Arab World, I’ve been accused by friend and foe alike of engaging in “conspicuous silence.” Commentators, particularly in the age of the internet and cable television, are expected by news organizations and consumers to provide instant analysis on anything and everything. But sometimes the only honest and intelligent thing to say is very little, or even nothing.

France considers int'l meeting on Israeli-Palestinian peace: official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 10, 2011 - 12:00am

France plans to hold an international conference on peace by the end of June, a Palestinian official said Tuesday. Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian negotiator, said that France has informed the Palestinian leadership about its intention to host the peace conference on the sidelines of a meeting for international donors to the Palestinians in Paris next month.

Egypt to Grant Citizenship to Children of Palestinian Fathers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Arieh O'Sullivan - May 8, 2011 - 12:00am

Egypt’s decision to grant citizenship to the children of Palestinians married to Egyptian women is being hailed as a victory for women’s rights in Cairo -- and equally welcomed in Israel but for political reasons. “We praise the decision by the minister of interior. This is a victory for human rights and especially for women’s rights because it gives them equality,” Nahed Shehada, the head of programs for the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights, told The Media Line.

UN chief presses Israel to release Palestinian funds
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - May 8, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel is under pressure to release tax revenues belonging to the Palestinian Authority (PA) which it has blocked in response to the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, and an umbrella group of countries that make donations to the PA have urged the Israeli government to hand over a sum of around 300m shekels (£53.1m). The income is used to pay the salaries of PA employees and to provide services.

Netanyahu: France says PA must OK Jewish state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
May 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday after talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy that France wants the new Palestinian government to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. "What I heard from President Sarkozy is that they must recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people," Netanyahu said outside the Elysee Palace in Paris, after a meeting he described as "good, far-ranging and friendly".

Egypt’s foreign minister on the way forward after Mubarak
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Lally Weymouth - (Interview) May 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas signed an agreement this past week in Cairo that was seen as a first step toward unifying rival governments in Gaza and the West Bank. U.S. and Israeli officials are wary that the reconciliation, brokered by Egypt, could undermine any peace efforts, since both countries consider Hamas a terrorist organization. Prior to the ceremony, Washington Post senior associate editor Lally Weymouth interviewed Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Elaraby on the accord and other changes since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak. Excerpts follow.

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