International Community | The American Task Force on Palestine

Pro-Palestinian activists prepare 15-boat Gaza aid flotilla one year after deadly Israeli raid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
April 26, 2011 - 12:00am

Pro-Palestinian activists say a planned convoy of aid ships to the Gaza Strip will be twice as big as a similar flotilla that was raided a year ago by Israeli forces, leaving nine people dead on a Turkish boat. Organizers say they hope to depart around the May 31 anniversary of the fatal raid, but say it could happen later than that. Huseyin Oruc, a spokesman for an Islamic aid group in Turkey, said Tuesday that an international coalition of 22 non-governmental organizations plans to send 15 ships with a total of 1,500 people.

Obama urges Erdogan to improve relations with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
April 26, 2011 - 12:00am

US President Barack Obama spoke to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday and expressed his hope that Turkey and Israel will find opportunities to improve their relations in the interest of regional stability. The White House issued a statement saying the two leaders discussed recent developments in the Middle East. According to the statement Obama and Erdogan expressed their deep concern about the Syrian government’s unacceptable use of violence against its own people.

Turkey warns Israel against repeating 'flotilla mistake'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
April 26, 2011 - 12:00am

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Israel against repeating "the same mistake" ahead of the Gaza-bound flotilla scheduled to set sail next month. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Davutoglu added that "It is Israel's responsibility not to implement (a blockade) against Gaza. A fact-finding mission of the UN declared that this … is illegal." The Turkish foreign minister further added: ''In the flotilla last year, people were killed 72 miles (116 kilometres) from the coast, so this was in international waters. The Mediterranean does not belong to any nation.''

The two things we know about a Middle East in flux, and what they mean for Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by David Rothkopf - (Blog) April 26, 2011 - 12:00am

A Pew Poll released this week shows that more than half of all Egyptians would like to see the peace treaty with Israel annulled. Almost two-thirds indicated that they thought that the country's laws should be based on the Koran and about half felt it was "very important" that religious parties be part of the next government. It is further evidence that Egypt's push for democracy has been fueled as much by its decades-long conservative shift as it has been by its decades long exploitation by the Mubarak regime.

Europe pressures US over Mideast peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
April 22, 2011 - 12:00am

France said Thursday that European nations are considering recognizing a Palestinian state, heightening pressure on the United States and Israel to relaunch the Middle East peace process. European ambassadors at the UN Security Council joined the Palestinian envoy in calling for "bold" US leadership to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Recognition of the state of Palestine is one of the options which France is considering, with its European partners" in a bid to relaunch the peace process," French ambassador Gerard Araud told a Security Council debate on the Middle East.

Egyptian government to ease siege on Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 22, 2011 - 12:00am

The Egyptian government will apply new procedures at the Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border to ease travel for residents of the besieged coastal enclave, officials said Thursday. During a meeting in Cairo, Baha Ad-Dusuqi, head of Palestinian affairs in the Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informed Gaza government spokesman Taher An-Nunu that new measures would be in place at the terminal soon. An-Nunu appealed to the Egyptian government to open the Rafah crossing swiftly.

Abbas: UN rejection of statehood could be dangerous
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 22, 2011 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas warned Thursday that there could be serious ramifications if the UN rejected recognition of a Palestinian state in September. The president told France 24 that rejecting Palestinian statehood could be a dangerous move, and that he did not want a third Palestinian uprising to erupt, in an interview broadcast Thursday. Abbas' comments were made during a visit to Paris, where the president sought the advice of his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy on the Palestinian Authority's bid to seek recognition of its statehood.

One last chance for Israel to reaffirm its right to exist
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Ari Shavit - (Opinion) April 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Just like the Palestinians, we never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Time after time, we reject the complex diplomatic proposal that has been placed on the table. Time after time, the next proposal is more difficult than its predecessor. Although time is against us, we recklessly refuse to realize this. We refuse today what we will ask for tomorrow and what will cause us regret the day after tomorrow.

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