A consensus of opposition
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) October 25, 2010 - 12:00am

Although Palestinians explain in various ways their rejection of the recent demand by Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu of recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, there appears to be a consensus of opposition. When Netanyahu recently repeated this request as a condition for implementing an internationally-required settlement freeze, there were two Palestinian approaches.

»

'If Rabin were alive, we would have peace'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - October 22, 2010 - 12:00am

Aaron David Miller, who served as an advisor on Mideast peace to six US secretaries of state in the 1990s, worked extensively with slain Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Now, on the 15th anniversary of his assassination, Miller says he believes Rabin could have changed history if he had been allowed to live.

»

The Palestinians' Ploy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National Interest
by Paul Pillar - (Blog) October 21, 2010 - 12:00am

Whatever is your opinion about the issues that divide Israelis and Palestinians, you have to give the Palestinians credit for having hit upon a clever idea to inject into the current impasse. That idea, currently a subject of discussion among Palestinian leaders in the West Bank, is to appeal to international bodies for some kind of affirmation of Palestine as a state on land Israel conquered in the 1967 war.

»

Gov't officials: Prepare for unilateral steps
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Atilla Somfalvi - October 21, 2010 - 12:00am

The Palestinians' intention to seek international recognition of a Palestinian state did not catch Israel's political echelon by surprise. Amid deadlocked negotiations and an ongoing dispute over the construction in the settlements, senior government officials have begun discussing Israel's need for a plan B.

»

Palestinians mull alternatives to peace talks, including UN recognition
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - October 20, 2010 - 12:00am

With Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations in limbo over a dispute regarding settlement expansion, Palestinians are starting to think out loud about possible alternatives to peace talks. After investing all of his political capital in talks with Israel, what would President Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority (PA) do if he concludes there's no chance for a deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?

»

Clinton urges Arabs to give more money to Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
October 20, 2010 - 12:00am

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday urged Arab countries to offer greater financial support to the Palestinian Authority. "It takes more than plans and commitments to support making the state of Palestine a reality," Clinton told the annual dinner of the American Task Force on Palestine, a pro-Palestinian group which calls for a Palestinian state. The chief US diplomat paid tribute to the Palestinian Authority's efforts, saying it needs a "larger, steadier, and more predictable source" of financial support.

»

Palestinians Shift Focus in Strategy for Statehood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - October 20, 2010 - 12:00am

The Palestinian leadership, near despair about attaining a negotiated agreement with Israel on a two-state solution, is increasingly focusing on how to get international bodies and courts to declare a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

»

Israel must be disciplined
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Linda Heard - (Opinion) October 19, 2010 - 12:00am

There are plenty of fingers wagging in Israel's direction these days for all kinds of reasons. But where are the metaphorical thumb screws? When any other country on the planet consistently falls foul of the international community's wishes or breaches international law, there is usually some kind of punishment in store. Israel, however, gets away with heinous crimes time and time again.

»

Does the PA fulfill the criteria for an independent state?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Dan Izenberg - October 18, 2010 - 12:00am

According to the 1933 Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, which is now part of customary law and therefore binding on all countries, a state must possess a permanent population, a defined territory, a government and a capacity to enter into relationships with other states. Furthermore, the convention states that “the political existence of the state is independent of recognition by other states.” Thus, there is nothing in international law to prevent the Palestinian Authority from unilaterally declaring itself an independent state.

»

Debasing a foundational idea
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Michael Herzog - (Opinion) October 18, 2010 - 12:00am

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that until Israel apologized for its May attack on a Gaza-bound aid ship in which nine Turkish citizens were killed it would remain isolated in the Middle East. “Israel must apologize to Turkey and pay compensation for the state terrorism in the Mediterranean," Erdogan said while addressing members of his Islamic-oriented party at a weekend retreat, adding that "If it does not, it will be doomed to remain isolated in the Middle East.”

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017