International Community | The American Task Force on Palestine

Fatah mourns death of Venezuela's Chavez
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 6, 2013 - 1:00am

A top Fatah leader expressed Palestine's condolences early Wednesday after learning of the death of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. “Palestine says good bye to a loyal friend who passionately defended our right to freedom and self determination. His contribution to the cause of dignity had no borders and reached the hearts and minds of the Arab World,” Nabil Shaath said in an emailed statement.

Hamas as ‘terrorist’ organization hampers peace process: James Baker
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Arabiya
March 5, 2013 - 1:00am

One solution to promote peace between Palestinians and Israelis is to have non-Hamas members from the Gaza Strip negotiating peace, a former U.S. official told Al Arabiya. “Israel and the United States will not work with Hamas because it is seen to be a terrorist organization,” James Baker, who served as the Chief of Staff in the final year of the administration of President George H.W. Bush said.

To win the war of opinions, Zionists must be critical friends of Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Samuel Lebens - (Opinion) March 5, 2013 - 1:00am

The well-known columnist Melanie Philips once argued that there is a basic inconsistency between claiming to be a friend of Israel while engaging in public criticism of its government. She calls it “self-destructive stupidity”. I assume that Philips will agree that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a friend of Israel even when he was a very vocal leader of the opposition, vocally criticizing Israeli government policy. So what did she actually mean?

Palestinian refugees in Syria face undue obstacles as crisis worsens: UN official
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 5, 2013 - 1:00am

A senior UN official on Monday said that the Syrian crisis is having dire effects on Palestinian refugees living in Syria, who face obstacles in receiving humanitarian assistance and are increasingly being drawn into the conflict. Filippo Grandi, the commissioner general of UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), told a press conference here that keeping schools open and health centers open is "an increasing challenge in a situation of growing insecurity, lack of access and other problems."

Israeli PM calls for "credible military threat" against Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 5, 2013 - 1:00am

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called for "a clear and credible military threat" against Iran, saying the Islamic republic is getting closer to building a nuclear bomb. The hawkish Israeli leader, told a pro-Israel lobby group in Washington via satellite link from Jerusalem that diplomacy and sanctions have not worked to stop Iran from pressing ahead with its controversial nuclear program.

European Campaign to Boycott Israeli Phone Companies in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Palestine News Network
March 4, 2013 - 1:00am

Monday 4th March, Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported that labor Unions of France, Ireland, Britain, Italy, and Sweden signed an agreement to boycott illegal Israeli settlements' products, including telecommunication services in the west Bank, according to a statement by the union. The agreement, which was signed following a conference organized by the Association France Palestine Solidarity (AFPS) in Paris, discussed the Israeli settlement activities and their effect on economic, political and social life in Palestine.

Palestinians reach out with restaurant
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from SFGate
(Interview) March 4, 2013 - 1:00am

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, anti-Muslim sentiment peaked in the United States. Instead of retreating, Palestinian immigrants Fayza and Naime Ayyad built a bridge.

Hard Questions, Tough Answers with Yossi Alpher: March 4, 2013
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Americans For Peace Now
(Interview) March 4, 2013 - 1:00am

Alpher discusses whether Netanyahu will form a government by the new deadline of March 16th, what the appointment of Philip Gordon as White House coordinator for the Middle East might tell us about Obama's approach to the Israeli-Palestinian issue in his second term, and whether there is any hope at all for Turkish-Israeli rapprochement,

Good-and-evil caricatures of the Israel-Palestine conflict are costing lives
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Telegraph
by Matt Hill - (Opinion) March 4, 2013 - 1:00am

Is there another issue that generates as much sound and fury as the Israel-Palestine conflict? Last month George Galloway attracted derision for storming out of an Oxford University debate when he discovered one of his opponents was an Israeli. The fallout continued into last week, with students at the university voting on whether to join a blanket boycott of Israeli companies and institutions.

Can Obama make a substantive contribution to peace?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Larry Snider - (Opinion) March 3, 2013 - 1:00am

There are countless traps laid out like a mine field awaiting the return of Barack Obama to substantive engagement in the peace process that will commence with his upcoming visit to Jerusalem, Ramallah and Amman. Peace and the search for peace have failed presidents, prime ministers, diplomats, pundits and activists of every conceivable stripe. What can change in 2013 to make peace achievable?

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