Palestinians argue over elections as reconciliation efforts stuck
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Saud Abu Ramadan, Emad Drimly - February 3, 2011 - 1:00am

Leaders of various Palestinian political factions argued on Thursday over when to hold new presidential and legislative elections on the Palestinian territories, as efforts to achieve a reconciliation between rival Fatah and Hamas had been stalled for more than three years.

»

PA accuses Hamas of selling donated medicine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 1, 2011 - 1:00am

The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry on Monday accused its counterpart in the Gaza Strip of selling donated medical aid to private pharmacies. The Ramallah-based ministry said five convoys had delivered almost 1,600 tons of medical aid to the coastal enclave so far in 2011. However, only a few tons of the donated medicine reached the PA ministry's warehouse in the Gaza Strip, the ministry said in a statement.

»

Egypt or not, Palestinians have lost their faith in rising up
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - January 31, 2011 - 1:00am

Over the shelves of lettuce and broccoli (product of Israel ), and the honey, eggs, parsley and coriander (product of Palestine ), the demonstrators on television are no longer the same. The TV set in the vegetable shop in Ramallah is situated opposite the cashier, and the live broadcasts from the streets of Tunis two weeks ago, and from Egypt and Jordan this past week, drew more ratings than the soap operas and religious sermons customers often see playing there.

»

Palestinian Adversaries Unite, for Now, on Egypt
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Fares Akram, Isabel Kershner - January 31, 2011 - 1:00am

The Hamas rulers of Gaza and the rival Palestinian Authority leadership of the West Bank rarely see eye-to-eye on anything. But with mass protests rocking Egypt, across Gaza’s southern border, the Palestinian adversaries have united in maintaining a cautious silence, hedging their bets given the unpredictability of the outcome and clearly concerned about a possible spread of popular unrest to their areas.

»

Maverick Sari Nusseibeh proposes an interim route to peace in the Middle East
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Chronicle of Higher Education
by Haim Watzman - January 30, 2011 - 1:00am

Sari Nusseibeh's socks match these days, he's clean-shaven, and he's a university president rather than an anarchist student or faculty union leader. But his hair, though a bit shorter and a lot grayer than it was in the 1970s and 80s, is still unkempt. Despite his establishment perch and his foothold in East Jerusalem, his head is still in the clouds. It might be the distance between his extremities that makes him the most politically incorrect political activist in Palestinian politics.

»

Little recourse for victims of gender-based violence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 28, 2011 - 1:00am

Gender-based violence in the occupied Palestinian territory remains at epidemic levels, according to UN agencies, local NGOs and women, while victims lack legal recourse and often face a family backlash for reporting crimes. The number of sexual assault cases reported from 2006 to 2009 increased more than seven times, while the number of attempted murder cases [of women] increased five times, according to the Palestinian Authority women's affairs ministry. The figures do not including numerous cases of drowning and falling in which a family member was responsible for the incident.

»

Papering over the problem in Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Khaled Elgindy - January 26, 2011 - 1:00am

As the Palestinian leadership struggles to contain the damage caused by Al Jazeera's release of leaked documents detailing years of their negotiations with Israel, there is one lesson that risks being buried in all of the current hype. The Palestine Papers, and much of the response to them, demonstrate the increasingly narrow line the Palestinian leadership must walk between satisfying its U.S. and Western benefactors, as well as Israel, and maintaining credibility in the eyes of its own people.

»

Russia reaffirms recognition of Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
January 18, 2011 - 1:00am

The Russian president, on a rare visit to the West Bank, has reaffirmed Moscow's recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Dmitry Medvedev said Russia had recognised the state in 1988 and his country's position remained unchanged. The Russian premier's visit seeks to revive a collapsed peace process. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is seeking the country's support for a tougher stance towards Jewish settlements at the UN Security Council.

»

Palestinian psychiatrist wins Olof Palme Prize
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
January 7, 2011 - 1:00am

Palestinian psychiatrist Eyad El-Sarraj on Tuesday won the 2010 Olof Palme Prize for his "self-sacrificing and indefatigable struggle for common sense, reconciliation, and peace" in the Middle East, the Swedish jury said. El-Sarraj, who in 1977 became the first psychiatrist to practice in Gaza, is the founder of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program, a non-governmental organization focused on improving the mental well-being in the Palestinian community.

»

A Moment in Bil'in
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Aryeh Tepper - (Opinion) January 7, 2011 - 1:00am

In hindsight everyone will be able to point a certain moment or event and say: “There, then, that is when it went off the tracks.” The incident will not necessarily be a large event, the place not always monumental or even memorable. It is only in hindsight, when it comes time to mourn or to write history, that it is clarified.

»


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