Abbas to bypass US opposition to UN bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
July 19, 2011 - 12:00am

OSLO, Norway (AFP) -- President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday said he was ready to circumvent opposition from the United States to a bid for statehood by taking the proposal to the United Nations' General Assembly. The plan to seek UN membership for a state on the lines that existed before the 1967 Six Day War is opposed by among others Israel and the United States. It risks being blocked by a US veto at the UN Security Council.

»

Elliott Abrams' Complaint
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Henry Siegman - (Editorial) July 19, 2011 - 12:00am

Following President Barack Obama's May 19 speech on the Middle East at the Department of State, The New York Review of Books (NYRB) published a letter that had been presented to the president this past January by a number of prominent, former, senior, U.S. government officials. The signatories to the letter urged the president to present to the parties in the Israel-Palestine conflict clear parameters to frame negotiations for a two-state peace agreement, and it suggested six key components for such a framework.

»

Israeli minister says Palestinians losing UN bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Daniel Estrin - July 18, 2011 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — International support for a planned Palestinian declaration of independence at the U.N. in September is waning, in large part because of intense Israeli lobbying against the initiative, a senior Israeli diplomat claimed Monday.

»

Time is on whose side?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Doron S. Ben-Atar - (Opinion) July 12, 2011 - 12:00am

The secular Palestinian national movement is at a crossroad. Since 2000, it has rejected three proposals of territorial compromise, thinking that a better offer will be forthcoming. The Palestinians believe time is on their side; that demographic trends, western strategic considerations, and the collective economic power of the Arab world will force Israel to yield to their demands. Recent developments prove the folly of these assumptions.

»

I support Israel by working for peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Americans For Peace Now
by Jennifer Aaronson - (Blog) July 12, 2011 - 12:00am

A few years ago I was walking down the streets of San Francisco wearing an old t-shirt that said pro-peace, pro-Israel. A man yelled back at me that I could not believe in both. I was so shocked by his outburst that I didn't know how to respond-so I chose to ignore him. I was only fifteen at the time so that was probably for the best; however, that encounter has been ingrained in my mind ever since.

»

What can we expect of the international community?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by Ali Halimeh - (Analysis) July 11, 2011 - 12:00am

It is no longer possible, in a time of the major changes in the 21st century, to leave the Middle East a hostage to the crisis management approach or of U.S. election agendas. It is, rather, in urgent need of radical solutions, especially for the Palestinian issue, on the basis of international legitimacy which has already coalesced around the two-state solution to end the Arab-Israeli conflict.

»

Reform! The end is at hand!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) July 11, 2011 - 12:00am

There is a well-documented phenomenon in societies as they reach the final stages of a deeply rooted, bloody conflict. I call it “digging in the heels against the current.” During this final phase, some societies show their ugliest face. I am talking about the stronger side, the one required to make truly hard concessions on real assets such as land. Such societies face a growing sense that the world fails to see the justice on their side. Indeed, the world usually supports the side perceived as the “underdog,” even when that side uses terrorism to support its cause.

»

An Israeli View: Why we are going to the UN
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Blog) July 4, 2011 - 12:00am

The Palestine Liberation Organization has now officially decided to ask the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. Leaving aside speculation as to whether this really will happen in September and what the consequences might be on the ground back home in Palestine and Israel, this is a good occasion to ask how we arrived at this juncture. The conventional wisdom that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's intransigent behavior has driven the Palestinians to adopt the international track is important, but hardly offers a complete explanation.

»

Leading Palestinian and Jewish American Groups Announce Joint Internship Program
Press Release - Contact Information: Ghaith al-Omari - June 30, 2011 - 12:00am

The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) and Americans for Peace Now (APN) are today starting their joint summer internship program. ATFP is hosting an Israeli student, and APN is hosting a Palestinian student. This is the third time that ATFP and APN, a pro-Palestinian organization and a pro-Israeli organization, are cooperating on a joint internship program, making it a tradition intended to underscore that Americans who care about Middle East peace - be they Arab or Jewish - have more in common than what sets them apart.


Jordan committed to Arab consensus in support of Palestinian UN bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Hani Hazaimeh - June 30, 2011 - 12:00am

AMMAN - Jordan is committed to the Arab consensus supporting the Palestinian leadership’s pursuit of recognition of a state by the UN General Assembly if Israel continues to reject relevant international resolutions, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh said on Thursday. Judeh reaffirmed Jordan’s continued support for the Palestinians in their efforts to establish their own independent state on the national Palestinian soil with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the basis of the two-state solution.

»


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