Palestinians Snub President Obama
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Diana Atallah - (Opinion) November 12, 2012 - 1:00am

Ramallah - Palestinians will not succumb to United States President Barak Obama’s request to postpone their United Nations bid and will ask members the UN’s General Assembly to vote on a resolution to upgrade the Palestinians’ status to a non-member state no later than the 29th of this month.

»

Israel says to close cash tap if Palestinians seek UN statehood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Ori Lewis - November 11, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Israel will stop collecting tax revenues for the Palestinian Authority and not hand over any money if President Mahmoud Abbas continues to seek observer state membership of the United Nations, Israel's finance minister said Saturday. "If the Palestinians continue to advance their unilateral move they should not expect bilateral cooperation. We will not collect their taxes for them and we will not transfer their tax revenues," Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said.

»

Palestinian, US president discuss UN initiative
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
November 11, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank —A spokesman for the Palestinian president says the Palestinians will proceed with asking the U.N. General Assembly to recognize a Palestinian state, despite a personal call from President Barack Obama to abandon the bid. Nabil Abu Rdeneh said President Mahmoud Abbas had a long phone conversation with Obama on Sunday evening. He said Obama "expresses his opposition to this step," but Abbas replied he would carry on.

»

US vote a painful reminder for divided Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by Sufian Abu Zaida - (Opinion) November 11, 2012 - 1:00am

I didn't follow the United States elections due to my belief that in the Palestinian subject particularly, and US policy in the Middle East in general, the difference between the candidates is negligible.

»

Official: 51 states 'undecided' over Palestinian UN bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
(Analysis) November 9, 2012 - 1:00am

 Fifty-one countries are undecided over whether to support in its bid to become a non-member state of the UN, an Arab League official said Friday.

»

Palestinians release draft of statehood bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
(Analysis) November 9, 2012 - 1:00am

  Palestinian diplomats have circulated a draft resolution to U.N. member states that calls for recognition of "Palestine" as an observer state. The draft resolution could be put to a vote in the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly later this month, Reuters reported this week.

»

Palestinians Renew Push for Enhanced U.N. Status
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - November 9, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM — A Palestinian official in the West Bank said Friday that the distribution of a draft resolution at the United Nations headquarters in New York a day earlier was the “first big step” toward a vote this month on enhancing the Palestinians’ status in the General Assembly.

»

Erekat: UN bid aims to preserve two-state solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 8, 2012 - 1:00am

JERICHO (Ma'an) -- Israel's settlement policy is threatening the two-state solution, not the PLO's bid to upgrade Palestine's status at the UN, PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said Thursday. Erekat said Palestine's request for non-member statehood of the UN did not contradict the two-state solution, in separate meetings with Quartet envoy Tony Blair, US consul Michael Ratney and French consul Frédéric Desagneaux.

»

Sovereignty over occupied territories
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Kamel S. Abu Jaber - (Opinion) November 7, 2012 - 1:00am

A voice is being heard loud in the wilderness of Arab politics. It carries with it the weight of experience and a deep knowledge of Arab politics. It is the voice of HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal, joined, lately, by that of Farouk Qaddoumi of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

»

Israel preparing to ‘ensure collapse’ of Palestinian U.N. bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
November 6, 2012 - 1:00am

Israel is preparing to counter a Palestinian bid for enhanced United Nations status later this month, a foreign ministry spokesman told AFP on Tuesday. The comments came as Israel’s private Channel 10 reported that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman last month pledged to ensure the “collapse” of the Palestinian Authority if the bid for non-member status at the General Assembly goes forward.

»


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