Palestine progress seen up in air with U.N. bid
Media Mention of Ziad Asali In USA Today - September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

In the past two years, Palestinians who live in the West Bank have seen economic growth that would be the envy of other nations. The Israeli checkpoints that aim to stop terrorists but make travel difficult have been reduced by half. And there is an explosion of construction projects ranging from industrial parks to the first planned city in modern history in a territory that fails to treat much of its sewage.

»

The Diane Rehm Show: Palestinian Push for U.N. Membership
Interview with Ziad Asali - National Public Radio (NPR) - September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Guests: Ziad Asali president and founder of The American Task Force on Palestine. Peter David Washington DC bureau chief, The Economist David Makovsky

»

Palestine progress seen up in air with U.N. bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from USA Today
by Oren Dorell - September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

In the past two years, Palestinians who live in the West Bank have seen economic growth that would be the envy of other nations. The Israeli checkpoints that aim to stop terrorists but make travel difficult have been reduced by half. And there is an explosion of construction projects ranging from industrial parks to the first planned city in modern history in a territory that fails to treat much of its sewage.

»

Taking a Stand, and Shedding Arafat’s Shadow
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner, Neil MacFarquhar - September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

At the baronial Morgan Library in Midtown Manhattan the other night, President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, stood quietly along the edge of a diplomatic reception, avoiding the animated gossip and flowing Champagne. Only when the host noted that Mr. Abbas was in the room, and expressed hope that his quest for Palestinian membership in the United Nations would produce real sovereignty, did the crowd take notice.

»

U.S. should recognize Palestinian state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Memory is short and forgetfulness is often deliberate, but 23 years ago the UN General Assembly decided to move its session from New York to Switzerland so that Palestine Liberation Organization head Yasser Arafat could deliver a speech. The reason: U.S. Secretary of State George Schultz refused to issue Yasser Arafat an entry visa to the United States.

»

Quartet powers trying to 'buy time' ahead of UN confrontation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by Tanqi Quemener - September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) -- The PLO was coming under mounting pressure to drop a bid for UN membership of a Palestinian state as diplomats worked frantically behind the scenes to head off a looming clash. Both the United States and the Europeans appeared to be working to buy more time, with President Mahmoud Abbas determined to press ahead with plans to submit a formal application to UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday. US President Barack Obama was to meet Abbas on Wednesday, just hours after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a US official said.

»

Thousands rally in Ramallah to back Palestinian statehood bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

Thousands of Palestinians flocked to Yasser Arafat Square in central Ramallah on Wednesday for a rally in support of the Palestinian bid for full United Nations membership. The square was dominated by a huge sign with the words "UN 194" on it, in reference to the Palestinian attempt to become the 194th member state of the international body. The sign was flanked by portraits of former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, and his successor Mahmoud Abbas, who will on Friday formally submit the Palestinian request to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

»

A UN showdown the Palestinians can't afford to lose
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Claude Salhani - (Opinion) September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

The Middle East is going to war again this week - thankfully this time it's only a public relations war as Israelis and Palestinians take their case and their cause before the UN General Assembly. The outcome of this new escalation in the 62-year conflict, however, could lead to a new round of violence as bloody as any of the military conflicts of Arabs and Israelis in the past.

»

The U.S. and Israeli stranglehold ends
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Rami Khouri - (Opinion) September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

In the past week in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington my discussions on Mideast issues with a wide range of knowledgeable people confirm the view I have held for some time now: official American attitudes to the Middle East, especially on the Arab-Israeli conflict, are characterized by deep perplexity, contradiction and disarray. No wonder the region is in the midst of a historic transition that has radically shifted the center of gravity of political action and diplomatic control away from American-Israeli dominance, toward a greater role for Arab public opinion.

»

The votes the Palestinians (and the Israelis) really need
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by David Rothkopf - (Blog) September 21, 2011 - 12:00am

As H.L. Mencken might have observed, no one ever went broke underestimating the abilities of the current Israeli or Palestinian leadership. But in the competition for the region's top cluelessness prize, one has to give Bibi Netanyahu the edge. After all, he has done the near impossible and edged out Mahmoud Abbas.

»


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