'We are running out of time for a two-state solution'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Akiva Eldar - August 15, 2008 - 8:00pm

At the end of my conversation with Sari Nusseibeh at the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem, the highly respected president of Al-Quds University - and cosignatory of "The People's Choice," a peace plan that he formulated with former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon - told me he wouldn't be surprised if one of the Palestinian residents of the city ran for mayor in the municipal elections in November. The candidate would not run as a representative of Jerusalem per se, Nusseibeh stressed. Rather, he would be running on behalf of all Palestinians in the occupied territories.

»

Boundaries For Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
August 15, 2008 - 12:00am

Early this week Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly handed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Israel's detailed proposal for a "shelf agreement." Olmert offered an Israeli pullback from 93 percent of Judea and Samaria, "compensating" the Palestinians with territory from the Negev. A 40-km. link would provide unfettered passage between Gaza and the West Bank. The Palestinian state would be demilitarized and "right of return" for refugees would be exercised almost entirely within "Palestine." The Jerusalem issue would be put off by mutual consent.

»

Abbas: No retreat for Fatah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Ibrahim Barzak, Karin Laub - August 3, 2008 - 8:00pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday refused to grant West Bank asylum to forces of his Fatah group who fled weekend faction fighting in Hamas-ruled Gaza, despite fears for their safety. Abbas ordered over 200 fighters back to Gaza from Israel, insisting a Fatah presence must be retained in the territory, which has been controlled by Hamas since a violent takeover in June 2007. Fatah is not prepared to write off Gaza, and Abbas also fears that an entrenched Hamas there could export rebellion to the West Bank, where he rules.

»

Israel’s Political Situation Dims Hopes for Peace Deal
Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The New York Times - August 1, 2008 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON — The official line in Washington, Jerusalem and Ramallah is that the decision by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel to resign will not affect American efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians before the end of the year.

»

Israel?s Political Situation Dims Hopes for Peace Deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Helene Cooper - July 31, 2008 - 8:00pm

WASHINGTON ? The official line in Washington, Jerusalem and Ramallah is that the decision by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel to resign will not affect American efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians before the end of the year. Israeli officials said Thursday that Mr. Olmert could still try to reach a peace pact in his remaining time in office. In Tunisia, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, pledged to work with Mr. Olmert and his successor.

»

Israel’s Political Situation Dims Hopes for Peace Deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Helene Cooper - July 31, 2008 - 8:00pm

The official line in Washington, Jerusalem and Ramallah is that the decision by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel to resign will not affect American efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians before the end of the year. Israeli officials said Thursday that Mr. Olmert could still try to reach a peace pact in his remaining time in office. In Tunisia, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, pledged to work with Mr. Olmert and his successor.

»

Palestinian-Americans Concerned about New Jerusalem Settlement Plans
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - June 1, 2008 - 12:00am

Washington, DC, June 2 – New Israeli settlement expansions in and around occupied East Jerusalem threaten prospects for a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement, according to the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP). On Monday ATFP warned that further Israeli construction in and around Jerusalem dangerously prejudiced final status talks and made the creation of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem more difficult.


Ziad Asali on Rosner's Guest
Interview with Ziad Asali - Haaretz - April 28, 2008 - 12:00am

Ziad J. Asali, M.D., is the president and founder of the American Task Force on Palestine, a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, D.C.

»

Palestinians Demand Release Of Prisoners Held By Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
April 18, 2008 - 6:24pm

Palestinians held demonstrations across the Occupied West Bank Thursday in honor of Prisoner's Day and over 11,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. In the north around 2,000 people gathered in the heart of Nablus, waving Palestinian flags and holding large, framed portraits of loved ones, an AFP correspondent said.

»

No Peace Without Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Mahmoud Al- Zahar - (Opinion) April 17, 2008 - 6:08pm

President Jimmy Carter's sensible plan to visit the Hamas leadership this week brings honesty and pragmatism to the Middle East while underscoring the fact that American policy has reached its dead end. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acts as if a few alterations here and there would make the hideous straitjacket of apartheid fit better.

»


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