Touring Israel's Barrier With Its Main Designer
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Scott Wilson - October 22, 2007 - 11:31am

From his stone balcony, Dan Tirza looks out over a rippling expanse of Judean desert, the biblical landscape of the Jewish people. A student of that history, the retired army colonel is a leading actor in Israel's modern story of statehood, conquest and the volatile task of erecting a boundary that divides Arab from Jew. Soon Israel's $2.5 billion separation barrier will rise around Tirza's settlement, where 350 Jewish families live among palms, playgrounds and a synagogue 10 miles inside the West Bank.

»

To Get On The Same Page
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Newsweek
by Joanna Chen - October 22, 2007 - 10:59am

Sami Adwan is the very model of a soft-spoken professor. He measures his words, and listens carefully to what others have to say. Yet while pursuing an education Ph.D. at the University of San Francisco in the 1980s, Adwan not only refused to listen to Jewish students, he says he dropped out of classes if he knew they included Jews. A Palestinian born in the village of Surif, near Hebron, Adwan had grown up under the shadow of the Israeli occupation, hearing tales from his father and grandfather of how Jews had seized the family's orange groves and wheat fields in 1948.

»

Israel's Intrepid Peacemakers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Nation
by Neve Gordon - October 22, 2007 - 10:54am

Over the past five years the Israeli peace camp has dwindled. Last month marked the occupation's fortieth anniversary, but no more than 4,000 people reportedly gathered in Tel Aviv to protest Israel's longstanding military rule. Of the demonstrators who did show up, only a few hundred are what one could call ardent activists--people who have dedicated their life to peace and justice

»

Murdoch, Son Differ Sharply Over Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Sun
by Josh Gerstein - October 22, 2007 - 9:40am

The pro-Israel outlook of the Wall Street Journal and many News Corp. outlets could waver if one of Rupert Murdoch's sons, James Murdoch, takes the helm of the publishing and broadcasting company, a new book suggests.

»

A Big Victory Against The Wall
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Counterpunch
by Uri Avnery - October 19, 2007 - 8:28pm

When my friends fall prey to despair, I show them a piece of painted concrete, which I bought in Berlin. It is one of the remnants of the Berlin wall, which are on sale in the city. I tell them that I intend, when the time comes, to apply for a franchise to sell pieces of the Separation Wall. Sometimes, when I give a lecture before a German audience, I ask: "How many of you believed, a week before the fall of the wall, that this would happen in their lifetime?" No one has ever raised their hand.

»

The City Of David, Below And Above Ground
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Danny Rubenstein - (Opinion) October 12, 2007 - 2:18pm

The uncovering of ancient sites currently taking place on the City of David hill, on the slope south of the wall around Jerusalem's Old City, is almost certainly the most impressive archaeological enterprise in Israel today. During a visit there during the Sukkot holiday, one could see thousands of visitors, tourists from abroad and Israelis.

»

What Israel Wants, Israel Gets
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Miftah
by Joharah Baker - (Opinion) October 10, 2007 - 2:06pm

There is a consistent thread, a pattern, which designs Israel’s policies in the Palestinian territories. Any scrutinizing observer will notice how Israel first pitches an idea to the public – however preposterous – then allows the Palestinians and the international community to absorb it before putting it into action. This way, policies and measures are less shocking and seem more acceptable once the dust has been allowed to settle.

»

Dropping "muqawama"
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Terrorism.opendemocracy.net
by Maria Stephan - (Blog) October 3, 2007 - 6:07pm

With another international conference focused on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict just around the corner - likely to take place in Washington in November - hopes rise for a negotiated breakthrough in this decades-long conflict. However, without a Palestinian strategy to apply steady pressure on Israel, the November talks are likely to produce a new "road map" to nowhere. The Palestinian Authority may be aware of this, as its recent call for a new form of struggle against the Israeli occupation suggests.

»

A Note To Hillary On Jerusalem Disunited
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The American Prospect
by Gershom Gorenberg - October 2, 2007 - 12:00am

Dear Hillary, A colleague alerted me to your recent position paper on Israel, with your promise of support for an "undivided Jerusalem." I appreciate the warm feelings, but I admit I was confused by your description of my city. Since you are a careful, wonky candidate, I figured you must have details at your disposal. So this morning I called a Palestinian cabby friend, and together we went looking for the "undivided Jerusalem."

»

ATFP and other Arab American Organizations Meet with Secretary Condi Rice
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - June 10, 2007 - 12:00am

ATFP president Ziad Asali was a member of an eight person delegation of Arab American leaders who met today with Secretary Rice for one hour and fifteen minutes today. Other delegation leaders included representatives of the AAI, ADC, American Task Force on Lebanon and American Chaldean Council, ACCESS, Ramallah Federation and Al-Bireh Society.



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