Let's Help The Good Guys In The West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Walter Isaacson - (Opinion) March 5, 2008 - 7:43pm

The rocket attacks on Israel launched by Hamas militants in Gaza, coupled with Israel's retaliation, have disrupted peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. This is a great victory for the radicals in Hamas, who never wanted such talks. While visiting the region this week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is trying to remind everyone that the real goal is to weaken Hamas.

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What Lies Ahead for Gaza?
Policy Focus by ATFP - March 5, 2008 - 1:00am

The confrontations last weekend between Hamas and Israel in Gaza have brought two facts into sharp focus. First, Hamas and Israel have locked themselves into a logic of progressively increasing violence that – unless broken – will inevitably lead to a wide scale land operation against Gaza. Second, unless accompanied by a policy of strengthening the Palestinian Authority (PA) under President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad by enabling them to deliver concrete results, the strategy of pressuring Hamas will not work and would likely be counterproductive.

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In Search for Peace, a Shrinking White House Role
Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Washington Post - March 3, 2008 - 1:00am

Ghaith al-Omari, a former adviser to Abbas and now advocacy director for the American Task Force on Palestine, faulted the Bush administration for not nurturing a process that it started. He noted that the administration has appointed three generals to assess various aspects of the issue, but that few people in the region understand their roles. Rice's two-day visit this week is her first substantive trip since the conference in November.

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ATFP reiterates call for end to violence in Gaza
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - March 2, 2008 - 1:00am

Washington, DC, March 3 – The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today renewed its call for an end to armed hostilities between Israel and militia groups based in the Gaza Strip. The Task Force expressed grave concern for the wellbeing of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip – where over 100 people, many of them civilians, have been killed by Israeli forces in recent days – and for the population of Israeli towns, including Sderot and Ashkelon, within the range of rockets fired by militia groups in Gaza.


Israeli Minister Warns Palestinians Of ' Holocaust '
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
February 29, 2008 - 5:59pm

 Deputy Israeli Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said on Friday the Palestinians would bring on themselves what he called a "bigger holocaust" by stepping up rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip.

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Abbas Urges For Early Settlement Of Control Over Border Crossings
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Kuwait News Agency (kuna)
February 26, 2008 - 7:05pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stressed on Tuesday the importance of ending the dispute over controlling the border crossing points between Gaza Strip and Egypt as early as possible amidst the Israeli self-imposed blockade on the strip. The issue is being thoroughly discussed by the Palestinian, the Egyptian and the Israeli leaders, Abbas said in a press release after his meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

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U.s. To Announce New Aid Plan For West Bank, Gaza Strip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - February 22, 2008 - 5:48pm

The United States plans to announce tens of millions of dollars in new aid for the West Bank and Gaza next week to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories, U.S. officials said on Friday. The funds will be channeled through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees, which handles U.S. and other assistance for food, health, education and other areas, said U.S. officials, who declined to provide the exact figure as the official announcement will be made during a trip to the region next week.

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Hamas: We Won't Rule Out Any Bid For Cease-fire With Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
February 22, 2008 - 5:36pm

A Hamas spokesman praised on Friday a decision by European Union lawmakers in Strasbourg, France on Thursday calling on Israel to end the blockade and open Gaza's border crossings. "We in Hamas are highly appreciative of the initiative and the call made by the EU parliament to end the siege imposed on Gaza," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri. "We consider this an important development in the European attitude."

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Hamas Urges Eu To Up Pressure On Israel Over Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
February 22, 2008 - 4:10pm

Hamas called on the European Union on Friday to step up pressure on Israel to lift its economic and military blockade of the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Islamist group. "We urge the European Union not to limit its action to purely calling for an end to the siege but also to apply political and practical pressure on Israel," Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said.

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Economic Reform Key To Mideast Stability - Un
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Linda Hindi - February 21, 2008 - 7:24pm

Delegates attending a UN conference yesterday stressed economic reform as the key for stability in the occupied territories and the basis for building a foundation for a viable two-state solution. But they added that sustainable growth cannot be achieved without a political settlement.

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