Security | The American Task Force on Palestine

American VIP humiliated at airport
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Itamar Eichner - August 6, 2010 - 12:00am

This is not how she imagined her visit to Israel. Prof. Donna Shalala, who served as the US Secretary of Health and Human Services for eight years under Clinton and is currently the president of Miami University, was held for two-and-a-half hours at Ben Gurion Airport during which she underwent a humiliating security debriefing because of her Arab last name – all this despite the fact that her hosts notified the airport ahead of time that she is a VIP.

U.N. says Israel did not violate border in clash with Lebanon
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Janine Zacharia - August 4, 2010 - 12:00am

A deadly exchange of fire between Israeli and Lebanese forces Tuesday shattered a tenuous calm that has persisted along the border since Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah waged a month-long war four years ago that killed hundreds and displaced thousands. In the most serious border confrontation since then, two Lebanese soldiers and one Lebanese journalist were killed. A 45-year old Israeli lieutenant colonel was also killed, and an Israeli platoon commander was critically wounded.

Israel-Lebanon clash: Could it spark another war?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Nicholas Blanford - August 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Lebanon's volatile border witnessed the most serious bout of violence in four years Tuesday when clashes between Lebanese and Israeli soldiers left at least four people dead. While tensions have been running high between Lebanon and Israel amid feverish speculation of another war between Israel and Lebanon's militant Shiite Hezbollah, analysts and security sources say that the cross-border clash is probably an isolated incident.

Israeli police raze rebuilt Bedouin village
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Hundreds of Israeli police stormed an unrecognized Bedouin village Wednesday, less than one week after it was razed to make way for Jewish National Fund forest, witnesses said. Residents, who remained in the Negev-area village to rebuild, said clashes erupted with police, sent to clear the Bedouin who had not left the area. The dwellings were rebuilt following a decision by the Higher Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel, the online news site Arab48 reported. The decision was made following the demolition of the buildings on 27 July.

From lynch to escort - cooperating with the PA is bearing fruit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - (Blog) July 30, 2010 - 12:00am

Two reservists en route to their Israel Defense Forces base in the West Bank make a wrong turn and find themselves in the heart of a Palestinian city. They run into Palestinian policemen, who demand that they turn themselves in.

Israel speeds up West Bank barrier construction following court injunction
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Nir Hasson - July 29, 2010 - 12:00am

The Defense Ministry picked up the pace of work on the separation fence near the Palestinian village of Walajeh, south of Jerusalem this week, village residents and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel say. The residents had petitioned the High Court of Justice, asking it to order the state to find an alternative route for the fence. The current route would surround the village on three sides and separate it from large tracts of its land.

Global Airline Pilots Not Happy About Israeli Security Program
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Christine Negroni - July 28, 2010 - 12:00am

Pilots of commercial airlines that fly into Israel are expressing increased opposition to a security program imposed by the country’s Ministry of Transport that they say could subject inbound flights to possible attack by Israeli warplanes. Last week, an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 flight to Tel Aviv was intercepted as it approached Israeli airspace when pilots failed to correctly submit a code confirming their identity as required under the security program. The plane was prohibited from landing until it was determined not to be a security threat.

Q&A with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Janine Zacharia - (Interview) July 27, 2010 - 12:00am

Edited excerpts of interview by Washington Post's Janine Zacharia, with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Friday, July 23, 2010 WP: You arrive in Washington on Monday. What is the primary objective of your trip?

F-35 jet purchase decision pending
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Yaakov Katz - July 23, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks regarding the purchase of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), senior defense officials said on Wednesday. This would make Israel the first foreign customer to sign a contract to purchase the advanced stealth fighter jet. Defense Ministry Dir.-Gen. Udi Shani convened a meeting with top IDF officers Wednesday evening to discuss the potential deal, which is expected to be decided upon at a meeting later this month that will be chaired by Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Video: Inside ATFP Gala 2013

Photo Gallery: ATFP Gala 2013

Recent News