Washington's stance on Israel and Mideast peace is murky
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Natasha Mozgovaya - (Blog) October 4, 2011 - 12:00am

This week in Washington started with three foggy questions: Was it really Vice President Joseph Biden who blocked clemency for Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard? What actually happened to U.S. aid to the Palestinians? And what will the U.S. do with the Middle East peace process after commending Israel on accepting the Quartet call for the renewal of talks and noting that the Palestinians also expressed their support.

»

Palestinians accost US delegation in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Statesman
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - (Analysis) October 4, 2011 - 12:00am

A small crowd of Palestinian protesters accosted an American diplomatic delegation visiting the West Bank Tuesday, blocking a convoy of vehicles, chanting "shame on you" and hurling a shoe — a deeply insulting gesture in Arab culture. The Americans, including employees of the consulate in Jerusalem, were on their way to a U.S. reception in town of Ramallah meant to reaffirm cultural and educational ties with the Palestinians.

»

Obama: A bankrupt speech
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Tariq Alhomayed - (Opinion) September 25, 2011 - 12:00am

The simplest way to describe Barack Obama’s speech to the United Nations is that it was a bankrupt speech, laden with contradictions easy for the average observer, let alone a political specialist, to clearly identify, whether about the Arab situation or the Palestinian cause.

»

Palestinians vent anger at U.S. over statehood issue
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from McClatchy News
by Sheera Frenkel - (Analysis) September 22, 2011 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian protesters burned effigies of President Barack Obama and stomped on U.S. flags Thursday in one of the largest recent displays of anti-American sentiment here, sparked by the United States' pledge to veto any request for U.N. membership for a Palestinian state. Gathered outside the residence of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who's expected to address the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Friday, the protesters denounced Obama, whom they accused of siding with Israel in the lengthy impasse over peace negotiations.

»

Obama veto of Palestinian statehood: What can he do after that?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
(Editorial) September 22, 2011 - 12:00am

During his nearly three years in office, President Obama has tried a new type of American leadership in the Middle East, one that is more moral than muscular, less unilaterally assertive and more humbly collaborative. While he’s been mostly successful and consistent, all that may now be viewed in the region as meaningless if the United States effectively vetoes a request by the Palestinians for the United Nations Security Council to recognize their homeland as a state.

»

Hill fight simmers over Palestinian statehood vote
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Politico
by Marin Cogan, Jake Sherman - August 19, 2011 - 12:00am

Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill will spend much of the fall warring over budget deficits and the national debt, but a mass excursion by lawmakers to Israel this month offers a glimpse into a simmering foreign policy fight that could unify the two parties and cause headaches for the White House.

»

U.S. impotent in face of Middle East events
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) August 17, 2011 - 12:00am

What is the critical mass of people who must be killed for the 'international community' to act? How long will the Syrian protesters wait until the United States and its allies deign to intervene in their slow massacre? What is the critical mass of people who must be killed for the "international community" to act? When there's an earthquake, countries jostle each other to be visibly first in line with rescue forces for the victims; when thousands were killed in Darfur, the "community" went into deep hibernation until roused to assist.

»

A non-violent path should precede UN recognition
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
(Opinion) August 17, 2011 - 12:00am

Nonviolence is a way of life that will guarantee peaceful coexistence in the future and the eventual goal of a demilitarized region. Talkbacks (30) I, along with nearly two dozen of my US congressional colleagues, have just concluded a 10-day fact-finding trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories. We had formal meetings with many leaders, including President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad of the Palestinian Authority, as well as informal talks with average Israelis and Palestinians.

»

The freedom-seekers America ignores
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Salon.com
by Rashid Khalidi - (Opinion) August 17, 2011 - 12:00am

With Washington's bipartisan blessing, Israel is sabotaging a Palestinian plea for U.N. recognition Once again Israel is doing its utmost to block Palestinian aspirations for self-determination, unleashing its diplomats in order to obstruct Palestinian efforts to secure some semblance of statehood and freedom at the United Nations this September. Meanwhile, the U.S. and other powers have nothing meaningful to add to this debate except to support Israel's sabotage. Such a predicament is nothing new for the Palestinians.

»

Palestinians to Seek UN Statehood Vote Next Month
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Alertnet
by Ali Sawafta - August 13, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will submit an application for full U.N. membership at the General Assembly next month, his foreign minister said on Saturday, without specifying exactly when the request would be made. "I think that the president, when he gets to the United Nations and meets the secretary general, will present the application," Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said in a briefing in Ramallah.

»


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