From a Saudi prince, tough talk on America’s favoritism toward Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Richard Cohen - (Opinion) June 14, 2011 - 12:00am

As best I can recall, I first met Saudi Arabia’s Prince Turki al-Faisal at a private home in Washington years ago. I found him stern and humorless, sometimes even bitter. I have seen him since at international conferences and the like — never in the mood for small talk and exhibiting, sometimes in his glorious robes, not an ounce of Bedouin charm. Still, I was unprepared for the opinion column he published in Sunday’s Post. It read like a declaration of war.

»

Some Arab-Americans need more of the American
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) June 14, 2011 - 12:00am

The Arab-American community continues to suffer from the debilitating condition of operating primarily within an Arab rather than an American framework, and of approaching its political mission based on a set of imported imperatives, rivalries and grievances. Far too many prominent people and organizations are driven largely by a derivative agenda, looking for guidance and direction from groups, individuals and governments in the Middle East, thereby rendering themselves woefully ineffective and marginal in their own country.

»

Did Kissinger Urge Egypt to Attack Israel?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by R.M. Schneiderman - (Book Review) June 9, 2011 - 12:00am

Whether it’s the expansion of settlements or the status of Jerusalem, the past has always held a central role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So as Palestinian protests continued to roil the Jewish state on Sunday, a new book by a former CIA agent in Amman and a trusted adviser to the Jordanian king offers some eye-opening claims about the history of the conflict.

»

The French connection
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) June 8, 2011 - 12:00am

Mahmoud Abbas has a penchant for climbing out on limbs and expecting others to get him down. The first time wasn’t all his fault. When newly minted President Barack Obama demanded Israel freeze settlements as a path to the peace table, Abbas, who had never set such conditions previously, could not agree to less. Trouble is, Israel rejected it and Obama soon walked away, leaving Abbas hanging.

»

Israelis, Palestinians holding separate covert talks with Washington
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Natasha Mozgovaya, Barak Ravid - June 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Israeli and Palestinian delegates are separately holding covert talks with White House officials in Washington in an effort to reignite peace talks. The U.S. hopes the talks will hamper the Palestinian effort to gain United Nations recognition in a vote in September. The Palestinians plan to unilaterally seek UN recognition of statehood in September -- a step Israel strongly opposes fearing it could end up isolated internationally.

»

Forty-Four Years Later, Liberty Attack Provokes Passions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Arieh O'Sullivan - June 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Some alleged Israeli attack on U.S. Navy vessel was no accident The Six Day War in 1967 saw Israel vanquish its Arab enemies in a stunning defeat on land, sea and in the air. There is one event, however, that remains a blemish in Israel’s victory – the attack on the U.S. Navy ship Liberty on June 8.

»

Obama’s half step
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by George S. Hishmeh - (Opinion) May 27, 2011 - 12:00am

Why is Benjamin Netanyahu, the right-wing Israeli prime minister, so ungracious to the United Nations, which helped create the state of Israel, and to Barack Obama, the American president who is eager to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and who declared that time may not be on the side of Israel, especially when the Arab Spring is still sweeping the Middle East?

»

Abbas: Netanyahu pushing back peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 26, 2011 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pushing the peace process back further than ever, the official Palestinian news agency reported. Speaking at the opening of a meeting for the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah, Abbas said Netanyahu “has shown us, in addition to the many mistakes and distortions, that he moved very far from the peace process.” He added: “There was nothing that we could build positively on. We look at his speech negatively.”

»

US criticism of Palestinian reconciliation pact shadows Middle East peace talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Omer Othmani, Osama Radi - May 25, 2011 - 12:00am

The Egyptian-drafted inter- reconciliation agreement, which was signed in Cairo on May 4 between Fatah and the Islamic Hamas movement, is facing difficulties following U.S. President Barack Obama's criticism of the agreement. Obama, who demanded Hamas to accept the requirements of the International Quartet Committee for peace in the Middle East, said in a speech on Monday that the deal between Abbas and Hamas "is a big obstacle for achieving peace."

»

Abbas refuses to offer solutions without peace talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 25, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday he will not "put solutions before restarting peace talks" as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in his speech to the U.S. Congress Tuesday, in which the prime minister announced Israel cannot go back to the 1967 borders. Abbas' remarks came before a meeting of the Palestinians leadership to review the recent speeches of U.S. President Barack Obama and Netanyahu. The prime minister announced Israel cannot go back to the 1967 borders.

»


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