U.S.-Arab Relations | The American Task Force on Palestine

Daley on Hamas-Fatah—is there an opening to US recognition?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - (Blog) April 28, 2011 - 12:00am

President Obama's chief of staff, William Daley, is the top administration official addressing the American Jewish Committee's annual conference. This is what he just said about Hamas-Fatah reconciliation: "We all have seen the news of the agreement between Fatah and Hamas to form a government. Like the Israeli government, we are seeking more information." The United States always supported Palestinian unity, he then said, "providing it is on the terms which advance the cause of peace. Hamas is a terrorist government which targets civillians."

Reconciliation Deal by Rival Factions Forces U.S. to Reconsider Aid to Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Steven Lee Myers - April 27, 2011 - 12:00am

The announced reconciliation on Wednesday between Fatah and Hamas, the estranged Palestinian movements, puts the Obama administration in the uncomfortable position of having to reconsider its financial support for the Palestinian Authority, including millions of dollars the United States has spent to train and equip Palestinian security forces, officials and members of Congress said.

Bibi and Obama: hand over peace process to the UN
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Tony Karon - April 25, 2011 - 12:00am

President Barack Obama and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, we are told, are in a "bizarre diplomatic race" to be the first to outline a new initiative for Middle East peace. That's according to the New York Times, which last week reported that Mr Netanyahu is planning to preempt Mr Obama when he addresses US Congress next month, at the invitation of the president's Republican adversaries.

Europe pressures US over Mideast peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
April 22, 2011 - 12:00am

France said Thursday that European nations are considering recognizing a Palestinian state, heightening pressure on the United States and Israel to relaunch the Middle East peace process. European ambassadors at the UN Security Council joined the Palestinian envoy in calling for "bold" US leadership to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Recognition of the state of Palestine is one of the options which France is considering, with its European partners" in a bid to relaunch the peace process," French ambassador Gerard Araud told a Security Council debate on the Middle East.

US: Shelve Goldstone Report
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - April 21, 2011 - 12:00am

America against Goldstone: US Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, urged the world body Thursday to end its preoccupation with a report accusing Israel of committing war crimes during the Gaza War. "The United States urges the United Nations to end, once and for all, its actions in relation to the Goldstone Report," she said.

When in Doubt, Give a Middle East Speech
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) April 21, 2011 - 12:00am

The looming U.S.-Israeli tensions over who says what first about Israeli-Palestinian peace obscures the broader question on which any successful American initiative depends: Are Israelis and Palestinians ready for a conflict-ending agreement? And if not, is there anything Washington can do about it?

Palestinians counting on Obama for state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Elior Levy - April 20, 2011 - 12:00am

The Palestinians are signaling they are still planning to go ahead with efforts to declare an independent state with the backing of the United Nations. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said during a visit in Tunisia that the Palestinian Authority is ready to establish a state. "We are counting on the words of US President Barack Obama who said his vision is to see a Palestinian state this coming September according to a deadline set by the Quartet."

Invitation to Israeli Leader Puts Obama on the Spot
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Helene Cooper - April 20, 2011 - 12:00am

A Republican invitation for Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to address Congress next month is highlighting the tensions between President Obama and Mr. Netanyahu and has kicked off a bizarre diplomatic race over who will be the first to lay out a new proposal to reopen the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

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