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

The Price of Success
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Aaron David Miller - (Analysis) November 15, 2010 - 1:00am

After 20 months, Barack Obama's administration may be close to injecting some much-needed stability into the on-again, off-again Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The deal concluded last week in New York between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- if it gets through the Israeli cabinet and the Palestinians -- should allow the negotiations to resume in the wake of a three-month moratorium on settlements. But as I've written before, the administration shouldn't pray for anything it really doesn't want and isn't prepared for.

U.S. suggests Mideast deadline may be slipping
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
November 15, 2010 - 1:00am

WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. target to resolve all major issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by August 2011 may be slipping, the State Department said on Monday. Israel and the Palestinians resumed peace negotiations in Washington on Sept. 2 only to see these unravel within weeks after Israel's 10-month partial moratorium on Jewish settlement construction expired that month.

It is time for the US to show it is an honest broker
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) November 11, 2010 - 1:00am

It is not often that a diplomatic row plays out in front of a global audience - especially when two heads of state are involved. So it was no small matter that the US president Barack Obama openly expressed his dismay at the newly announced Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem during his visit to Indonesia this week.

Lieberman: 'There won't be another building moratorium'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from
November 11, 2010 - 1:00am

During visit to Golan Heights foreign minister adamant that Israel will not be pressured, says pressure must be put on Palestinians. Israel will not accept another moratorium on building in the West Bank, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Thursday in a speech in the Golan town of Katzrin. He reportedly added that Israel will not be pressured, but that pressure should rather be put on the Palestinians.

U.S. Struggles to Restore Middle East Talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Mark Landler - November 10, 2010 - 1:00am

With tensions between the United States and Israel flaring again over Jewish settlements, the Obama administration and its allies worked feverishly on multiple fronts Wednesday to put Middle East peace talks back on track.

WEST BANK: U.S. comes to the rescue
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Maher Abukhater - (Blog) November 10, 2010 - 1:00am

The United States on Wednesday proved once again that it is a friend the Palestinian Authority can rely on in times of difficulty, at least economically. Politically, the Palestinians are not so sure. After a brief signing ceremony at Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s office in Ramallah, the U.S. forwarded to the Palestinian Authority $150 million for budget support. Even though the amount is only a fraction of what Israel gets every year from the U.S., which amounts to billions of dollars, Fayyad nevertheless warmly welcomed the support, considering it a lifesaver.

Broader than party politics
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) November 9, 2010 - 1:00am

For the most part, the United States government builds its strategies on national interests rather than on narrow party or personal politics. Nevertheless, the recent congressional elections inspired debate over possible effects on American Middle East policies, the peace process in particular. The reason for this is that in the eyes of some analysts and politicians, the current administration is leaning a little bit on Israel, especially on the issue of settlements. They believe that the new Republican-majority House of Representatives might restrain the administration.

Peace process diplomacy continues in US
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 9, 2010 - 1:00am

WASHINGTON (Ma'an) -- US officials expressed deep disappointment Monday following the announcement of advanced planning for new housing units in occupied East Jerusalem. "It is counterproductive to our efforts to resume direct negotiations between the parties. We have long urged both parties to avoid actions which could undermine trust, including in Jerusalem, and we will continue to work to resume direct negotiations to address this and other final status issues," US State Department spokesman Phillip Crowley said at a DC news meeting with reporters.

Obama and the Harvesting of Disappointments.
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Elias Harfoush - November 9, 2010 - 1:00am

This week, Benjamin Netanyahu had Washington “to himself”. The climate in the American capital could not have been better for the prime minister of Israel. His defeated rival, Barack Obama, was outside the capital, on an Asian trip that American commentators described as the best possible opportunity for him to catch his breath after his historic defeat in the mid-term elections.

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