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

Biden: US opposes unilateral moves
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yitzhak Benhorin - November 8, 2010 - 1:00am

US Vice President Joe Biden backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday night, shortly after meeting with him in New Orleans, Louisiana, but reminded him of the need to advance the peace process with the Palestinians. Addressing an audience of thousands of Jews, Biden called on Israel and the Palestinians to avoid any unilateral moves, and stressed that although the United States was committed to Israel's security and would do all it could to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon – peace between Israel and its neighbors must be guaranteed in the long run.

Obama should learn from Clinton
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) November 8, 2010 - 1:00am

The results of the American congressional election place President Barack Obama at a crossroads regarding the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He confronts two options.

Change we can't foresee
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) November 8, 2010 - 1:00am

The conventional wisdom in some circles now holds that Republican gains in last week's US congressional elections will weaken President Barack Obama's hand in trying to advance an Israeli-Palestinian peace process. This is not necessarily so, and for several reasons.

The Undertaker
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Tishreen
by Ali Jamalo - (Opinion) November 7, 2010 - 12:00am

Jeffery Feltman deserves to be called an undertaker. He has excelled in this profession ever since he was a US Ambassador in Lebanon and he has gotten better at it since he became an Assistant to Secretary Hilary Clinton. ‘Undertaker’ in this sense doesn’t refer to a humanitarian mission to bury dead people, but rather a dirty profession of killing innocent people and burying them alive. In politics an undertaker is a man who imitates the spider in setting traps for its victim. As many people know, Lebanon makes an ideal environment for spiders.

Palestinians to give U.S. peace effort more time
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Andrew Quinn - November 4, 2010 - 12:00am

The Palestinians will give the United States several more weeks to try to relaunch direct peace talks with Israel, but will not buckle on their key demand for a halt to Israeli settlement activity, a top Palestinian official said on Thursday. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that an Arab League decision on Oct. 9 giving the United States one month to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop settlements could slip -- but that the core demand would remain unchanged.

Erekat: Arabs to bring Palestinian issue to UN
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 1, 2010 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Egypt has proposed a joint Arab initiative to bring Palestinian demands for statehood to the United Nations, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) chief negotiator Saeb Erekat has told Ma'an. He told Ma'an Radio that one aim of this plan, which he said is close to being finalized, would be to force Israel to stop expanding West Bank settlements before resuming negotiations. Erekat said the idea of approaching the UN stemmed from the US government's failure to stop Israel from expanding settlements.

Obama can let Palestinians seek state recognition at the UN
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
(Editorial) October 29, 2010 - 12:00am

President Obama may soon have an unusual chance to serve the cause of Middle East peace by remaining silent. He could quietly acquiesce to a move being considered by Palestinian leaders to ask the United Nations to recognize a state of Palestine. Such a request would only be necessary in one case: if Israel effectively ends any hope of renewed peace negotiations by continuing to build Jewish settlements on Palestinian territory in the West Bank.

Secret Negotiations: Palestinian State in Return for Israeli Land Lease?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Ali El-saleh, Nazar Majli - October 29, 2010 - 12:00am

Asharq Al-Awsat has learnt from informed sources that secret talks have been talking place between the US and Israel on the formation of a Palestinian state. Washington and Tel Aviv have discussed a Palestinian state being established in return for Israel leasing land from the Palestinian Authority; this includes land in occupied eastern Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley. The sources informed Asharq Al-Awsat that this land-lease deal would last for a period of time between 40 and 99 years.

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