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

U.S. pushing Palestinians to delay U.N. bid until after elections
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
August 9, 2012 - 12:00am

Washington is pressing the Palestinian leadership to delay a fresh bid to seek upgraded U.N. status until after the U.S. elections, a senior Palestinian official said Wednesday. “There are pressures from the United States and some Arab parties to delay the voting until after the United States presidential elections, due in November,” Palestinian Liberation Organization Executive Committee member Saleh Raafat told Voice of Palestine radio.

For Sheldon Adelson, political and Jewish giving are all of a piece
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
August 7, 2012 - 12:00am

Call it the Adelson conundrum: What happens when the guy who acts as if he owns the room really does? In March at TribeFest, the annual gathering of young adults organized by the Jewish Federations of North America at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, Sheldon Adelson walked in on a surrogate debate between Matt Brooks, who directs the Republican Jewish Coalition, and his counterpart at the National Jewish Democratic Council, David A. Harris.

Adelson vs. Romney
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Dan Ephron, Eli Lake - August 6, 2012 - 12:00am

Casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson, a major contributor to Mitt Romney’s election effort, is pressing the Republican nominee to come out for the release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, a major Republican donor and associates of Adelson and Romney tell The Daily Beast.

Israel is losing the battle for public opinion in America
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Eric H. Yoffie - (Opinion) August 6, 2012 - 12:00am

The government of Israel wants to talk about Iran, but a lot of people did not get the memo. For an important group of public intellectuals, the occupation of the West Bank is becoming more rather than less important. And we are not talking here about the usual cast of anti-Israel characters, but of mainstream journalists, scholars, and opinion makers – those who write in middle-of-the-road, general publications with a broad readership.

Obama: real actions, not bluster, in support of Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Edgar M. Bronfman - (Opinion) August 6, 2012 - 12:00am

I have always held the well-being of the Jewish people close to my heart. On its behalf, I have engaged countless heads of state on matters relating to the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

Op-Ed: Israel must learn from American’s unrelenting self-examination
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Raleb Majadele - August 5, 2012 - 12:00am

Among the many strengths of Israel is its strong democratic tradition. Maintaining this tradition, however, seems to be more of a challenge with every passing year. Trends among some political parties inspired by nondemocratic instincts threaten Israel's most essential foundation. This fragile situation is made even less stable by the less than statesmanlike behavior of some Israeli leaders.

Israeli strike would only delay Iran's nuclear program by two years
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel - August 3, 2012 - 12:00am

An Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities would delay its manufacture of nuclear weapons by no more than two years, according to the prevailing assessment. This assessment holds that Iran's nuclear program would technically be set back by only a year. But it would likely take Iran another year on top of that to overcome side effects of the strike that would cause additional delays.

Mitt or ‘mittout’ Romney
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Hirsh Goodman - (Opinion) August 3, 2012 - 12:00am

Mitt Romney comes to Israel for a few hours, speaks platitudes to a largely imported crowd against the backdrop of Jerusalem, mumbles something about Iran and collects a million bucks, rushes for a series of lighting photo-ops with appropriate Israelis and off again, this time to Poland. He did not come here to learn the issues, understand the intricacies of the evolving Middle East or even receive an in-depth expert briefing on Iran. Grin, flash, platitude, applause, photo, insult the Palestinians and away we go.

Former Israeli spymaster: Iran should be worried
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
August 2, 2012 - 12:00am

A former Israeli spymaster on Thursday cautioned Iran not to dismiss Israel's talk about possibly attacking Iranian nuclear facilities. The next 12 weeks will be "very critical" to Israel's decision on whether to strike, Ephraim Halevy said. That time frame coincides with the run-up to the U.S. presidential election. "If I were an Iranian, I would be very worried about the Israeli talk about a possible attack, because Israel's threats sound serious and credible to me," Halevy, who left the Mossad a decade ago, told Israel Radio.

U. of Calif. Weighs Banning 'Hate' Speech
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Naomi Zeveloff - August 2, 2012 - 12:00am

The University of California, birthplace of the 1960s campus Free Speech Movement, is now considering a proposal that would ban certain forms of speech as a result of a report on Jews and the Israel debate at its schools. The July 9 report, issued by an advisory panel to UC President Mark Yudof, concluded that Jewish students sometimes face a hostile environment at UC schools in the form of anti-Israel protests. It recommends that UC “seek opportunities to prohibit hate speech on campus.”

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