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

Barak endorses Barack, touts US security support
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Yaakov Katz - July 31, 2012 - 12:00am

In what appears like a clear endorsement of a presidential candidate, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday night that Barack Obama has been the most supportive president on matters of Israeli security throughout the two countries' diplomatic relations. In an interview aired late Monday night on CNN, Barak told Wolf Blitzer that the Obama administration’s support of Israeli defense and intelligence establishments was far greater than under any other administration he remembered working with since and including President Jimmy Carter.

MK: Netanyahu must 'unmask' US spying on Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gil Hoffman - July 31, 2012 - 12:00am

If US President Barack Obama does not commute the life sentence of Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard by the November 6 US election, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu should expose American efforts to spy on Israel, National Union MK Arieh Eldad said Tuesday at a Knesset State Control Committee meeting monitoring progress in efforts to bring about Pollard's release.

Culture Does Matter
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National Review
by Mitt Romney - (Opinion) July 31, 2012 - 12:00am

During my recent trip to Israel, I had suggested that the choices a society makes about its culture play a role in creating prosperity, and that the significant disparity between Israeli and Palestinian living standards was powerfully influenced by it. In some quarters, that comment became the subject of controversy.

Why Not in Vegas?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Thomas L. Friedman - (Opinion) July 31, 2012 - 12:00am

I’ll make this quick. I have one question and one observation about Mitt Romney’s visit to Israel. The question is this: Since the whole trip was not about learning anything but about how to satisfy the political whims of the right-wing, super pro-Bibi Netanyahu, American Jewish casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, why didn’t they just do the whole thing in Las Vegas?

Romney in Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon
by Hussein Ibish - (Opinion) July 31, 2012 - 12:00am

Taken at face value, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's comments during his recent trip to Israel might seem alarming. But in fact almost all of them are boilerplate American campaign rhetoric.

Mitt Romney’s less-than-successful trip abroad
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
(Editorial) July 31, 2012 - 12:00am

FOR THE PAST seven days, Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, spoke about American foreign policy and traveled the globe, starting with an address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Reno, Nev., then a trip to Great Britain, Israel and Poland. What has Mr. Romney revealed about his world view? Not nearly enough.

Romney’s Truth Telling
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National Review
by Rich Lowry - (Opinion) July 31, 2012 - 12:00am

Sometimes the world seems a little smaller. Mitt Romney’s trip to Israel was such a moment. Demonstrating rhetorical instincts that should get him booked routinely on MSNBC, Palestinian official Saeb Erekat denounced the Republican candidate as a racist. It was a heartening display of the commonality of Romney critics. Whatever their varied backgrounds or interests, they all speak in one voice when it comes to attributing racial hatred to the former Massachusetts governor.

Romney comments at fundraiser outrage Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Kasie Hunt - July 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Mitt Romney told Jewish donors Monday that their culture is part of what has allowed them to be more economically successful than the Palestinians, outraging Palestinian leaders who called his comments racist and out of touch.

Romney visit reveals falling visibility of Palestinian issue
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ben Sales - (Opinion) July 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Mitt Romney’s policy speech in Israel covered plenty of bases: The presumptive Republican presidential candidate spoke about the status of Jerusalem, the threat of a nuclear Iran, the “tumult” of the Arab Spring and the “enduring shared values” that bedrock the U.S.-Israel relationship. But there was one topic that gained little attention: Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians. The word “Palestinian” did not appear once in the speech on Sunday evening.

In Israel, Romney declares Jerusalem to be capital
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Kasie Hunt - July 30, 2012 - 12:00am

Standing on Israeli soil, U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Sunday declared Jerusalem to be the capital of the Jewish state and said the United States has "a solemn duty and a moral imperative" to block Iran from achieving nuclear weapons capability. "Make no mistake, the ayatollahs in Iran are testing our moral defenses. They want to know who will object and who will look the other way," he said. "We will not look away nor will our country ever look away from our passion and commitment to Israel."

Video: Inside ATFP Gala 2013

Photo Gallery: ATFP Gala 2013

Recent News