November 7th

Bush punts unfinished Mideast peace deal to Obama
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Matthew Lee - November 6, 2008 - 8:00pm

The Bush administration has conceded that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is no longer possible by the end of its term and is preparing to hand the fragile, unfinished U.S.-backed peace effort to President-elect Obama. Obama may not want it, at least as designed by the Republican Bush administration, seen as slow to embrace the role of honest Mideast broker. Many of Obama's foreign policy advisers were players in the Clinton administration's extensive Mideast peace efforts and are unenthusiastic about President Bush's hands-off approach.

»

Time to appoint a Middle East envoy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Financial Times
(Editorial) November 6, 2008 - 8:00pm

In speech after spell-binding speech, Barack Obama made clear throughout his campaign his intention to restore America’s reputation in the world; that, as he told the vast crowd at his Chicago victory rally, “America’s beacon still burns as bright”. In the Middle East and throughout broad swathes of the Muslim world, that beacon is invisible after eight years of the Bush administration’s bungling. President-elect Obama has a unique chance to rekindle it.

»

Fatah and Hamas in unity government talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rory McCarthy - November 6, 2008 - 8:00pm

The rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah will meet in Cairo on Sunday for the first time in more than a year in an Egyptian-led effort to agree a unified government and end their divisions. Egyptian officials have prepared an outline deal that would include a "national reconciliation government", but it is short on details and could take weeks of negotiation. The last effort at a unity government, arranged by the Saudis in February 2007, collapsed and the factions reverted to a near civil war until Hamas seized full control of Gaza months later.

»

No Mideast Deal Under Bush, White House Says
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Glenn Kessler - November 6, 2008 - 8:00pm

The White House made it official yesterday: There will be no Middle East peace pact on President Bush's watch. The long-shot effort by Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had been written off months ago by many analysts in both the region and the United States, but the White House had insisted that a deal remained possible. Yesterday, however, just two days after Barack Obama was elected president, officials confirmed that they will leave the issue to the new president.

»

The New President and Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum
by M.J. Rosenberg - November 6, 2008 - 8:00pm

It was quite an election night, and quite an election. The Jewish vote went 78 percent for Barack Obama. It is now safe to say that, after 80 years of consistently voting Democratic for President, the Jewish vote is no less predictable than the African-American vote or the vote of union households. Jews are, as the old phrase goes, “yellow dog Democrats.” It is almost odd that a community that is so fragmented on so many issues stands pretty much as one every four years.

»

Remarks by Dr. Ziad Asali at the ACP-USAID MOU Signing Ceremony
Speech by Ziad Asali at Point Four Conference Room, USAID Washington, D.C. - August 1, 2008 - 12:00am

Administrator Fore, our friend George [Laudato USAID Administrator’s Special Assistant for the Middle East], distinguished guests: this is a very special moment for us. The effort to put this agreement together started over six years ago, believe it or not. And it has been an off and on proposition. It accelerated the last one and a half years, under the special and able commitment that Administrator Fore has devoted to this project and we are very delighted that we will at last be sitting here to sign this historic document.

»

November 6th

Israel demolishes four Palestinian buildings in East Jerusalem (1). British customs officials express concern over goods produced in Israeli settlements that may be avoiding proper import taxes (2). Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s Middle East visit is underway, with little expectation for any late breakthroughs (3) (4). Hamas arrests dozens of Fatah activists in the Gaza strip (5). The area chief for the World Bank states that the Palestinian economy is being crippled by Israeli restrictions (6). Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is set to visit President Bush in Washington later this month (7).

Quartet in Final Push Before Bush Term Ends
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
November 5, 2008 - 8:00pm

Representatives of the Quartet, the four international players trying to outline a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, are meeting in Sharm A-Sheikh on Sunday in a bid to push forward the peace process before U.S. President George W. Bush’s term ends in January. Officials from the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia will meet in the Egyptian resort to assess their progress up until now. They also want to ensure that talks will continue after general elections take place in Israel in February.

»

P.A.- Israeli File to ‘Move Smoothly’ to Obama
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Abd el-Raouf Arnaout - November 5, 2008 - 8:00pm

An American committee headed by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch is preparing a detailed file on the ongoing negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis ahead of submitting it to the new United States administration, The Media Line (TML) has learned. Yassir ‘Abd Rabboh, top aide to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas, said that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had informed the Palestinians of this development at their meeting with her in New York in September.

»

Olmert heads to D.C. to wrangle last favors from Bush
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Aluf Benn - November 5, 2008 - 8:00pm

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will visit President George Bush in Washington later this month in an attempt to reach last minute agreements and extract a number of promises before both leaders step down. Olmert is looking for commitments from Bush on the peace process with the Palestinians, U.S. military aid and various arms deals.

»


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017