UN to probe IDF damage to Gaza premises ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post February 11, 2009 - 1:00am UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council Monday he was about to establish a commission to look into Israeli damage to UN premises during the recent Gaza conflict, Reuters quoted diplomats as saying. Japanese Ambassador Yukio Takasu, the current council president, told reporters that during a closed-door briefing, Ban had promised to provide the council with details on the panel's mandate and the names of its members in the coming days. » Read more

The American Task Force on Palestine Blogs Media Mention of Ziad Asali In Israel Policy Forum - February 11, 2009 - 1:00am I am delighted to be among the early contributors to the first blog postings on this new part of the Israel Policy Forum (IPF) website. The close relationship that my colleagues and I at the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) have built with IPF is fundamental to what we, at ATFP, are working towards. » Read more

Hamas raising money to rebuild mosques ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Doron Peskin - February 11, 2009 - 1:00am The Hamas government in Gaza announced Sunday it would start raising money to rebuild the mosques destroyed by IDF strikes during Operation Cast Lead. Dr. Taleb Abu Shaar, minister for religious affairs, launched the fundraising campaign at a special press conference that was held on the ruins of the al-Taqwa mosque in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood. » Read more

Arabs fear rise of hard-right in Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press February 11, 2009 - 1:00am Arabs on Wednesday saw little hope for peace from whatever government emerges from Israel's inconclusive elections, and they expressed fears over the rising power of Israel's far right. With the prospect of a hard-line Israeli government, some in the region said any progress in Arab-Israeli negotiations will now rely even more on pressure from President Barack Obama, who has said his administration will take an active role in pursuing a Mideast peace. » Read more

Gaza mortar shells strike western Negev; no casualties ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Anshel Pfeffer - February 11, 2009 - 1:00am Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired four mortar shells at the western Negev during the course of the day Wednesday, a day after Israel held general elections, the results of which are likely to influence any future peace deal in the region. A Qassam rocket fired by Gaza militants exploded late Tuesday evening in an open field near the western Negev city of Sderot, just half an hour before the polls were to close. » Read more

With 99% of votes counted, Kadima leads Likud 28 to 27 seats ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz February 11, 2009 - 1:00am With 99 percent of the votes counted, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's Kadima Party is in first place with 28 of the Knesset's 120 seats, with Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party following closely behind with 27 seats. As the vote progresses, Labor stands at 13 seats, while Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beitenu party is expected to garner 15 seats. Exit polls by Israel's three main television stations on Tuesday night came to the same conclusion with Kadima as the leader and Likud coming a narrow second. » Read more

The American Task Force on Palestine Blogs ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum by Ziad Asali - (Blog) February 11, 2009 - 1:00am I am delighted to be among the early contributors to the first blog postings on this new part of the Israel Policy Forum (IPF) website. The close relationship that my colleagues and I at the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) have built with IPF is fundamental to what we, at ATFP, are working towards. » Read more

Two-State Solution the Answer Media Mention of Ziad Asali In Washington Report On Middle East Affairs - February 11, 2009 - 1:00am IN THE OPINIONS of Dr. Ziad Asali, president of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP), and Ori Nir, spokesperson for Americans for Peace Now (APN), the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine is the only attractive and viable option for a just resolution to the century-old conflict. They made it clear that, to them, the one-state solution is not even worth consideration. The two men spoke at a panel moderated by U.S. Ambassador Philip C. » Read more

ATFP to Testify in Congressional Hearing on Gaza, Warned in June Against Looming War Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - February 11, 2009 - 1:00am Washington, DC, Feb. 11 – American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) President Dr. Ziad J. Asali will testify before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia at a hearing entitled "Gaza After the War: What Can Be Built on the Wreckage?" The hearing will be held Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 9:30 AM in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington DC. It hearing will be streamed live online and can be seen at: http://www.internationalrelations.house.gov/ Read more