April 1st

MKs spar over Gaza testimonials
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Sharon Roffe-ofir - April 1, 2009 - 12:00am

The controversy surrounding testimonials of conduct unbecoming by the Israeli Defense Forces during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza was the focus of a heated Knesset discussion Wednesday, demonstrating once more the polarity within the Israeli parliament. The military launched an official inquiry into allegations made by soldiers who claimed that innocent people were targeted during the Israeli offensive, but Judge Advocate General Brigadier-General Avi Mandelblit later determined that the accusation had no merit and closed the case.

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Netanyahu government / Who's who in the new cabinet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
April 1, 2009 - 12:00am

An introduction to the faces - some old and some new - who make up Israel's new coalition government.


UN: 70% of Palestinian youth oppose violence to resolve conflict with Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
April 1, 2009 - 12:00am

Nearly 70 percent of Palestinian young adults believe the use of violence to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not very helpful, according to a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) study released Tuesday. Only 8 percent believe violence is an important tool, the study, based on interviews with 1,200 Palestinians over the age of 17 in the West Bank and Gaza. The study also found out that more than 80 percent of young Palestinians are depressed, and 47 percent identify themselves as Muslim rather than Palestinian.

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Abbas urges U.S., world to pressure Netanyahu on peace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
April 1, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday urged the international community to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government, saying the newly sworn-in leader "does not believe in peace," AFP reported. "Benjamin Netanyahu never believed in a two-state solution or accepted signed agreements and does not want to stop settlement activity. This is obvious," AFP quoted Abbas as telling the official Palestinian news agency.

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Indecision causes Palestine to suffer
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
April 1, 2009 - 12:00am

‘For I have known them all already, known them all/ Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons/ I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” Ennui as perhaps only TS Eliot can paint it; disappointment as perhaps only Palestinians can feel it. If anyone had hoped that the Arab League summit in Doha might have started to bridge the distance between the various sides in the Arab community over the Palestinian conflict, it didn’t.

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Netanyahu Offers Conciliation, but Not Concessions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - March 31, 2009 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — Taking over as Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu struck a somewhat conciliatory tone toward the Palestinians in an address Tuesday to Parliament, promising negotiations toward a permanent accord. But Mr. Netanyahu, the leader of the hawkish Likud Party, stopped short of endorsing a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a potential point of friction with the United States.

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Obama has hit the ground running in the Mideast
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Abdel-Moneim Said - April 1, 2009 - 12:00am

The Obama administration has hit the ground running in the Middle East by virtually reversing all the traditional positions of the Bush administration: from neglect to activism, from clash of civilizations to dialogue of civilizations, from believing that the Arab-Israel conflict cannot be resolved to believing that despite difficulties the hope is there.

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Fasten your Seat Belts, Bibi is Back
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed - March 31, 2009 - 12:00am

[The news of] Bibi Netanyahu's election to the position of Prime Minister of Israel was a piece of bad news, but something that nevertheless must be dealt with. Netanyahu's victory has aroused fear and disappointment that even US President Barack Obama has not hesitated to express. And now the question is; where will the man with the most notorious reputation in modern Israel lead the region? Will he change, in the same way that the Butcher [of Beirut] Ariel Sharon, and before him the extremist Menachem Begin, changed?

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March 31st

Ghaith al-Omari and Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Ilan Paz on the Prospects for a Two State Solution
Press Release - Contact Information: Ghaith al-Omari - March 20, 2009 - 12:00am

Washington, DC, Mar 20 -- ATFP Advocacy Director Ghaith Al-Omari participated in a panel at the Center for American Progress along with Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Ilan Paz on March 20 entitled "Prospects for a Two-State Solution". Mr. Al-Omari focused on the need for the new US Administration to take the lead in pushing the peace process forward.


Benjamin Netanyahu is to be sworn in as Israel’s prime minister today (1), prompting speculation about how the new Israeli government will interact with the Obama administration in Washington (3) (5) (6) (7) (15). The Israeli military closes their investigation into allegations of misconduct by soldiers in the Gaza war (2). In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Peace Now urges an end to settlement construction (4). Palestinian Authority officials announce that Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will stay on until a new government is formed (8), as national accord government talks resume in Cairo (9) (10). Two Palestinians are killed in a clash with the IDF on the Gaza border (11).

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