March 3rd

PA official warns peace process at risk of crumbling
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - March 3, 2009 - 1:00am

Should rightist government being formed in Israel abandon notion of two-state solution, Palestinian moderates will likely lose public's support while Islamic forces gain in strength, senior PA official says Ali Waked Should the two-state solution fail to become viable in the near future," the entire notion of the two states and the diplomatic process in general will collapse," a senior Palestinian official told Ynet Tuesday. Peace Process Clinton reiterates need for two-state solution / Roni Sofer

»

Netanyahu's naysaying
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
March 3, 2009 - 1:00am

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's debut trip to the Middle East will be depicted - as usual - as a "familiarization tour," aimed at meeting with regional leaders and listening to their ideas. However, there should be no mistake about Clinton's message: President Barack Obama's administration expects the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians to continue, with the aim of advancing a two-state solution and establishing an "independent and viable" Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

»

Netanyahu: Clinton and I found common ground
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - March 3, 2009 - 1:00am

Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Jerusalem on Tuesday, saying following their meeting that he had "found common ground with Clinton in attaining the common goals of our two countries." "We need to think creatively in order to move forward and create a different reality, both in terms of security and politically, and this is a common goal for both sides," Netanyahu added.

»

Clinton: US to 'vigorously' promote peace efforts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Matti Friedman - March 3, 2009 - 1:00am

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised Tuesday to work with the incoming Israeli government, but delivered a clear message that could put her at odds with the country's next leader: Movement toward the establishment of a Palestinian state is "inescapable." At the same time, Clinton said she would not dictate orders to Israel, saying the Jewish state would determine its interests. In her first visit to the region as secretary of state, she also pledged "unrelenting" support for Israel's security.

»

Mrs Clinton's task
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Telegraph
March 2, 2009 - 1:00am

The visit this week to the Middle East by Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, will offer the first opportunity to assess the Obama administration's policy in the region. It comes at an unpropitious time, with sensibilities in the region still raw after Israel's three-week invasion of Gaza, which resulted in such terrible loss of life. Mrs Clinton's first task, at a donors' conference in Sharm el Sheikh yesterday, was to offer a $900 million (£642 million) aid package to Gaza and the West Bank.

»

Re-Engagement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times
(Analysis) March 3, 2009 - 1:00am

Hillary Clinton answered the question yesterday of who in the West is driving policy on the Middle East. She began her first visit to the region as Secretary of State with the most intractable issue: what to do about Gaza. At a pledging conference in Sharm el-Sheikh she joined dozens of others promising Gaza substantial cash to rebuild houses and infrastructure destroyed by three weeks of Israeli air attacks.

»

March 2nd

U.S. Secretary of State Clinton pledges $300 million in aid for Gaza at the international donors conference being held today in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt (1) (2), while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warns the conference that reconstruction and aid funds alone are insufficient without a political solution (4) (5). In an op-ed for the Gulf News, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon pledges to pursue a lasting peace for Palestine and Israel (9). The Israeli NGO Peace Now reports that Israel is planning to build 73,300 new housing units for settlers in the West Bank (10), a move which would significantly expand the size of the settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories (14).

A new beginning for Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Ban Ki-Moon - March 1, 2009 - 1:00am

The widespread destruction and suffering that marked the fighting in and around Gaza between December 27, 2008 and January 18, 2009 affected civilian populations of Gaza and southern Israel the worst. The people of Gaza, who have endured untold hardship for years, were subjected to still greater misery, leaving them to face an already uncertain future with greater anxiety and despair. I personally felt the extent of the indignities facing the people when I visited Gaza two days after the ceasefire had been declared and what I saw and heard left me deeply perturbed.

»

Israel Plans to Double Size of Settlements in Palestinian Territory
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times
by Sana Abdallah - March 2, 2009 - 1:00am

One day before Hillary Clinton begins her maiden visit to Israel and the West Bank as the U.S. secretary of state, an Israeli peace group announced more settlement expansion plans on Palestinian territories, posing an even tougher challenge to the new American administration's peace endeavors. In a report released on Monday, Peace Now said the Israeli authorities have plans for 73,302 new housing units in Jewish settlements, which would double the number of settlers in the occupied territory and blow the chances for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

»

Hope for Palestinian state recedes as both sides edge towards other options
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Times
by James Hider - March 2, 2009 - 1:00am

Hillary Clinton starts her first tour of the Middle East as Secretary of State today with a mandate to reinvigorate collapsed peace talks. She will find, however, that support for a two-state solution – the central plank in US-led efforts to tackle the crisis for almost two decades – is at a record low. Not only is it waning on the Israeli side, which is under the new leadership of the right-wing hawk Binyamin Netanyahu, but it is also collapsing among Palestinians, who increasingly view the Oslo peace process, and the Palestinian Authority (PA) that was formed under it, as dead.

»


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