February 11th

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

February 10th

Abbas, Bush stress need for peace push Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Jerusalem Post - September 25, 2008 - 12:00am Sep. 25, 2008 AP and HILARY LEILA KRIEGER , THE JERUSALEM POST US President George W. Bush told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday that the United States has not given up hope on an agreement to create a Palestinian state. "I appreciate your determination and your desire to have a Palestinian state," Bush told Abbas in front of reporters before a White House meeting. "I share that desire with you. It's not easy." » Read more

Israel’s Political Situation Dims Hopes for Peace Deal Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The New York Times - August 1, 2008 - 12:00am WASHINGTON — The official line in Washington, Jerusalem and Ramallah is that the decision by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel to resign will not affect American efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians before the end of the year. » Read more

Olmert departure makes Mideast peace more elusive Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In Reuters - July 31, 2008 - 12:00am By Arshad Mohammed - Analysis WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's decision to step down makes the already improbable U.S. goal of achieving a comprehensive Israel-Palestinian peace deal this year even more elusive, analysts said on Thursday. But it might create a little more space for negotiating a partial deal or, perhaps, a document marking any progress that may have been made by Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and their negotiating teams. » Read more

Amid Pessimism on Peace Prospects, Rice Meets Parties in Last-Ditch Push for Accord Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Jewish Daily Forward - July 30, 2008 - 12:00am By Nathan Guttman Washington — As top Israeli, Palestinian and American negotiators prepared for a July 30 meeting in a last-ditch attempt to reach an agreement on the establishment of a Palestinian state by the end of the year, expectations of a breakthrough are decidedly low in their respective capitals. » Read more

Making Sense of the Arab-Israel Nightmare Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In - June 28, 2008 - 12:00am On June 27th, the New America Foundation and the Century Foundation co-hosted “Making Sense of the Arab-Israel Nightmare”, an event which aimed to investigate the status quo, the future available to the Bush Administration, and a measure of “crystal ball gazing” into what one can hope for from the next Administration Special Assistant to Ambassador Morton Abramowitz at the Century Foundation, Jonathan Kolieb, hosted a Q&A-style session with three former practitioners in a lively discussion that explored the lessons to be learned from the current » Read more