February 10th

Palestinians Stop Paying Israeli Hospitals for Gaza and West Bank Patients
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - February 10, 2009 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM — Scores of Palestinian patients being treated in Israeli hospitals, a rare bright spot of coexistence here, are being sent home because the Palestinian Authority has stopped paying for their treatment, partly in anger over the war in Gaza. Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem says that for the past week, no payments have come in and Palestinians whose children it is treating have been instructed by Palestinian health officials to place them in facilities in the West Bank, Jordan or Egypt.

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Violence breaks quiet of cease-fire on eve of Israel's national election
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Boston Globe
by Ibrahim Barzak - February 10, 2009 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY - Israeli aircraft struck two targets in the Gaza Strip and a Gaza militant died in a clash with troops on the border yesterday, as an official of the moderate Palestinian government accused Hamas of trying to boost hawkish candidates in Israel's election. The violence on the eve of the vote occurred as Egyptian mediators continued their efforts to cement a long-term cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, after the three weeks of intense fighting that racked the coastal territory last month.

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Livni and Netanyahu level as Israeli election begins
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rory McCarthy, Haroon Siddique - February 10, 2009 - 1:00am

Israelis cast their votes today in the country's general election, with the rightwing opposition leader, Binyamin Netanyahu, and his rival, Tzipi Livni, the centrist foreign minister, neck and neck, according to analysts. Up to a fifth of voters were thought to be undecided hours before voting began, an unusually high number that reflected disillusionment with all candidates. After casting her vote in Tel Aviv, Livni urged people to ignore the bad weather and cast a vote for "hope".

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Middle East envoy George Mitchell no stranger to conflicts
Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Los Angeles Times - January 24, 2009 - 1:00am

Since leaving the Senate in 1995, Mitchell has taken on one seemingly intractable problem after another, including the Northern Ireland conflict, which he helped settle. By Paul Richter and Henry Chu January 24, 2009

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February 9th

ATFP President to Testify at House Committee Hearing on Gaza
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - February 9, 2009 - 1:00am

Washington, DC, Feb. 9 – American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) President and Founder Dr. Ziad 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?" In his testimony, Dr. Asali will focus on the need for political progress towards a two-state solution, the human and political impact of the war in Gaza, ways to ensure that such events do not recur, and mechanisms and modalities for the efficient and expedited reconstruction of Gaza.


The Washington Post reports on the various obstacles delaying rebuilding in Gaza (1). With Israeli elections only two days away, a still-tight race prompts discussion (2) (3) (9). The UN resumes delivery of aid to Gaza after Hamas returns the food it had seized last week (4). An op-ed by Thomas Friedman speculates on where Middle East peace will fit amongst President Obama’s priorities (5). A pair of articles discuss the challenges ahead for Mideast envoy George Mitchell (6) (12) Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says that a broader ceasefire agreement may be achieved in the next week (10). A new poll published in Haaretz shows that only a quarter of Gazans are in support of Hamas (13).

A Hard-Liner Gains Ground in Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - February 8, 2009 - 1:00am

Last year, he suggested publicly that Egypt’s president “go to hell.” In the Israeli parliamentary elections, to be held Tuesday, he is running on a vow to require Arab citizens to sign a loyalty oath. As his campaign slogan asserts with a sly wink at Jewish voters, Avigdor Lieberman “knows how to speak Arabic.”

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Good Luck George Mitchell - You'll Need It!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Middle East Times
by Reema I. Ali - February 9, 2009 - 1:00am

It appears that George Mitchell, who has everyone's respect, has been dealt in the Middle East conflict as good a hand as U.S. President Barack Obama has in the U.S. economic crisis. The stakes are high, yet the players would like to continue the game in the good old ways! Just as the president would need all the brain power to assist him in negotiating the tough turns so does Mitchell.

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Playing With Fire
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Middle East Times
February 9, 2009 - 1:00am

Both Israel and Hamas are playing dangerous games, the outcome of which could lead to a major confrontation in the Middle East. First, Hamas: Encouraged by their "victory" in the last confrontation with Israel, Hamas continues to lob the occasional rocket on Israel. Perhaps it's their way of reminding the Israelis that they remain a force to contend with. However, it would benefit Hamas to study carefully Israel's last two wars - the war with Hezbollah in 2006 and the recent war with Hamas in Gaza.

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Israeli election: the settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Peter Beaumont - February 9, 2009 - 1:00am

The settlements on the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law, a stumbling block to successive peace proposals. On the day I see Beni Raz I traverse the spine of Israel's settlements in the West Bank from west of the Palestinian town of Qalqilya to Jerusalem. There are the Jerusalem settlements that probe into the Arab neighbourhoods in the city's Arab east, pushing between the towns and villages. Prising them apart.

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