April 30th

Former settler cosmetic company departs West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 29, 2010 - 12:00am


The Gush Shalom Settlement Boycott Team decided to remove the name of the cosmetics company Intercosma from its list of settlement products, following confirmation that the company finally left the Atarot Industrial Zone on the West Bank.


Fayyad calls for lifting Gaza siege
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 30, 2010 - 12:00am


Prime Minister of the caretaker government Salam Fayyad called Thursday for lifting the siege on Gaza. Following talks with South African foreign affairs chief Ibrahim Ismail Ibrahim in his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Fayyad affirmed the necessity of lifting the siege to enable the Palestinian Authority to begin rebuilding Gaza by implementing developmental and vital projects similar to those being accomplished in the West Bank.


Fayyad's Road to Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Roger Cohen - (Opinion) April 29, 2010 - 12:00am


I spoke to the Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, for 90 minutes, and the word he uttered most often, by far, was “security.” As in, “The absence of security has been our undoing.” When Palestinian leaders are talking about their self-inflicted undoing, as well as the undoing inflicted on them by Israel, things may be starting to move.


US gives Abbas private assurances over Israeli settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rory McCarthy - April 30, 2010 - 12:00am


The US has given private assurances to encourage the Palestinians to join indirect Middle East peace talks, including an offer to consider allowing UN security council condemnation of any significant new Israeli settlement activity, the Guardian has learned.


The 2010 TIME 100: Salam Fayyad
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Time
April 30, 2010 - 12:00am


Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's uniqueness strikes you as soon as you meet him — a passionate advocate of the Palestinian cause with a clear vision of the unequivocal, nonviolent path to statehood and peace with Israel. In his three years in office, he has greatly strengthened the capacity of Palestinian government ministries and the security services despite both physical and political constraints.


Sec. Clinton's Remarks At the American Jewish Committee Annual Gala Dinner
Press Release - April 30, 2010 - 12:00am

Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Grand Hyatt Hotel Washington, DC April 29, 2010 SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you all. Well, it is wonderful to be back here at the American Jewish Committee and I thank David for that introduction. What he was really trying to say was that it was very dull in Chappaqua before we came to town. (Laughter.) David is an extraordinary leader. He inspires your confidence and your trust and your affection, and I thank him for his decades of service to this important work.


The sensible Palestinian statehood plan
In Print by Ziad Asali - The Daily Star - April 30, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinians have recently been developing a peaceful multilevel strategy to achieve their national goals of a negotiated peace agreement with Israel, an end to the occupation, and the creation of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.


April 29th

ATFP Advocacy Director Lectures on “Domestic Dysfunction in the Israel-Palestine Conflict” at U. of Maryland
Press Release - Contact Information: Ghaith al-Omari - April 29, 2010 - 12:00am

On April 27th, ATFP Advocacy Director Ghaith Al-Omari took part at the University of Maryland Israel-Palestine Symposium organized by University of Maryland School of Public Policy, Saul Stern Professorship of Civic Engagement and Gildenhorn Center for Israel Studies.


The New York Times contrasts the Washington trips of DM Barak and Jerusalem Mayor Barakat. Nonviolent protests are spreading among Palestinians. Another leftist opposition group condemns Hamas tax policies. Hamas accuses Egypt of causing the deaths of tunnel workers. Israeli troops kill a Palestinian protester in a "no go area." The PA says Israel is helping settlers seize Palestinian land. Settlers are briefly arrested after violent attacks on Palestinians. The PA urges Palestinians to stop using Israeli cell phone providers. Interior Minister Yishai is invited to visit the White House. Residents of Silwan present a plan to prevent the demolition of their homes. D. Bloomfield says both Israel and the Palestinians want peace, but with the Obama administration and not each other. Larry Derfner says Israel won't budge on its own. Gideon Rachman says Israelis may hate and fear Pres. Obama, but his policies are in their interests. Jewish American leaders express satisfaction with administration outreach. A commentary from Middle East Progress urges flexibility and perseverance on peace. Elliott Abrams says US policy has undermined the Palestinian leadership. George Hishmeh says PM Netanyahu must choose between political expediency and Israel's national interests. Michael Jansen replies to Aaron David Miller.

‘The pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace must not be abandoned’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Michael Jansen - (Opinion) April 29, 2010 - 12:00am


In an article titled "The false religion of Mideast peace", published this week in Foreign Policy, Aaron David Miller argued that it is not possible to achieve peace between Arabs/Palestinians and Israelis.



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