April 30th

NEWS:
 
FM Al-Malki confirms that Palestinians promised during Pres. Obama's visit not to pursue international initiatives for the meanwhile. (Politico)
 
A leading Labor Party MK warns Washington not to pursue peace talks because PM Netanyahu isn't interested in progress. (AP)
 
Sec. Kerry is attempting to revive the Arab Peace Initiative. (AFP)
 
The Arab League appears to endorse the principle of land swaps between Israel and the Palestinians, and Israel welcomes the move. (Reuters/YNet)
 
The Israeli military says it has killed a militant with an airstrike in Gaza, in the first targeted assassination since November. (AP/New York Times/Ha'aretz)
 
A Palestinian militant group has claimed responsibility for the stabbing of an Israeli settler, which has provoked a violent response from settlers. (Xinhua)
 
Over 20 Palestinians are injured in Israeli settler attacks. (Ma'an)
 
Palestinians are looking for ways to free prisoners from Israeli detention. (Xinhua/PRI)
 
Israel evicts hundreds of Bedouins in the Jordan Valley to make way for military exercises. (YNet)
 
Israel has received a fifth Dolphin class submarine from Germany. (Xinhua)
 
The CSM profiles a first responder in southern Israel. (Christian Science Monitor)
 
Israel has issued approximately 500 permits for Christians from Gaza to celebrate Easter in the West Bank. (Ma'an)
 
New PA regulations regarding payment of public sector employees in Gaza are welcomed by many women. (Ma'an)
 
Egypt is withdrawing from another round of NPT talks in implicit protest of Israel's nuclear arsenal. (Reuters)
 
A film by Palestinian producers in Gaza is nominated for an award at the Cannes Film Festival. (Al Monitor)
 
Hamas leaders are increasingly trying to influence youth through social media. (Al Monitor)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Asher Susser asks if Jordan's monarchy is in danger of collapse. (Crown Center)
 
George Bisharat says proposed legislation on a visa waiver program with Israel would discriminate against Arab and Muslim Americans. (Los Angeles Times)
 
Maysoon Zayid also strongly criticizes the bill as discriminatory. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Benjamin Pogrund relates what he saw when reporters were allowed into Israel's only prison in the occupied territories. (Ha'aretz)
 
Abraham Katsman says it's wrong to blame the United States or Israel for PM Fayyad's resignation. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Oudeh Basharat says the position of Israel's finance minister towards Arab workers is immoral. (Ha'aretz)
 
Barry Rubin says Israel is in surprisingly robust condition in a region falling apart. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Akiva Eldar says if Obama is giving up on Pres. Bush's roadmap for peace, that's a mistake. (Al Monitor)

April 26th

NEWS:
 
Declassified UK mandate documents show British officials predicted both the war and Arab defeat in 1948. (The Guardian)
 
The US denies it has any intention to hold a Middle East peace conference later this summer. (Ha'aretz)
 
Palestinian officials say Pres. Abbas has urged PM Erdogan to push for Palestinian national unity. (Xinhua)
 
The Israeli military says it shot down a drone coming into its airspace from Lebanon, and Hezbollah denies any connection. (New York Times/Xinhua)
 
Israeli analysts call the drone incident a "publicity stunt" by Hezbollah. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Israel's military says it will no longer use white phosphorus. (AP)
 
The Obama administration says the Syrian government has used chemical weapons in that country's civil conflict. (AP)
 
Any American response is likely to be conducted through NATO or in coordination with other allies. (AP)
 
Israel's deputy FM says action on Syria will send a message to Iran. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Egyptians celebrate the 31st Sinai Liberation Day. (Xinhua)
 
Experts say Israel and Turkey are likely to continue to work to put aside their differences due to mutual interests. (Xinhua)
 
Hamas condemns the PA for postponing proposed resolutions at UNESCO. (Ma'an)
 
This year's Palestinian olive harvest may be threatened by April rains. (Ma'an)
 
Palestinian activists are using music to raise awareness about their societies deaf community. (PNN)
 
One of the suspects in an alleged thwarted terrorist attack in Canada is of Palestinian origin. (AP)
 
Palestinian citizens of Israel campaign against violence against women. (Ha'aretz)
 
The Association for Asian American Studies votes to boycott Israeli academic institutions, although not individuals. (JTA)
 
For various reasons, the occupation is drawing more Palestinians into social media than any other group in the Middle East. (Al Monitor)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
The Irish Times says the lack of adequate international support for PM Fayyad was "foolish and shortsighted." (Irish Times)
 
Ghassan Khatib says Fayyad's resignation leaves both Palestinians and Abbas "knee-deep in trouble." (JMCC)
 
Amos Harel says only Hezbollah knows the real story behind the downed drone. (Ha'aretz)
 
The National says an extended UNESCO role in Jerusalem is good for the Palestinians. (The National)
 
Mira Sucharov looks at the differences in perceptions between Israelis and Palestinians about stonethrowing protesters. (Ha'aretz)
 
Tareq Baconi says, with the peace process neither dead nor alive, Palestinians should reorganize their major national institutions. (The Daily Star)
 
Michael Young says Hezbollah's actions in defense of the Assad regime could lead to the party's eventual destruction or a Lebanese sectarian civil war. (The Daily Star)
 
An anonymous writer says Hezbollah's base is becoming alienated by its pro-Assad interventions. (Al Monitor)

April 25th

 

NEWS:
 
The US may convene a four-way Middle East peace conference in June. (Ha'aretz)
 
Sec. Kerry is also reportedly urging major investments in the occupied West Bank. (Times of Israel)
 
Palestinian Christian villagers hope the new pope will help them in their struggle against Israel's separation barrier. (AP)
 
EU diplomats reportedly say the US hasn't objected to European plans to label all settlement product imports. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Members of Congress introduce legislation threatening a cutoff of US aid if Hamas members become senior PA officials. (JTA)
 
Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister says the country began "as a secular project" but has changed. (JTA)
 
The Syrian regime says it wouldn't use chemical weapons, "even against Israel." (Reuters/AP)
 
Sec. Hagel says Israel did not alert him during his visit to evidence of Syrian government chemical weapons use. (AP)
 
Palestinians are hoping a visit by UNESCO officials will bolster their claims in occupied East Jerusalem. (The National)
 
Eight more Palestinians are injured in a Lebanese refugee camp. (Xinhua)
 
Undercover Israeli occupation forces raid the center of Hebron. (Ma'an)
 
A Palestinian watchdog group says it is looking into corruption by senior officials. (AP)
 
PA police thwart antique smugglers in Bethlehem. (Ma'an)
 
Israel's Attorney General upholds the practice of security personnel checking foreigners' emailrecords at entry points. (AP)
 
Israeli jailers are cleared in the investigation into the death of Ben Zygier, also known as "Prisoner X." (AP)
 
Israel's Knesset debates how to deal with the Armenian genocide. (AP)
 
Former FM Lieberman's trial continues. (Xinhua)
 
Israeli authorities are working on ways to make pilgrimages ecologically sustainable. (CSM)
 
Ramallah hosts the first Palestinian Fashion Week. (The Media Line)
 
Israeli occupation forces demolish a popular Palestinian restaurant in "Area C" of the West Bank. (Al Monitor)
 
ATFP executive director Ghaith Al-Omari and David Makovsky of WINEP take the conversation on Middle East peace to Cornell University. (Cornell Daily Sun) 
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Emily Hauser says Salam Fayyad never found a willing Israeli peace partner. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Gershon Baskin says Israelis interested in peace should buy Palestinian products. (Jerusalem Post)
 
David Makovsky and Gabrielle Tudin asked if Iran's nuclear program is outmaneuvering the US and Israel. (Ha'aretz)
 
George Hishmeh says time is running out for a two-state solution, largely because the US won't pressure Israel. (Gulf News)
 
Lu'ayy Al-Rimawi says Jordan's King Abdullah is a true partner in peace for Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Ziyad Abou Habla says Israel's Palestinian citizens need to find new ways to be heard. (Ha'aretz)
 
Gideon Levy says Israel wouldn't have any rational response to Palestinian demands for equal citizenship. (Ha'aretz)
 
Jerome Chanes looks at a new book about threats to democracy by Jewish Israeli religious zealots. (The Forward)
 
Aaron David Miller looks at the work of YaLa Young Leaders. (Foreign Policy)

Speaker Urges Two State Solution
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In The Battalion Online - April 23, 2013 - 12:00am

A senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine, HusseinIbish, addressed students Monday at an event hosted by Aggies For Palestine regarding what he said was a need for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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At Cornell, Panelists Call for Solution to Conflict in Middle East
Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The Cornell Daily Sun - April 24, 2013 - 12:00am

 

»

April 24th

 

NEWS:
 
Israel says it has proof the Syrian government has used chemical weapons in that country's civil war. (New York Times)
 
After fairing poorly in other votes, Hamas withdrawals from Bethlehem student elections. (Ma'an)
 
Turkey and Israel agree on principles for flotilla attack victim compensation. (Xinhua)
 
Seven Palestinian children are injured by a grenade in Lebanon. (AP)
 
A Palestinian man is given life in prison for deaths resulting from stones he threw at cars in the occupied West Bank. (YNet)
 
Hamas welcomes news that PM Erdogan intends to visit Gaza despite American requests he postponed his trip. (Xinhua)
 
Wings for the F-35 next-generation fighter jet will be made in Israel. (AP)
 
A woman is reportedly beaten to death by a thief in Gaza. (Ma'an)
 
Israel will allow UNESCO inspectors to look at sites in occupied East Jerusalem after Palestinians agree not to pursue certain resolutions. (Ha'aretz)
 
The US may have played a role in the Palestinian UNESCO decision. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Israeli occupation forces destroy several buildings in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)
 
A right-wing MK says Israeli occupation forces and settlers should be allowed to defend their property with deadly force. (Ha'aretz)
 
The Israeli military rabbinate removes an online pamphlet that says non-Jews are not equal to Jews in Israel. (Ha'aretz)
 
Gaza beekeepers are facing tough times. (Al Monitor)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Hassan Khader discusses how best to mourn the eight-year-old Boston Marathon attack victim Martin Richard. (Al Ayam)
 
Thomas Friedman says it's a bad thing for everyone, and partly everybody's fault, that Salam Fayyad has resigned. (New York Times)
 
The National says Israeli-Turkish rapprochement is good for both sides, and should be good for peace. (The National)
 
Ben Caspit says Israeli Turkish rapprochement is not a done deal (Al Monitor)
 
The Jerusalem Post says, if apologizing to Turkey was a strategic necessity, it was "worth it." (Jerusalem Post)
 
Amos Harel asked why the United States is so reluctant to acknowledge chemical weapons used by the Syrian government. (Ha'aretz)
 
Tal Harris says both peoples are suffering because the Israeli and Palestinian governments lack the determination to reach a peace agreement. (Jerusalem Post)
 
J.J. Goldberg says Sec. Hegel's visit to Israel punctured several myths about him. (The Forward)
 
Asmaa al-Ghoul says Hamas is censoring academic speech in Gaza. (Al Monitor)
 
Janne Louise Andersen interviews Palestinian rappers DAM, including about their new song denouncing "honor killings." (Al Monitor)l
 
David Rothkopf says the US may be facing a choice in the Middle East between open-ended chaos and renewed dictatorship. (Foreign Policy)
 
Avi Issacharoff says the Palestinian leadership has no "Plan B" if negotiations with Israel should fail. (Times of Israel)
 
The Washington Post looks at a new book on Gaza cuisine. (Washington Post)

April 23rd

NEWS:
 
The new US weapon sale to Israel does not include bunker buster bombs. (New York Times)
 
Israelis try to explain their policies to Sec. Hagel by giving him a helicopter tour. (Washington Post)
 
Israel's former head of military intelligence says Iran is approaching nuclear capability and an Israeli strike sometime this year may be inevitable. (Ha'aretz)
 
Persistent doubts fail to dent confidence in Israel's Iron Dome antimissile defense system. (BBC)
 
The EU is reportedly working on a plan to label all settlement products. (Jerusalem Post)
 
 
Turkey objects to American requests its Prime Minister delay a planned trip to Gaza. (Reuters)
 
Pres. Abbas meets Pres. Gul in Istanbul. (Xinhua)
 
The first Bethlehem Marathon illustrates the difficulties of Palestinian movement under occupation. (CSM)
 
A Bethlehem man is discovered dead in Jordan. (Ma'an)
 
Hamas objects to statements by the PLO and PA about the "Talibanization" of Gaza. (Ma'an)
 
The CSM profiles a Palestinian citizen of Israel who serves as a military prosecutor in the occupied territories. (CSM)
 
Environmentalists enlist Palestinian schoolchildren in an effort to clean up Jerusalem's "Holy Valley." (CSM)
 
Jewish settlers are expected to evacuate a disputed building in occupied Hebron. (Ha'aretz)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
ATFP releases an issue paper entitled Salam Fayyad: Emerging as he Exits. (Huffington Post)
 
Gershom Gorenberg says the occupation made Fayyad's resignation inevitable. (The American Prospect)
 
Khaled Elgindy says the absence of a credible peace process doomed Fayyad's project. (The Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Amos Harel says Israel needs to coordinate with the United States regarding Iran. (Ha'aretz)
 
Sefi Rachlevsky says PM Netanyahu's honoring of an extremist rabbi shows how racist Israel has become. (Ha'aretz)
 
Alan Baker strongly criticizes Spain's decision to open a consulate in Gaza. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Nathan Jeffay says Israel's new chief negotiator, Tzipi Livni, does not have the backing of her cabinet colleagues. (The Forward)
 
Akiva Eldar looks at the politics in Israel regarding the Armenian genocide. (Al Monitor)
 
Elon Gilad explains why he ran in the Bethlehem Marathon, in spite of opposition from the Israeli government and the PA. (Ha'aretz)

April 22nd

NEWS:
 
Many obstacles remain in trying to form a Palestinian unity government, as reports suggest Pres. Abbas may be in no hurry to find a replacement for PM Fayyad. (Xinhua/Ha'aretz)
 
Sec. Kerry asks PM Erdogan to postpone a planned visit to Gaza, as he pushes Israeli-Turkish rapprochement. (New York Times/AP)
 
Reports suggest Erdogan may go ahead with his trip anyway. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Kerry meets with Abbas in Turkey, but Palestinians say no progress was made. (Xinhua/Ma'an)
 
Fatah officials say Egypt remains the sole sponsor of Palestinian reconciliation talks, following reports Abbas wants Turkey to get involved. (Xinhua/Ha'aretz)
 
Sec. Hagel is visiting Israel and says the US remains committed to maintaining Israel's regional military edge. (New York Times/AP)
 
A new report shows more Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem are seeking Israeli citizenship. (Ha'aretz)
 
Egypt says it has disrupted an Israeli spy ring in the Sinai Peninsula. (Xinhua)
 
Palestinians hold the first Bethlehem marathon, and start with a tribute to the Boston marathon attack victims. (AP)
 
Relatives of Israel's flotilla raid say they reject Israeli compensation. (New York Times)
 
A Bedouin community in the occupied West Bank faces eviction and relocation. (The Media Line)
 
Israeli human rights groups accuse municipal authorities in occupied East Jerusalem of illegally discriminating against Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)
 
UC's Chancellor says a vote by UC Berkeley's student government urging divestment from two companies doing business in the occupied West Bank is unlikely to change University policy. (Daily Californian)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
The Chicago Tribune says Fayyad's resignation is a bad thing for everybody. (Chicago Tribune) 
 
The LA Times interviews Amoun Sleem about the difficulties facing the Gypsy community in occupied East Jerusalem. (Los Angeles Times)
 
Ali Zahalka says Israel's current economic policies don't allow its Palestinian citizens to live in dignity. (YNet)
 
Oudeh Basharat asks why Arabs, especially Palestinians, have been so bad about documenting victims of violence on their own side. (Ha'aretz)
 
Adel Safty says American misperceptions about the conflict need to be clarified if a two-state solution is going to take hold. (Gulf News)
 
Mahmoud Omar looks at challenges facing Palestinian refugees in Egypt. (Al Monitor)
 
Jonathan Schanzer says Abbas is becoming increasingly dictatorial. (Foreign Policy)

April 19th

NEWS:
 
Foreign Policy describes Sec. Kerry's efforts to prevent PM Fayed's resignation. (Foreign Policy)
 
Aid agencies in Gaza protest new Hamas travel restrictions. (New York Times)
 
Pres. Abbas says he will try to begin to form a new government soon. (Xinhua)
 
Israel's defense establishment reportedly wants closer ties to the PA. (YNet)
 
Israel tears down the fence of a major West Bank settlement, in accordance with a high court ruling. (Xinhua)
 
The US is moving forward with a $10 billion arms sale package to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. (New York Times)
 
Two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip reportedly land in southern Israel without causing any damage or injuries. (Reuters)
 
 
An Israeli delegation will visit Turkey next week in another sign of thawing relations. (Reuters)
 
Israeli forces demolish a store owned by Bedouin orphans. (Ma'an)
 
Egyptian officials pledge their country will never be a threat to Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
 
The death of a Jordanian policeman leads to threats against Israelis. (The Media Line)
 
UC Berkeley's student government passes a motion urging the university to divest from three companies doing business in the occupied West Bank. (JTA)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Nathan Thrall says the Palestinian leadership can't choose between cooperation and confrontation with Israel, and is thus paying the full price for both. (Foreign Affairs)
 
David Rosenberg calls Fayyad "the latest victim of the Arab Spring." (Ha'aretz)
 
The Economist says if Fayyad's departure leads to reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah, it may prove a good thing. (The Economist)
 
The BBC interviews PM Netanyahu, who says Israel reserves its right to defend itself. (BBC)
 
Samuel Lebens says he was inspired by the way Israelis and Palestinians commemorated their dead together on Memorial Day. (Ha'aretz)
 
George Hishmeh says Kerry's well-intentioned Middle East peace efforts require commitment and resolve. (Gulf News)
 
Akiva Eldar looks at strategies used by the Israeli settlement movement. (Al Monitor)
 
Asmaa al-Ghoul profiles Gaza's Christian community. (Al  Monitor)

Salam Fayyad: Emerging as he Exits
Issue Paper by ATFP - April 19, 2013 - 12:00am

ATFP Issue Paper Salam Fayyad: Emerging as he Exits April 19, 2013

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