News:
 
Sweden will recognize the State of Palestine. (Reuters) 
 
The British parliament will vote on whether to recognize the State of Palestine on October 13. (Ha’aretz)
 
The EU says new settlement plans in occupied East Jerusalem pose a threat to peace and its relations with Israel. (Reuters/AFP)
 
Sec. Kerry will meet with Pres. Abbas in Cairo later this month. (Ha’aretz)
 
PM Netanyahu says a Palestinian push to try Israeli officials for war crimes at a UN tribunal would end any chance of reaching a peace deal. (JTA)
 
Abbas will ask donor countries for $4 billion for Gaza reconstruction. (AP/AFP)
 
Palestine’s UN Amb. Mansour says if UN does not an impose a deadline to end the occupation, Palestine will join the ICC. (Ha’aretz)
 
Palestinian officials call on the US to pressure Israel. (The Media Line)
 
Israeli police are on high alert to avert possible clashes as Jews and Muslims prepare to observe their major holidays. (AP/AFP/Times of Israel)
 
Workers in all hospitals in Gaza launch a partial strike in protest against failure to pay salaries for the last five months. (Ma’an) 
 
Israeli occupation forces detain six Palestinians, including three children in East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)
 
The Global AgeWatch Index says the occupied West Bank and Gaza is the third worst place to grow old. (Times of Israel) 
 
Ayatollah al-Sistani calls upon PM al-Abadi to create a national security force that doesn't promote sectarianism. (AP)
 
Kurdish fighters defending a Syrian border town warn of a likely massacre by ISIS extremists. (Reuters)
 
Australia authorizes special forces troops to go to Iraq. (Reuters)
 
VP Biden says the US-led coalition against ISIS will face a “long fight.” (Reuters)
 
ISIS presses offensives in Syria and Iraq. (Washington Post)
 
poll indicates two out of three Americans back US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. (AP) 
 
Protests erupt in Homs over a bombing that killed dozens of Syrian children in a school. (New York Times)
 
Yazidis in Iraq hope to return to their homes. (AP)
 
King Abdullah of Jordan says Russia is vital in dealing with regional challenges. (Jordan Times)
 
Commentary:
 
Former Palestinian PM Fayyad proposes structural changes to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. (Foreign Affairs)
 
The National says Palestinians need to the win the “PR war” against Israel. (The National)
 
The New York Times says Netanyahu’s commitment to the two-state solution is hard to square with the pursuit of further settlements. (New York Times)
 
Barak Ravid looks at Netanyahu’s recent trip to the US. (Ha’aretz)
 
Ron Kampeas looks at Netanyahu’s relationship with Peace Now. (JTA)
 
Elhanan Miller looks at changes in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. (Times of Israel)
 
Ami Ayalon says Israel should create a Marshall plan for Gaza. (Al-Monitor)
 
Yossi Sarid says Israel is “killing” Palestinian culture. (Ha’aretz)
 
The New York Times says ISIS stands alone in its deliberate, systematic and public savagery. (New York Times)
 
Colum Lynch says women and children are for sale under ISIS. (Foreign Policy)
 
Alan Philps says Iraq’s army needs leadership. (The National)
 
David Ignatius says foreign nations are treating Syria as a “playground.”(Washington Post)
 
Ahmed al-Attar says the success of the anti-ISIS coalition will rest on the ability to motivate local populations into turning away from ISIS. (The National)

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