Christian Backers of Israel Reach Out to Blacks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward by Nathan Guttman - (Opinion) October 19, 2011 - 12:00am Once known for their work together on civil rights, African Americans and Jews have experienced decades of contention over a range of issues since the 1960s. But now, some in the pro-Israel community see an opportunity to reconstitute a black-Jewish alliance centered on Israel. With the coming of age of a new generation of black religious and social leaders, pro-Israel advocacy groups are reaching out to enroll African Americans in support of Israel, often in a religious setting. » Read more

Inside the tiny Washington group that is 'mainstreaming Palestine' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy by Josh Rogin - (Blog) October 19, 2011 - 12:00am Tonight, when Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad comes to Washington to speak at the annual gala of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP), he will be endorsing an organization that is punching well above its weight in the U.S. policy debate over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. » Read more

Is an Israeli life really more important than a Palestinian's? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Deborah Orr - (Opinion) October 19, 2011 - 12:00am It's quite something, the prisoner swap between Hamas and the Israeli government that returns Gilad Shalit to his family, and more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners to theirs. The deal is widely viewed as a victory for Hamas, the radical Islamist group that gained power in Gaza after years of frustration at the intractability of the "peace process". Conversely, it is being seen by some as a sign of weakness in Israel's rightwing prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu. » Read more

Yalla Peace: Getting mad at the wrong people ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Ray Hanania - (Opinion) October 18, 2011 - 12:00am PLO representative Maen Areikat reportedly announced last week that he was “distancing” the PLO office from the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) because the latter group does not support the Palestinian push for statehood at the United Nations.That’s the buzz in the Palestinian world this week. Palestinians rarely make news, but when they do, it is usually about some internal squabble that most of the people who can influence the future of Palestine disregard. It’s typical of the problems Palestinians face and raises questions about issues that often are not openly discussed. » Read more

Shalit deal throws Hamas a lifeline ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Avi Issacharoff - (Analysis) October 19, 2011 - 12:00am Tuesday showed that after nearly four years, Hamas has reared its head in the West Bank. It's doing so with Israel's help: The Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal has in many ways thrown Hamas a life preserver. The organization, whose civilian and military infrastructure has almost completely disappeared from the West Bank in recent years - and support for it has tumbled - has been clever enough to register its first significant achievement since the Hamas government in Gaza was established in January 2006. » Read more